Sweet Sleep Blog

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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 ! 

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! 

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.  

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 . 

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...

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...

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 ...

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!  

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 ap...

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!   

Why We Love Yoga Yoga is a relaxing exercise that is amazing for your health.  It can help with flexibility, controlling your anxiety, pain management, warming your muscles to prevent injury, and so much more.   Yoga and Sleep Yoga helps with sleep by reducing stress and getting your body and mind into a relaxed state where it is ready for sleep.  Regardless of your physical abilities yoga is a gentle way to introduce your body to exercise and relaxation all at once.   Yoga Poses

Delicious and Healthy Bedtime Snacks These mixes of carbs and protein increase serotonin levels which leads to better sleep. 1/2 cup whole-grain cereal with 1/2 cup nonfat milk 6 ounces low-fat yogurt and a sprinkling of berries 1 slice whole wheat toast and 1 tablespoon peanut butter 3.5 ounces fat-free vanilla pudding and 4 graham crackers 1/2 whole wheat pita and 2 tablespoons hummus 1 oatmeal raisin cookie and 8 ounces skim milk 6 whole-grain crackers and a small handful of walnuts

Article of the Week This week we're going to be going over RLS.  RLS stands for restless leg syndrome.  This week's article gives you an overview of RLS and more great info.   Read this week's article here ! 

What is Meditation Meditation  is the practice of turning your attention to a single point of reference (Psychology Today). Meditation is not a complicated technique and is simply focusing on the moment and clearing your mind of outside distractions and chaos to really just breathe and relax.  Benefits of Meditation There are many benefits to meditation. A few of the benefits include: Helping Normalize Blood Pressure Reduces anxiety, burnout, improves stress-related disorders Promotes the experience of relaxation throughout the day Decreases insomnia Improves concentration  A study from UCLA was conducted on individuals who had been meditating for an average of 20 years and found that they actually had more grey matter in their brains than those who did not meditate (Forbes).  So beyond the immediate benefits of relaxation, meditation actually helps preserve our minds as we age. Read more here ! How to Meditate Meditation is not complica...

Excessive Sleepiness What is it?   Excessive sleepiness is feeling very tired or drowsy during the day. It is often confused with fatigue, but they are different struggles.  Excessive Sleepiness vs Fatigue  Fatigue is dealing with low energy. You can be physically, mentally, or emotionally fatigued.  This is usually a result of either a medical condition or overusing your body or mind.    Excessive Sleepiness makes you feel so tired that it ends up interfering with your daily life. Excessive sleepiness is often a sign you may have a sleep disorder that is keeping you from getting the sleep you need to function.  Treatment Since excessive sleepiness is not actually a condition, but a symptom, the best way to treat it is by determining the cause.  If being excessively sleepy is keeping you from daily tasks and affecting your work, relationship, or what you need to get done, call to schedule your visit with Dr. Bhat  (...