Sleeplessness Getting On Your Nerves?
Facts:
• 1/3 of our lives spent sleeping (more than 200,000 hours in bed)
• Losing 1 hour a night over a lifetime is equivalent to staying awake for 3 years
• 50% Americans lose 1 hour a week, 1:8 have 4 poor nights a sleep.
• 7:10 don't even mention it to their physicians
• 1/3 of med schools don't have sleep disorder classes available
• Falling asleep at the wheel is the number one cause of car accidents (>500,000/yr)
• Prediction: by 2010 over 40 million Americans will experience excessive daytime sleepiness.
• How well people function in all aspects of their lives often depends on how well they slept the night before.
Tips To Good Night Of Sleep:
• Sleep at the same time each night.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine before bed.
• Don't exercise before bedtime.
• Don't eat heavy meals late.
• Comfortable environment to sleep in.
• Follow routine, wind down before sleep.
• Avoid using bed for anything but sleep.
• Read until you feel sleepy.
• Make “to do” list before you go to bed.
• Proper bed and pillow.
• Chiropractic care reduces allostatic load on joints and nervous system.
Mattresses:
-firm is not for everyone (usually recommended with soft pillow top)
-mattress conform to your neck, back, and behind knees (you conform to the mattress).
-Poor mattresses throw off spinal alignment (must have non-sagging bed).
Pillows:
-for any pillow, neck must be parallel to the bed (for back and side sleeping).
Sleep Positions: back recommended, however, side ok too, never on your stomach!
“We should “live to sleep” so that we may “sleep to live.”
