health care information

It is quite ironic that we spend at least a third of our lives sleeping, and yet many of us have only little knowledge of sleep. The sad part about this is that the little information we have about sleep is riddled with so much myths and fallacies.Since sleep, like water and food, is a crucial factor in health and life as a whole, it is but wise to have a deeper understanding about this bodily function. In order to help you grasp the importance of sleep, let’s dispel the popular sleep myths.Losing An Hour Or Two Of Slumber Is IrrelevantA lot of people have ultra hectic schedules. In order to accomplish a lot of things in a day, many skip an hour or two of sleep thinking that it will not have an impact on their health. Maybe one hour or even two hours of sleep lost throughout your whole life is irrelevant, however, chronic sleep loss can create havoc to your system. Aside from making you more prone to developing diabetes, not having a full restful sleep every night could lead to hormonal imbalance, mood swings, increase in appetite and even memory lapses.The Older You Get, The Less Sleep You NeedAnother fallacy that seems to be popular states that as a person gets older, he or she does not require 7 to 9 hours of sleep everyday. The truth of the matter is that old people tend to sleep less not because they do not need sleep but rather because of certain conditions, illnesses or medications that they are taking. If you, your parent or grandparent is not sleeping well at night for about a couple of weeks, you better go to your doctor and seek help.Sleep Is Merely RestAlthough it is true that sleeping is a form of rest, there are a lot of things going on inside your brain and body during your sleep. Did you know that while you are in dreamland, your body is doing repair and maintenance? This is the reason why doctors encourage patients to rest and sleep so that their bodies could recuperate better and faster. While you are sleeping, your brain is also building up long-term memories, so those who do not get ample snooze time are often forgetful. If you want to live a long and healthy life, then consider sleep as important as food and water.Body Can Easily Adjust To Changes In Sleep PatternsThe sleeping pattern of a person is usually based on his or her exposure to sunlight and activities throughout the day. People who need to travel to places with different time zones or those that are working during the graveyard shift usually muddle up the body’s sense of time. In fact, your body needs at least one day to compensate for even a one-hour change in your sleep pattern or time zone. This means that if you travel from Florida to China, your body might need at least 6 days to adjust to the change.Aside from the number of hours you spend sleeping, you also need to pay attention to the quality of your slumber. If your sleep is interrupted every so often, then you are not having a deep and restful sleep that your body needs.Before seeking a sleeping pill to remedy your sleep woes, it might be better to stick to natural remedies first. Exercising regularly, eating the right food, or taking a natural-based sleep supplement like Somulin can help a lot in providing you a deep and restful slumber.For more information about Somulin, simply go to http://www.somulin.com/.

How to Get Better Sleep

Preparations:

Determine the time you need to wake up. Give yourself enough time to wake up, take a few deep breaths, contemplate your goals for the day, eat some breakfast, take a shower, stretch a little, make your bed, plan your to do list, get your head together, and get your personal things ready for the day.

Establish a preferred bedtime. At first, assume you need about the average 8 hours of sleep.  Eight hours of sleep will give you enough time to complete 5 full sleep cycles, each cycle composed of 5 Sleep Stages (Stages 1 and 2 provide you light but restful sleep.  Stages 3 and 4 help to restore your body.  Stage 5 or REM sleep restores your mind).  Count backwards 8 hours from the time you need to wake up.  Assume you need 20-30 minutes to fall asleep.  This is your preferred bedtime. 

Now, this preferred bedtime is an experiment.  Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep, and some actually need more.  After a week, you will begin to see a pattern.  Either you’ll wake up feeling tired and groggy, or you’ll find yourself waking up too early.  After about a week, re-assess your sleeping needs and adjust your bedtime accordingly by either moving your bedtime up or back by one 1/2 hour.  Repeat this process each week until you either wake up just before your alarm goes off, or you at least wake up to your alarm feeling well-rested and refreshed.

Keep Consistent. As far as sleep is concerned, your body doesn’t like drastic change.  So once you establish a preferred bedtime that seems to work for you, as well as a time to rise, then do your best to retire no more than 2 hours, and rise within 1 hour of the same time everyday. 

The Sleep Diary

A Sleep Diary will help you identify your sleep habits, both good and bad.  Does a cappuccino in the late afternoon keep you tossing and turning throughout the night?  Do you find yourself waking up repeatedly?  Do you tend to wake up groggy when you stay up past eleven?  These are some of the things a sleep diary can help you identify.

