Sweet Sleep Blog

Great Snacks for Better Sleep Popcorn Oatmeal Whole-wheat crackers Nuts Cottage Cheese A warm cup of tea Warm Milk Fruit

Article of the Week Have you ever fallen asleep while driving?  Have you ever driven while drinking or drunk?  You may actually be surprised that while driving drunk is a huge no for most everyone and almost everyone knows that it is not only illegal but incredibly dangerous, driving tired can be just as dangerous.  Read more here . 

Healthy outside the gym  Remaining active and fit with children does not have to be hard.  You are busy with work and the family. It can seem overwhelming to fit in the gym time and let's face it, we're not all cut out for waking up at 5:00 AM to get to the gym before our busy day begins.  You do not have to have a gym membership to have a healthy and active life.  The best place to be active Spring is actually a great time to take advantage of the great weather and turn the great outdoors into your gym!  When you find yourself outside you will find that you are being active without having to try very hard at all.  By being active 30 minutes a day you will greatly increase your health.  If you spend 30 minutes walking as a family, playing ball with the kids, taking the kids swimming, or even taking them to the park and playing WITH them you will be amazed at how great your body will start to feel in a very short period of time.   Some great things to get outside an

Parasomnia  Do you have any abnormal things happening while you're asleep such as sleepwalking, sleep terrors, sleep eating disorders, sleep paralysis, nightmares, bedwetting, or sleep talking?  The crazy part of having a parasomnia is that you may actually not even know these things are happening. These episodes can be mild and cause little problems or they can become dangerous such as  REM Sleep Behavior Disorder .  REM Sleep Behavior Disorder is when you act out your dreams dramatically by kicking, punching, flailing etc and can lead to harm to yourself or your partner.  Sleepwalking can also become dangerous.  If you suspect that you or your partner are suffering from a parasomnia you should consult a medical professional right away.  Do you have parasomnia?  If you are struggling to stay asleep all night or feel that you are tired the next day and cannot find a reason talking to your doctor and setting up a sleep study is the best way to find the answers to your ques

Start your day off right We've got the perfect breakfast recipe to get your day off right.  Starting your day with the proper nutrition will set you up for a day full of better choices a happy tummy and a body ready to work for you!  Check out this delicious breakfast here ! 

Article of the Week!   Your sleep affects not only your mood but your health.  Without the proper sleep, you can develop many health issues and not just the obvious ones.  Read more here ! 

Guided Meditation  To prepare for guided meditation, turn off all of your electronics. You will, of course, need one to listen to your meditation guide, but there's no need to watch this, listening will work perfectly.  For this technique, start your guide video or audio, turn off the screen so it is dark and lay in your bed.  Relax and stretch out and take three deep breaths.  It's okay if your mind wonders during your meditation but try to bring it back into focus and concentrate on your breaths and the way your body moves as you breathe.  Then simply follow the audio of your guide. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Lay in your bed, make sure your room is dark and you're comfortable.  Then starting at the top of your head work your way down your body in the following exercise.  Tense each muscle for five seconds and then relax it, relax for ten seconds and then move on to the next grouping.   Forehead. Wrinkle your brow or raise your eyebrows up like you are surpr

Bedtime  Having a regular bedtime is important for all ages.  When you go to bed around the same time and get up at the same time every day your body will find it easier to naturally get tired and be ready for sleep around the same time every day.   Ages 3 to 5 10 to 13 hours of sleep is the goal for this age range.  When your child stops their afternoon naps they will need to add an hour of sleep onto their night time sleeping.  The easiest way to determine bedtime is counting backward from the time they need to wake up for the day.  If you are waking them at 7:00 AM to get ready for the day, bedtime should be 6:00 to 9:00 PM to get 10 to 13 hours of sleep.  Ages 6 to 13 19 to 11 hours of sleep is the goal for your school-aged children. Having the right amount of sleep is the best way to prepare your child for the next day.  They will perform better and be healthier with the right amount of sleep.  Count backward from the time your child's alarm is set to determine th

We found another GREAT recipe! Don't forget to keep fueling that body with the best nutrition!  It's easy to just stop and grab that fast food but remember, what you put in your body affects your health, your sleep, and your mood!  Check it out  here !   We've got some delicious Spring Recipes will be sharing with you!! Check back next Tuesday for our next find!! Check out our website for all of your sleep questions!  

Article of the Week!  This is an article that will give you some great insight into the sleep needs of your teens and why they may be sleeping in on the weekends!  Read it Here ! 

Exercise and Sleep A study conducted by  Mental Health and Physical Activity, showed that 150 minutes of activity a week improves sleep quality by 65%.  Being active also decreased daytime sleepiness, leg cramps during sleep, and improved concentration.  It can seem like a struggle to get this amount of exercise into your busy schedule, so how can you do it?  Fitting in Exercise 150 minutes breaks out into 2.5 hours.  It's generally not recommended to just cram all of this activity in at once.  Instead, try spending just 30 minutes each day taking a walk. Maybe take the dog for a nice long walk in the evening with the kids or an evening bike ride with the family around the neighborhood.  Or even playing tag with the kids!  It does not have a be a vigorous regimen done in the gym with tons of equipment. If you can do this 5 of the days in the week you will be doing so much to improve your health.  

Snoring  Many people snore.  It can happen when you have a cold or if the air is dry, or even if allergies are bothering you.  Snoring is caused by your throat becoming so relaxed that it becomes narrowed and soft and then your tongue falls backward.  The more your throat narrows the greater you snore.  This is due to the vibrations of air through the passageway. Sleep Apnea  As your throat relaxes and narrows it can happen that it actually collapses.  This is a very serious condition we know as sleep apnea.  The most noticeable sign of sleep apnea is very loud and frequent snoring.  If your bed partner is snoring every night at a loud volume, pay attention to their breathing.  If you notice that they stop breathing during their sleep it's time to seek medical help for this.   Signs If you do not have a partner to tell you about your snoring habits you may not be aware if you are struggling with sleep apnea.  Some signs to watch for in yourself include Excessive

Recipe for your health!  Salmon is an extremely healthy food that provides your body with tons of great protein and  omega-3 fatty acids.   Check out this great recipe here ! 

Article Find of the week! This week's article is about snoring!  That little thing most of us have experienced at least some in our lives. It can be a little cute baby snore or the super loud snore of our bed partner that wakes you up at night.  Read more about snoring here!