Cracking the Sleep Code

Sleep Quote For September 29

“I put a piece of paper under my pillow, and when I could not sleep, I wrote in the dark.”

      

Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist, Poet and philosopher, 1817-1862)

Get all of your thoughts down on paper before you turn out the light...then you will start with an empty basket--- ready to be filled with lot's of dreams.

Sleep Deprived? What's Keeping you From Sleeping?

I can't stand not being able to fall back asleep.  It is my number one pet peeve. I call it maintenance insomnia.  I found that it takes some investigation but you can cure this problem. It' s so important to find out what could be waking you up. If you wake up and can't get back to sleep then it's time to eliminate the things that are responsible for waking you and robbing you of your precious sleep.  I mean let's face it, if we wouldn't wake up in the first place then we wouldn't need to deal with getting back to sleep.  Here are some things to look at...

1. Are there noises in your house that could be awakening you?  Those creeks and squeaks in a house need to be eliminated.  Get a fan or sound machine for add white noise or wear ear plugs.

2. Do you wake up with one side of your nose clogged?  That's annoying isn't it?  If it's consistent then go to a Ear Nose and Throat doc and find out what's causing the problem.  It could be enlarged turbinates or a deviated septum that's causing your nose to close off.  Believe it or not this could be the sole cause of your insomnia.  If you're awakened from the discomfort of your nose it doesn't take long to form a habit of not getting back to sleep.  For that matter anything that wakes you up consistently can turn into insomnia. 

3. A Hormone imbalance can be another culprit.  This pertains to mostly women and can become a real health problem.  Starting as early as mid thirties women can start to have  perimenopause symptoms that can greatly affect their sleep.

4. Of course there is always your snoring or a snoring partner.  If your snoring is waking you it's most likely because your snoring is restricting your airway--- it might be time for a sleep study to check for obstructive sleep apnea.  If it's your partner snoring then encourage them to seek treatment or move to another room.  Don't worry about the "stigma" of sleeping apart. You won't be much of a partner if you don't get your sleep.   

5. There's always the more obvious causes...caffeine, alcohol and too much to drink creates frequent awakenings, lighter stages of sleep and bathroom trips. 

Whatever is responsible for waking you... the anxiety from not getting back to sleep can drive us batty.  That's why it's important to keep a sleep journal---just a short recap of what happened the night before so you can find out why you are having these problems and then fix them for good.

What's your 'wake up' culprit?  Or is it trying to fall asleep that plagues you? Your story or suggestions are wanted.

The Art of Falling Asleep Quickly

If you're serious about getting the sleep that you deserve then it's time to take action!   If your problem is falling asleep, that's not difficult to fix.  Let's separate the sleeping problems into three different categories.

1.  Have difficulty falling asleep--initial sleep insomnia
2.  Have difficulty maintaining sleep--maintenance insomnia
3.  Granddaddy insomnia--combination of both

For the initial sleep insomnia the best cure is not to go to bed until your tired.  Don't force the issue.  Stop worrying about how many hours you have to get in order to feel rested at work the next day.  If you're not tired until 1:00am then don't get into your bed until 1:00am.  Do not get into that bed UNTIL YOU ARE SLEEPY. Create a bed time routine i.e. reading a book, bath etc.   I would recommend staying  away from the computer and TV.   I  take a magnesium and calcium supplement everynight before I go to bed, it helps me relax...but everyone has there own relaxation techniques.

If you think you need 8 hours just because that's the "recommended" sleep
amount---that's not necessarily true.  I know people who feel great on 4 hours while others feel they need 9. How you feel during the day will tell you how much sleep you require. Try going to bed when you absolutely cannot keep your eyes open.  Make sure you're not doing activities before bed that get our juices flowing...action movies, deep conversation or exercising.

I don't believe in taking sleep medication indefinitely but if you need to get over the hump, your physician can prescribe something for a few nights. If I need to get out of a rut, I take 50 mg of diphenhydramine (benedryl) one or two nights. I don't want to rely on benedryl or any other pill to sleep so I watch my consumption very closely---it can become a slippery slope if you take something night after night. Just the idea that we have something that will shut our brains off for one night can take away some of the anxiety that throws us into the hands of the insomnia monster.

