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 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! 

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...

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.  

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!   

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  (...

Weekly Article This week we're going to look at excessive sleepiness.  We're starting with this great informative article we found and then we'll be talking more about what excessive sleepiness is, advice, tips, and more.  http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/6/1774

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

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 

Nutrition Nutrition is one of the key parts of being healthy and keeping your body on track to get the sleep it needs.  Getting a good night's sleep involves so many factors including having a good diet.  This recipe is amazing if you are suffering from Insomnia. Berry Smoothie 1/4 cup frozen strawberries 1/4 cup frozen blueberries 1/2 cup spinach 1/2 banana A handful of walnuts 2 tbsp raw honey Why This smoothie is perfect for great sleep because it is full of tryptophan.  This is an amino acid that is perfect for helping you fall asleep.  When your body breaks down tryptophan is turned it into serotonin and melatonin and this helps your body start the sleep process.