PREVENTION
Dr. Patrick DeFrancesco
Sweet Dreams
“I wish I could sleep through the night.” “I can’t fall asleep.” “I wake up every hour.” “I can’t stop thinking.” “Why am I so tired and cranky when I get up in the morning?” “Doctor, do you have anything that can help me sleep?”
T
hese are just a few of the sleep-related complaints I have heard from my patients over the past 20 years. It seems clear that not sleeping soundly, or at all, has become a major issue.
Why is this happening? Is it due to stress, poor diet, lack of down time prior to bed, or an inadequate sleeping surface? Sleep plays a vital role in your wellbeing, protects physical and mental health, and promotes quality of life. The way you feel while awake depends in part on the quantity and quality of your sleep.
Not for Adults Only
Children suffer from sleeping disorders, too. Common symp- toms include decreased learning ability, inadequate development of the cortex, poor communication skills, reduced socialization, and depression/suicide. While a person sleeps, the body is rejuvenated, cells are repaired, the immune system is strengthened, and mental functions are sharpened; much like rebooting a computer resets and removes barriers or viruses that prevent proper function. A frozen computer does not respond to outside stimuli, which is exactly what occurs in the human body with sleep deprivation. Our bodies seize up, affecting overall performance and function. Ongoing sleep defi- ciency can make it difficult to learn new things, cause poor decision making, and increase the risks of heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, depression, suicide, obesity, hypertension, and stroke; thus shorten- ing life expectancy. How can we get more rest and return to proper levels of sleep?
The quantity of sleep needed each day will change over the course of a lifetime. According to the American Sleep Institute the following chart applies:
Newborns
Preschool-Aged children School-Aged children Teens
Adults (including elderly)
16-18 hours/day 11-12 hours/day 10-11 hours/day 9-10 hours/day 7-8 hours/day
Set a Consistent Routine
Your body has a rhythm and an internal time-clock. Good sleep requires a consistent routine, which means going to bed and waking up at the same time (within an hour) each day, whether weeknight or weekend. This sounds simple but it’s not, due to the many diver- sions in our lives. A consistent sleep-schedule permits a stage during the sleep cycle in which dreams occur and the body undergoes marked changes, including rapid eye movement, loss of reflexes, and increased pulse rate and brain activity, also called REM sleep or paradoxical sleep. This is the ultimate sleep goal and must be reached daily for a healthy and happy life.
Promote REM Sleep Some factors that aid in promoting REM sleep include: daily
physical activity of at least 30 minutes, but not within 3 hours of sleep time, and preferably outside. It’s also important to avoid large meals for two hours prior to going to sleep and especially to avoid food or drinks that contain stimulants like caffeine, sugar, or choco- late during this time, as the effects can last up to eight hours.
Quiet Time Try carving out a little quiet time before bed, perhaps reading
by the fire or listening to your favorite classical music. Completely remove bright and artificial lights, including those from the many screens in the home, such as the TV, computer, and cell phone. These lights signal the brain that it is time to be awake.
Electronics
The increased usage of electronic media is most likely the big- gest cause of sleep disorders in children and adults. Parents must not only evaluate the type and amount of video games their children play, but when they can be played. Too much game-time during the day, or more importantly at night before bed time, is setting our kids up for a multitude of problems, including sleep disorders.
24 Natural Nutmeg May 2013
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