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

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 ...

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 ! 

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...

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...

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...

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

Do You Have RLS?  One of the biggest factors with RLS is a feeling that you need to move your legs that you cannot help.  This is accompanied with uncomfortable feelings that  include creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging, or gnawing.  RLS may also include movement of your legs that can inturrupt your night's sleep.  These movements are known as PLMS and can occure every 20 to 30 minutes.  If you feel the uncomfortable sensations to move and do move your legs the sympotoms ease, this is also a sign that you may have RLS.  The longer you are at rest, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be and they will usually be worse at night. If you are experiencing signs of RLS or any sleep disorder come see us at the Sweet Sleep Studio to take control of your sleep again.  Check out our website here . 

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 ! 

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  (...

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

Eat well, sleep well As we've discussed before, diet is a huge part of your health.  When you eat well you are healthier.  A great diet leads to better health and better sleep. What you eat can effect your sleep greatly, like when you eat sugary snacks to get you through the morning then by afternoon you're crashing.   Instead of reaching for those sugary snacks in the morning, start off with a great breakfast like this one!  Open-Faced Broiled Egg, Spinach, Tomato Sandwich Skip a drive-thru egg sandwich and make this easy-to-prepare one at home. (It uses hard-boiled eggs, so you don’t even have to soil a pan.) Spinach and tomatoes provide valuable vitamins and antioxidants; a fiber-filled whole wheat English muffin combined with protein in the egg helps you stay satiated through lunchtime. PREP TIME: 10 minutes TOTAL TIME: 13 minutes SERVINGS: 1 ½ whole wheat english muffin ¼ c fresh spinach, cooked and squeezed dry (about 4 o...

Weekly Article This week's article is about Sleep Apnea.  We will talk all about the sleep disorder and some great info about how to help cope.   https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-apnea