America’s Sleep Epidemic: Some Helpful Tips
America’s Sleep Epidemic: Some Helpful Tips
If you feel tired while reading this short article, it is already happening to you…
An estimated 100+ million Americans have occasional sleep problems, of which 40 million have so-called “sleep disorders”, and over 75% of the population is walking around deprived of sleep on a daily basis. Studies show it only is getting worse with each passing decade, and there are no signs of the situation becoming any better. In fact, over the past 5 years alone there has been a startling 33% increase in those of us reporting trouble sleeping! Can you imagine what statistics in another decade will be like? Unfortunately, it does not look like we are heading in the right direction. (You can read more statistics at the following URL: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/.)
In our busy, fast-paced society, it seems we are constantly moving, thinking, and trying to get “more” done. The first thing many of us think of doing when we do have so-called “free time” is to catch up on a little TV or do some activity that we have “not had the time to do”, aside from catching up on our sleep. And greater quality and quantity sleep is exactly what most of us really need.
Sleep studies clearly show that not receiving the quality and quantity sleep affects our lives in negative ways, sometimes greatly. It can change the way we see and experience our lives and the world around us in dramatic ways.
Some of the following can help us identify when we might not be achieving enough quality sleep each night:
* Feelings of tiredness at some point throughout the day
* Falling asleep within a few minutes when going to bed
* Decreases in levels of intolerance and increased levels of hostility
* Reduced ability to concentrate
* Slowed reflexes
* Impaired judgment
* Apathy
* Unusual weight gain or loss
* Change in body temperatures that lead to feelings of chilliness
* Unusual levels of anxiety
* Falling asleep when inappropriate
* Reduced creativity
* Reduced ability to think logically or handle complex tasks
* Increased levels of self-consciousness with increased levels of anxiety
If you find any of these attributes apply to you, you might want to sleep a little longer or sounder each night.
Amazingly, one of the quickest ways to improve the quality of our lives and waking hours, as the statistics show, is to simply get a better night’s sleep. It is such a simple answer to such a complex problem.
If you are having troubles falling asleep, there are things you can do that can help you very quickly. Yes, the following might seem obvious to many folks, but sometimes we miss the obvious. So, let’s cover some quick and easy ones first.
Two Things to Avoid: Caffeine and Nicotine
Reduce the levels of caffeine used throughout the day. Studies show that people who have insomnia already have a higher metabolic rate (typically 9%) than those who are sleeping normally. It would take about 4 cups of coffee to raise a normal sleepers metabolism to the same rate. From this metabolic indicator, although the person with insomnia does not feel wide awake and shows all the signs of not achieving enough sleep, we can see that a person who intakes caffeine actually on average is highly physiologically aroused. After all, caffeine is a stimulant!
The short of it…reduce the levels of caffeine intake throughout the day. Obviously, we are not going to say quit totally, even though it can help. Of course, the last thing you want to do is drink the caffeine within a few hours (three or more) before attempting to go to sleep.
List of items, both food and beverages, that may contain caffeine:
* Coffee – Brewed (drip or percolated), Instant, Many so-called “decaffeinated” coffees
* Tea – Brewed (drip or percolated), Instant, Many so-called “decaffeinated” coffees
* Cocoa
* Chocolate (Light, Dark, Baker’s, etc.): Beverage or Food. This includes hot chocolate milk.
* Most Sodas: Including “Diet” and “Clear” Sodas – Coke, Diet Coke, Mr. PIBB, RC Cola, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi, Canada Dry, and many others
Next, nicotine intake can have a dramatic affect on our ability to get a good night’s rest. Just like caffeine, nicotine is a stimulant. Smoking is the primary way of ingesting nicotine. Smoking can raise blood pressure, stimulate brainwave activity, and increase heart rate.
Studies have shown that smokers actually have greater difficulties falling asleep and wake more times during the night. It is