Make entries in your sleep diary every morning and every evening for the next 28 days.  Every week, review your past entries to identify any patterns.  Then, change your sleep habits accordingly (i.e. go to bed earlier or later, refrain from as much caffeine, avoid alcohol so late in the evening, etc.).  Pretty soon, you’ll become your own sleep expert!

Make Your Bedroom Sacred

1. Clean your room!  The bedroom is where you should find peace and relaxation.  That’s hard to do when your sleeping environment is cluttered or unkempt.  Keep your bedroom clean and well organized.  Make it inviting.  You may even choose to redecorate – and if you do, choose cool, calming colors.2. Keep your bed as comfortable as possible.  Find the right mattress, sheets, pillows, and blankets that are the best fit for YOU!  If you can’t splurge on a new mattress right now, try a matress pad instead for added comfort.3. Use your bed for sleep and sex ONLY!  No reading, watching TV, or paperwork allowed.  your goal is to train your mind and body to associate your bed with rest only.  This will make it easier for you to fall asleep when bedtime comes.4. Always keep a few essentials on your bedside table: alarm clock, linen spray (for aromatherapy), eye mask (to block out light or to help rest your eyes), eye drops (for dry, tired eyes in the morning), tissue, a beverage (for late night thirst so you don’t have to get out of bed), a small light (so you don’t have to turn on any bright lights if you need to find something late at night), a night cap (if you tend to get cold at night, this will help you maintain your body heat), extra blanket, and pain pills (late night headaches and back pain can be really bothersome).5. Keep a comfortable, sleep-conducive bedroom environment.  Your bedroom should be completely dark.  It should be kept at a temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (if it’s too cold, you won’t get out of bed, and if it’s too hot you’ll wake up feeling groggy.  Adjust accordingly for the season).  Make sure you have plenty of fresh air, as this will help you breathe better and will fuel your mind and body with oxygen.  Either maintain silence in your bedroom, or some type of “white” noise (such as a fan, or by placing the dial on your FM radio between two stations.

Avoid the “Sleep Robbers”

1. No smoking, at least not within 2 hours of your bedtime.  Nicotine is a brain stimulant for some people.  Even if you are able to fall asleep, the stimulant effects will cause you to sleep lighter, preventing you from acquiring the full restorative benefits of deep sleep.  Also, many people tend to wake up early throughout the night due to nicotine withdrawal.2. No alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime.  Sure, this “night cap” may help you feel relaxed, and may even sedate you, but s with nicotine, you’ll be unable to slip in the deep sleep necessary for you to feel well-rested the following morning.  3. No caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime.  This one is obvious.  Caffeine is definitely NOT a sleep aid. And, it can take several hours for the stimulant effects on your brain to wear off.  Again, this will prevent you from falling into deep sleep.4. Cut your caffeine intake overall.  You’ll find that the better you sleep, the less you’ll even need that cola or cup of “joe” to get you going in the morning.  But cut down gradually, as caffeine has some withdrawal effects as well, such as severe headaches and irritability.5. No large meals within 3 hours of bedtime.  Late night digestion of heavy meals can also effect how deeply you sleep, as well as set you up for acid reflux.  A light snack about 60-90 minutes before bed is fine, but it may be better to save your heaviest meals for breakfast or lunch.6. Be wary of your prescriptions.  Some prescription drugs can actually cause insomnia.  Check with your doctor or pharmacy to find out, and discuss alternatives if your medication falls on the “sleepless” list.7. Turn your cell phone off.  This is a toughie for many of us.  But unless you’re concerned about a possible emergency arising, it’s best for your to avoid any and all interruptions during your sleep time.8. No strenuous activity after 7pm.  When you get revved up from exercise, it can take hours to wind down.  A better option would be light stretching, yoga, tai chi, qui gong, meditation, or walking at a relaxed pace.9. Keep your pets in check.  If you have allergies or your pet tends to wake you up throughout the night, transition your pet into either sleeping on the floor, or in another room altogether.

