Memory Foam

Say NO to feeling tired and irritable!  If you are regularly experiencing sleepless nights it is time to take action.  Try these easy steps to help fall asleep and call me in the morning to let me know how your sleep was!

1. Choose Your Beverages Carefully - A warm drink at night is a soothing choice.  We need to ensure our warm beverages do not contain stimulants that will make it harder to go to sleep.  Try tea or warm milk.
2. Make a List, Check It Twice - Having a notepad and pen close to your bed is a great alternative to worrying about the concerns of the day or the next day when you lay your head to rest.  By placing them on paper, visualize emptying your mind so eventually there is nothing left to worry about except falling asleep.
3. Slow Down the Body - You cannot expect to put on the emergency brake at the end of a busy day and have your body fall to sleep the minute you lay your head down.  Take time to unwind - perhaps by reading a book or listening to music with our pillow designed for a comfortable night’s sleep.

We are working together to ensure a better night’s sleep and quality of life in your waking hours.

I am sure it comes as no surprise to read encouragement to stay active.  Physical activity is important for each of us to maintain a strong heart and lungs and to minimize the effect of viruses on our immune systems.  There are numerous activities a person can do to stay active but the important point is to “just do it” as our famous Nike commercials remind us!

I am here to let you know that while maintaining an active lifestyle it is very important to give your body adequate sleep.  This allows time for the body to regenerate and repair itself from the stresses of training.  The immune system is enhanced and the risk of contracting serious diseases is greatly reduced.

While an active lifestyle will benefit your health it will also allow you to fall asleep faster, have a deeper sleep and feel less tired and more alert during the daytime. 

These two seem to fit together like a hand in a glove, why not try them on for size?

If you have been the brunt of all the snoring jokes at your office party or a family meal, you may be laughing it off yourself and not realizing that the solution may be right under your nose!

Even though we joke about snoring, the effects of snoring are not so funny.  Can you relate to any one of these?

• lack of sleep for yourself or your partner?
• tiredness throughout the day?
• poor concentration?

These are just the effects we can see and feel but over time the “unseen” effects take their toll on our bodies.

You may be only one small change away from eliminating your snoring problem.  If your snoring is a result of poor posture while you sleep, consider the Snore-No-More pillow for a better night’s sleep.  This pillow has been designed by a doctor to help reduce snoring while improving your sleeping posture to provide luxurious comfort.

The many roles that women have today can make anyone tired just reading them!  Wife, mother, maid, taxi driver, party organizer, secretary, cheerleader, income earner, counsellor, etc.  In all these things one area overlooked is the care and maintenance of the body of a woman!  Research indicates that lack of sleep effects women most when it comes to risk of heart disease. 

A healthy heart is directly related to how long we sleep, according to a growing body of evidence.  It is estimated that Americans are getting an average of 6.7 hours of sleep during the week.  Based on research, those who sleep less than 5 hours a night, are more susceptible to cardiovascular disease  compared to those who get a full 8 hour rest.

In a world where access to what we need, when we need it, is so common place, it becomes increasingly difficult to turn our minds and bodies to the ‘OFF’ position.  This produces a vicious cycle for us as we become busier, we get less sleep, then we become more stressed, leading to problems falling asleep, then we reap the rewards - impaired work performance, questionable judgment, increased risk to auto accidents as we fall asleep at the wheel.

Do not let ‘tired’ be the new normal for you.  For your heart’s sake women, and the safety of those around you, try hitting the snooze button and get a bit more sleep.

A study appearing in the journal, Science, has indicated a connection between lack of sleep and the development of Alzheimer’s disease.  Read on to discover one more reason to get a good nights sleep.

In studying Alzheimer’s patients, a high level of a protein known as amyloid beta exists.  As this protein accumulates it appears to cause a build-up of plaque which leads to cell death and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

By creating this same scenario for mice, scientists watched, as the mice were awake, the beta-amyloid levels increased, while they decreased as they slept.  Another aspect put to this study was forcing the mice to remain awake which significantly accelerated the plaque formation.

The question begins to form in the researcher’s mind  if sleeping longer could actually prevent the plaque from forming or perhaps deter its growth completely?

The results of this research encourage each one of us to get the proper rest our individual bodies need.  If you believe you have sleeping disorders, there may be long-term benefits to finding answers to treat those disorders.

It is estimated that by 2010 over 35 million people around the world wil be dealing with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia.  It is in our best interest to do everything we can to delay or perhaps prevent this disease.  Let’s start by getting a restful nights sleep every day.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first thing!  A new study released in June 2009 has found that middle-aged adults who suffer from lack of sleep are at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

One third of Americans are affected by high blood pressure and it contributes to 7 million deaths around the world yearly. Following a 5 year study of over 500 participants, an average age of 40, the University of Chicago noted that participants who slept fewer hours were more likely to have higher blood pressure readings than those who slept longer and  likely to develop high blood pressure over time.

