Sweet Sleep Blog

Struggling at Work Do you find yourself struggling to concentrate at work?  Are you having more errors in your work?  Forgetting important tasks?  Are you coming in late?  Do you find yourself refilling that coffee cup several times a day?  All of these can be signs that you're not sleeping enough.  Impact of Not Enough Sleep Decreased communication Poor performance Work related injury risk increases  Driving accident risk increase  Memory is impaired which leads to forgotten tasks  Inappropriate behavior can occur  What this Means for Business The CDC reports 1.2 million lost working days and up to a $411 billion cost to the economy each year  due to tired employees! This is a massive problem for employers.  A  March survey  on sleep and the U.S. workplace from CareerBuilder (conducted by Harris Poll) reported that 58 percent of 32,000 workers surveyed said they weren't gett...

Sleep and Quality of Life This article is directed towards those who suffer from kidney disease.  It shares the importance of adequate sleep in the quality of life patients have. " Among individuals with chronic kidney disease, those who slept 7 hours/day had higher health-related quality of life than those who slept ≤5 hours/day or ≥9 hours/day." Read the full article Here ! 

Exercise for Better Sleep The best exercises for sleep are those that help you rest, relax, and start getting your body ready for bed.  Some great options are  Yoga  Meditation Stretching Easy and gentle exercises such as lungs, situps, leg raises, etc.  The key is to go slow and deliberate, alleviate the tightness in your body and warm up.  Don't raise your heart rate high, simply warming and then the cooling of your body will ease you before bed.  Exercise for Better Health Exercise is an important part of your health.  Not everyone feels that they have the time or motivation for exercise.  If you're a complete beginner to exercise the best exercises you can start with are: Yoga Walking Swimming Dancing Biking Pilates

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Sleep and Alzheimer's This article highlights just how important sleep is for our health. Losing sleep can really impact our health in many ways.  This is one of those ways.  "If you think that a bad night's sleep is harmless, think again. New research suggests that a single night of sleep deprivation can increase levels of a protein involved in Alzheimer's disease." Read the full article Here ! 

Effects of Missing Sleep When you miss out on a good night's sleep there are some serious effects on you that could be affecting your relationship!  Sleep deprivation causes physical appearance changes and can result in you looking less healthy and even less attractive to your partner.  Your sense of humor goes right out the window. Sleep directly affects how you're feeling.  You will feel more distant, less secure, and have less positive input into your relationship. Arguments are more common and full of negativity when one of you is lacking on sleep.  You're more impulsive and more likely to make rash decisions when tired.  Your physical performance can be severely affected by poor sleep.  All of these can be taking a toll on your relationship!  If you are suddenly feeling annoyed with your partner, have a low sex drive, and feel yourself snapping a lot take a look at how much sleep you are getting.  If your partner seems ...

Sleep is a Super Power! It may sound extreme but getting a greats night sleep heals you faster and keeps you healthier.  While you're sleeping your body releases hormones that are responsible for the growth of tissue.  Your cuts, sore muscles, and various injuries do most of their healing while you're asleep!  And Keeps You Healthy! While you're sleeping your body produces more white blood cells.  White blood cells attack things inside your body that can cause harm such as viruses and bacteria.  Making sure you're getting your 8 hours of sleep may help you fight off that cold going around next time! 

Fascinating Things Can Happen While You Sleep This article talks about 5 things that you can do while sleeping!  Some of these are sleep disorders or conditions that you should be aware of and some are just crazy things that happen! " Have you ever woken up in the morning to the sight of a disgruntled partner, upset that you gave them a long speech in your sleep?" Read the full article here ! 

Healthy Chicken Recipe Super simple and easy to make, this recipe is great for your nutrition. Check out the full recipe here ! 

Sleep Disorders affect over 70 Million Americans Sleep disorders are not rare.  They are actually common and many may actually suffer from a sleep disorder or other sleep issue and not even be aware of it.   Signs of a Sleep Disorder or Sleep Issue Taking longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep Feeling tired or irritable during the day even though you got seven to eight hours of sleep Waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall back asleep Needing long naps during the day Concentrating on your work or school is a struggle Falling asleep at inappropriate times Waking too early in the morning Very loud snoring that may even disturb your sleeping partner Feeling a tingly or crawling sensation in your legs while trying to sleep Needing coffee or other stimulants to keep you awake during the day

We Enjoyed this One!  This article is about how the lack of sleep is actually very similar to being drunk.  The effects of sleep deprivation on your mind, body, and safety are very serious.   "We discovered that starving the body of sleep also robs neurons of the ability to function properly. This paves the way for cognitive lapses in how we perceive and react to the world around us." Senior study author Dr. Itzhak Fried Read the article here ! 

Tips for Your Routine Winding down You need to have a period of relaxing before bed.  During this time you should avoid screens and things that stimulate your body and mind.   Try things such as reading a book, having a cup of calming tea, taking a warm bath, gentle yoga, or meditation.  Explore and find the best relaxing thing for you to do. Try journaling   If you are stressed try writing out the problem or making lists.  Once you have everything written down it can help you relax because you don't have to worry about forgetting something.  Make sure that this is a step you do before your winding down period so these things aren't still on your mind.  Choose your bedtime snacks and drinks carefully Avoid that caffeine later in the day and skipping heavy meals right before bed is better for sleep and better for your overall health.   Stick to a schedule Monitor your sleep patterns and get an idea of how much sleep...

Talking in Your Sleep Sleep talking is not dangerous and shouldn't be a huge concern if you or someone you know does it.  Sleep talking can cause some awkward situations or become annoying to your bed partner, but the talker is not usually aware of the incident.  It can range from full conversation to mumbling and can be triggered by someone talking to the sleeper, or it can be completely spontaneous.   Treatment  Treatment is usually not needed at all.  However, if you want to minimize the events there are some things you can do.  Stick to a schedule, get plenty of sleep, avoid alcohol and heavy meals before bed.  Stress will also increase the likelihood and severity of the events.  

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.   ...

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 w...

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 you...