Good health depends on good sleep.
And as we just went through the end of daylight savings time for this year, it’s is a good time to examine your sleep habits and look for fixes if something’s not right, said Dr. Jennifer Kanaan, a sleep expert at UConn Sleep Disorders Center.
Proper sleep is essential to health, including cutting cancer, dementia, heart disease and other risks — and there’s help out there with your primary doctor or a sleep specialist, she said.
“Good sleep is really tied to good health,” she said. Generally, there’s an increase in morbidity for those who sleep less than five or more than nine hours a day.
She said that, according to the Centers for Disease Control, 70 million Americans have chronic sleep problems.
Sleep is actually a very active process, she said.
Some people have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting back to sleep after awakening and there are many possible remedies, some of them simply addressed, Kanaan said.
Remember when mom used to assure you after a bad day, “It will be better in the morning”?
Well, there’s something to that, Kanaan said, because sleep is a time when people process emotional events.
She said most people prefer the time change that takes place this time of year because they gain an hour even though it takes a few days to feel that extra sleep.
“It’s a good time to take stock of whether you have a sleep disorder,” Kanaan said.
Consider these factors some people face:
- If you snore you may have sleep apnea.
- If you have a “creepy crawly sensation” in your legs you may have restless leg syndrome.
- If you have a problem falling asleep or staying asleep, you may have insomnia.
Talk to a physician if you do, Kanaan said.
Most of these conditions are treatable with devices, medication, cognitive behavioral sleep therapy, changes in habits and more.
Some general ways to obtain a good night’s sleep, for starters, is not to drink alcohol — it initially makes you drowsy but affects your metabolism and disrupts sleep. Another simple one is to watch caffeine intake after noon, Kanaan said.
Creating the correct sleep environment is important too, she said, and recommends the sleep environment be cool, dark, comfortable.
A room that is too warm will impair your ability to get into deep stages of sleep, Kanaan said, noting the temperature should be between 64 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
An important one to beware of is the blue wavelengths of light from your cell phone. In other words don’t keep your cell phone by the bed because it can affect your internal circadian rhythm, she said.
If you wake up at night, resist grabbing the cell phone and scrolling through social media. Rather, she recommends laying there for 20 minutes to try and go back to sleep. If it doesn’t work, get up and do something boring, she said, like looking up a tax code.
Kanaan said it’s good to see an increase in young people “taking control of their sleep habits,” these days with the popularity of “sleepy girl mocktails,” a combination of magnesium powder, tart cherry syrup, and seltzer. Melatonin works for many as well, she said.
“It gives me hope for the next generation to think about sleep,” she said
Sleep amounts vary with individuals, but generally, fewer hours are needed as people age, she said.
Not getting enough sleep can create anxiety, depression, influence dementia, heart disease, cancers and also and make in impact on relationships of all kinds, she said.
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