The study team concluded that sleep deprivation affects the stress response of the body which can raise the risk of developing high blood pressure.

To keep blood pressure under control consider adopting these changes to your lifestyle.

• Get enough sleep
• Eat fewer calories than you burn off
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Reduce salt intake
• Keep alcohol consumption low - 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women
• Exercise
• Avoid smoking

Although we started with bad news, we don’t need to end on bad news.  No matter what your age or shape, you can do something to lower your blood pressure.  We have learned from this study, that regular sleep patterns will make a difference for the better!

In a small study at the University of Chicago, which we will summarize below, there is a suggestion that those at risk of diabetes tend to get too little sleep, not enough exercise and eat a diet consisting of high calories and saturated fats.

A group of five men and six women, average age of 40, participated in a fourteen day study where they led a sedentary lifestyle where access to unhealthy food was readily available.  At the onset these volunteers were overweight, inactive but otherwise healthy and enjoyed just under eight hours of sleep a night.

Naturally with the environment set as it was, the participants gained weight regardless of their sleep pattern.  The number of hours of sleep did however affect how their bodies were able to control their blood sugar.  If the sleep hours were low, the blood sugar reading was high and the sugar-lowering hormone, insulin, produced less results on the body.

More research will need to be done as this study was only carried out on a handful of people but for those of you who may be at risk for diabetes consider the hours of sleep you have each night. 

 Remember keep part of your healthy lifestyle plan to be: 

• eating right
• exercising and
•  receiving a truly restful sleep.

Middle aged and elderly men need to be mindful of the newest research on sleep apnea.  Sleep apnea, in its simplest definition, is a disorder which causes loss of breath or shallow breathing while you sleep.  The loss of breath may last only a few seconds or up to a few minutes, anywhere from 5-30 times an hour, three or more nights of the week.

Sleep apnea occurs in approximately one in four men and one in ten women.  Generally those suffering from sleep apnea also have high blood pressure and/or cardiovascular disease.

Sleep apnea is often revealed by a person snoring, having interrupted breathing or disrupted sleep.  The newest research revealed that sleep apnea can close to double the risk of chronic disease and early death in the male gender!  Even a mild sleep apnea can cause a 17% increased death risk compared to those who sleep soundly at night with no breathing problems.

Sleep apnea, is difficult to diagnose in a doctor’s visit and there are no blood tests which can confirm a diagnosis.  You many need to rely on your spouse who may know your sleeping pattern better than you do!  If any of the above symptoms reflect your night’s sleep you may want to do some research into solutions.  The solution may be as easy as a new pillow!

Isn’t it amazing how yawning can be contagious!  How many times have you found yourself sitting next to someone, they let out a yawn and before you know it - you are yawning also.  Now while I’m not sure why yawns are contagious, I can help you understand why the first fellow may be yawning - he or she may be lacking sleep!

When our bodies are receiving their required rest, all our body parts and brain receive all the necessary oxygen and blood flow required.  In an individual where there is a lack of sleep, this can play a part in the necessity to yawn.  Oxygen deprivation is the real cause of yawning.  Our breathing becomes quite shallow when we are fatigued because we simply do not have the energy to draw deep full breaths.  As this shallow breathing continues, over a period of time, it will take away the available oxygen.  Soon our brain is sending out an S-O-S call indicating oxygen is needed NOW!  The body’s response is to yawn a BIG yawn.  This deep breath pulls a lot of oxygen into your lungs quickly.  Your brain can relax once again and thanks you for yawning so hard.

Another good reason to give your body it’s required rest - to keep oxygen flowing throughout our system!

There has been a lot of work towards raising the awareness of drunk drivers which has been a very worthwhile cause.  It would seem we have another group of “silent” dangerous drivers who are involved in as many accidents as drunk drivers.  They are sleepy drivers.

Take a look at these statistics from the National Sleep Foundation on Sleepy Drivers:

• Sleepy drivers are the cause of 1550 deaths per year
• Sleepy drivers cause 71,000 injuries per year
• Sleepy drivers cause $12.5 billion in property losses and lost productivity per year

Another fact from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 1 million accidents are caused every year by driver inattention.  Two factors contributing to this are sleep deprivation and fatigue.  Even the drunkest driver has some sort of ability to react and respond to an emergency situation, albeit impaired, but a sleeping driver is totally unaware so he does not react. 

We need to stop placing ourselves, our passengers, other drivers and their passengers plus pedestrians at risk by being sleepy drivers.  100,000 traffic accidents could be prevented every year if everyone made sure they had enough sleep before operating any type of a motor vehicle.

Our brains do give us warning signs that we are in need of sleep:

• Trouble keeping eyes open
• Blinking frequently
• Head begins to nod
• Drifting vehicle within the lane or into the oncoming lane
• Repetitive yawning or rubbing of eyes
• Unable to remember last few miles

It’s simple, if you are sleepy while driving - pull over!  It may save a life!