Tips Throughout the Day

1. Try to get at least 30-60 minutes of natural sunlight exposure each day.  The daylight is actually key to regulating your daily sleep patterns. 2. Maintain proper nutrients in your diet.  Drink plenty of water and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables throughout the day.  Avoid excess fat and refined sugar.  Take a multivitamin and a B-complex daily, but avoid taking the B-complex after 5pm, as this acts as a stimulant in some people.3. No naps after 3pm and for no longer than 30-90 minutes.  Naps in the late afternoon can make it difficult to fall asleep at night, and naps that are longer than 90 minutes may make you feel groggy. 

 

We all know we live in a fast world! Our lifestyle is harried, our food is fast and statistics now show it’s taking a toll on one of the most important parts of our life–our sleep. The 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep in America poll found that 74 percent of American adults are experiencing a sleeping problem a few nights a week or more, 39% get less than seven hours of sleep each weeknight, and more than one in three (37%) are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with daily activities. Our fast paced way of life is getting the best of us. What about you?Answer True or False?1. Five hours of sleep at night is good enough.2. It’s ok to skimp on sleep during the work week as long as you make up the time over the weekends.3. The effects of sleep deprivation are short-term (e.g., darkness under the eyes and dull and/or splotchy skin after a bad night’s sleep) and has no effect on long-term health.4. Drinking caffeine early in the evening does not affect sleep.5. Keeping a TV or computer in the bedroom has no effect on sleep.6. The amount of sleep I get has nothing to do with my weight.If you answered “true” to two or more questions you may need to make a few changes in order to achieve the highly coveted “good” night’s sleep and keep yourself in optimal health.Experts suggest that most people need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night but that doesn’t apply to everyone. Some people only require 6 hours while those who are more active or have an illness may require more.So how do you know if you are getting enough quality sleep? Those who are sleep deprived often look the part. Dark circles and the “sleepy” look are common, but they also can have unpredictable moods, drowsiness during the day, have difficulty concentrating, weak immune systems, recover poorly from injury and get sick more often. Sounding a little too familiar?In fact, poor sleep has been found to impair the ability to perform tasks involving memory, learning, and logical reasoning. This may contribute to mistakes or unfulfilled potential at school or on the job as well as strained relationships at home. Even more disturbing, inadequate amounts of sleep have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain, obesity, heart disease and depression, to name just a few.But what if you go to bed early, have every intention on logging in your 7-9 hours but only to lie awake watching the clock…eyes wide open? Well, there are several simple adjustments you can make to stack the cards in favor of a better night’s sleep.1) Avoid watching TV before bed…especially in bed!- The bed should be reserved for two things…sleep and romance…not Desperate Housewives or football! Research shows that those who experienced the most sleep disturbances had televisions in their bedrooms and used the TV to fall asleep.2) Try a different pillow or mattress. It’s scary to think how long some of us have been sleeping on the same pillows and mattresses for years and years. Does your mattress provide the support you like? Do you wake with your back aching? Is there enough room for you and your sleep partner? Do you sleep better, or worse, when you sleep away from home? These are all things to askyourself to determine if your mattress could be the “sabotager” of your good night’s sleep. Or more simply, just replacing your pillow with a new, fresh, higher quality version could be all that you need.3) Avoid caffeine late in the day. Did you know that even a small amount of caffeine even 10-12 hours before bedtime can cause problems falling asleep! Try eliminating the tea, soda and even chocolate and see if sleep improves.4) Listen to relaxing music. Establishing a relaxing bedtime routine, such as listening to music, could be just the thing you need to signal your body it is time to sleep. So, dim the lights and throw some slow jazz or purchase a “relaxing sounds” CD to help slow your mind and body down for an evening of peaceful sleep.5) Try mind- body techniques. After an action-packed day, your brain and body need to unwind and detox before sleep can occur (a.k.a. you need to chill!) Create a “ritual” for bedtime – take a bath, meditate, do some easy stretches or yoga. Try to do your “ritual” in the same way, in the same place, at the same time each night. The repetition will trigger your mind and body that it is time to relax and sleep.6) Try a natural sleep aid. For many people, while the above tips and suggestions may help, it often isn’t enough. if you are one of those people who really have a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep, you may want to try a natural sleep aid.While over the counter sleep medications may help you fall asleep, they cannot be taken long-term and have risky side effects. A sleep aid that uses natural ingredients is a better approach to getting a solid night’s sleep.