Tomorrow we'll discuss maintenance insomnia and how to stay asleep.

Do you have any ideas?  What's your story?

Do You Snore? Your health could be in danger

I wanted to share an article from sleepeducation.com that tells a story that is all too common.  In my field of work I have heard many similar stories such as this man's. My hope is that through community awareness about the dangers of sleep apnea and keeping stories like these circulating that it will expedite the action taken by the sleep apnea sufferer.

John had known all his life that he snored. Both his dad and his college roommate did too, so he figured it wasn’t a big deal. It became a big deal to his wife, Marie, after they got married. His snoring was so loud that it was keeping her up at night. She constantly complained about it, but John thought she just had to get used to it.

Sleep Quote For September 14

Consciousness:  that annoying time between naps.  ~Author Unknown

Are You a Professional Snorer? Seek Help... Before It's Too Late

Snoring can be dangerous. The adage "When I die I want to go in my sleep"...can be too real for someone who has sleep apnea. Obviously nobody wants to die prematurely from a sleep disorder yet I've seen too many cases where that could of been prevented.

If you have been a snorer for years there is a good chance that you have periods of cessation of breath.  It's a good idea to get it checked out if you are tired during the day or have been told that you stop breathing.  Overtime those seconds or minutes that you're lacking in oxygen are hard on your heart.

Snoring with a deadly pause puts you at high risk for arrhythmia's, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure and hypertension.  Do you know for sure that your snoring doesn't contain that... pause?

This video says it all...

Have Sleep Problems? The Top 6 Sleep Sites That Will Get You Back to Dreaming

http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/blog/
The latest news on therapies and treatments of all sleep disorders

http://sleepingwelltonight.blogspot.com/: Great information on insomnia, sleep apnea and how reducing stress can help with these and other sleep disorders

http://www.sleepapneafacts.info/sleepapneablog/
Extensive information on the latest treatments for sleep apnea and snoring

http://blog.cpap.co.uk/: Everything you need to know about sleep apnea, sleep lab visits and CPAP treatments

http://sleepdoctor.blogspot.com/: Dr. Michael Rack, a sleep specialist, shares his knowledge on the descriptions and latest treatments for every kind of sleep disorder

http://always-sleepy.blogspot.com/ : One man's funny and fascinating journey with narcolepsy

Sleep Well Again...And Get Your Life Back!

Isn't it amazing that even if you have the best life and everything is going great, none of it matters if you can't get your sleep.  It's impossible to enjoy life if you haven't slept enough...it becomes maddening.

So what do you do?  Assuming that you don't have underlying sleep apnea, hormone imbalance or another disorder that is disrupting your sleep there are some steps to take.  First of all start keeping a sleep diary.  I don't mean a 3 page novel, just a quick recap of the previous night that would go something like this...

1. Bed time--11:00

2. How many wake ups--3

3. What happened?-- Got up 2 out of the 3 to go to the bathroom.  The 3rd time fell  back asleep right away. 

4. Woke up (for good) at 5:00

5. How did you feel? --Tired the first part of the day then I was ok.

It's important to look back and see what was waking you up or how long it took you to fall asleep.  For example, was your nose bothering you?  Did your snoring partner wake you up?  Did your child wake you up?  Do you always have to go to the bathroom? If so, are you drinking too much at night?

Sometimes all it takes to cure your insomnia is to solve the thing or things that wake you up and things seem to get better from there.  If you are awakened and you can't get back to sleep it just becomes a habit so it's important to try and correct the things that might be waking you up first...then work on breaking your habit.  If it's your child that is waking you then obviously you will have to wait that period out, but the other things that awaken you can be fixed.

I have worn earplugs every night since a college.  My freshman year roommate was a terrific snorer and I became desperate for sleep.  After she was no longer my roommate I found that the earplugs kept out a lot of unwanted noises.  Today I still sleep with earplugs and have no problem hearing the monitor for my children but I don't hear my husband get up at 5:00am---which is good.

Try observing and writing down what your nightly battles are with sleep and it will help you fix the problem.  If you have helpful ideas for others...please comment everyone needs suggestions.