Sweet Sleep Blog

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...

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!   

Stretches for Better Sleep Spinal Twist  Knee to Chest Back Stretch Reclining Hamstring Stretch Lying Side Quad Stretch Half Happy Baby Happy Baby Cobra Fish Butterfly

CPAP CPAP stands for  Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.  CPAP devices are the usual treatment recommended for sleep apnea.  A CPAP is a small box that works by using a quiet fan, humidification chamber, and filter to create the optimal relief to nasal passages during sleep.   The device delivers relief through flexible hosing and a mask.  The mask is key to how successful the device is for the patient and should be well fitted and comfortable.    Alternatives Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) Therapy Weight Loss if you are overweight Positional Therapy (Mild Cases) Surgery Acupuncture  Oral Appliance Therapy

What is Narcolepsy? Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder, stemming  from the brain’s inability to regulate periods of sleep and wakefulness ( Michael Breus, Ph.D., ABSM).  Most of the time those who suffer from Narcolepsy will feel that they are rested and ready for the day but then will become extremely tired throughout the day and may fall asleep involuntarily.  Symptoms of Narcolepsy Excessive Daytime Sleepiness is exactly what it sounds like, being excessively tired regardless of how much sleep you've gotten.   Cataplexy is sudden muscle weakness and loss of voluntary muscle control. This can often times be brought on by strong emotions making it a difficult to deal with. Sleep paralysis, hallucinations, fragmented sleep, insomnia, and automatic behaviors are also signs of narcolepsy.  Causes When cataplexy is present it is almost always connected to extremely low levels of hypocretin.  Hypocretin is a chemical that natura...

Can't get to sleep? Ask yourself a few questions the next time you can't get to sleep.   1) Did you check your phone right before bed? 2) Are you going to bed at different times every night?  Where you in bed by 11 last night and trying to get into bed at 9 tonight? 3) Did you have that super yummy coffee on your lunch break? Or even later? 4) Is your bed comfortable?  5) Are you hot? Or is there a ton of light in your room? Any of these factors can lead to struggling with falling asleep.  Make sure to avoid screens about an hour before bed, get to sleep at the same time each night, skip that coffee in the afternoon, and make your room super comfortable! 

Are you stressed?  Listen to your body and find out if you are stressed.  Signs that you are too stressed include your mind is racing and you just can't stop thinking, extremely tense muscles, and racing heart. If you have any of these problems your stress may be preventing you from sleeping.  De-stress So you've determined that you are stressed and it is probably keeping you from sleeping well, so now you're stressing about your stress, which leads you to lose sleep and then the lack of sleep leads to more stress.  It is a horrible cycle.  What can you do?  De-stress!  Try some of the following relaxing techniques. Take a warm bath Drink your favorite warm tea. Try a new caffeine-free blend  Breathing Techniques Close your eyes and notice your breathing. Turn all your attention to your natural breathing pattern and feel the air enter and leave your nose or mouth. Visualize the flow of air as it passes through your mouth,...

Q&A Many clients all have a very important question that they ask.  How much sleep do I actually need?  I feel fine after just sleeping for 6 hours while my partner seems to sleep forever! How Much Sleep Do You Need? How much sleep each person needs varies slightly from person to person.  Most adults need a minimum of seven hours of sleep to be able to function correctly and feel rested.  Some adults do need more and very few need less sleep.  A sleep journal is a perfect way to find out how many hours you need to sleep. Finding Out The best way to determine exactly how much sleep it takes for you to feel rested is to go to sleep when you feel tired in the evening and sleep without an alarm.  This can be tricky around work schedules so starting this when you’re on vacation or over a long weekend is a great idea.  Starting Friday night, instead of staying up to binge watch that favorite show, go ahead and have an early dinner aroun...

New Year, New Goals With the New Year, everyone has been focusing hard on those New Year’s Resolutions!  How are you doing on yours?!  I hope it’s going great for you!  I wanted to take a little time today and talk to you about a super important topic that I believe should absolutely be a goal for everyone this year.  Getting more sleep. Get More Sleep Life is busy and a lot of times we just grab that extra cup of coffee and yawn throughout our day.  Sleep isn’t really one of those things we think of as a goal.  Parents stay up late after the kids go to bed just to have some quiet time, or you get excited to catch up on your favorite show and binge watch it on TV until the next thing you know it’s 1 am and you’ve got work in the morning.  We’ve all been there, but what is this doing to our bodies?  Sleep is Important Sleep is a vital part of our health.  It’s how our body heals, resets, and gets ready for the next day!  ...