Each week in this column, you will find a single simple suggestion that can help you stay healthier and find more enjoyment in life.
Sleep is the best medicine for many conditions that continue to affect millions of Americans on a daily basis.
Studies show that Americans are getting less sleep than ever before.
Lack of sleep can cause weight gain or weight loss, decreased energy, lost productivity, chronic pain, hormonal imbalances, mental or emotional disturbances, increased incidence of accidents, poor judgment, early aging, skin wrinkling, increased risk of hypertension and cardiac arrest, vision problems and many other problems.
Like so many other health problems, we can be our own worst enemy.
Little by little our culture has replaced sleep with more stimulation.
More smartphones, laptops and now tablets.
Bigger, brighter televisions to watch noisier, more hyperkinetic shows. Music everywhere, all-the-time, pumped into our ear canals at increasing volume.
More drama and trauma in our personal lives.
All the trappings of a modern day existence contribute to a life with less sleep.
This might sound incredibly obvious, but in reality one of the biggest reasons many people get too little sleep is that they simply do not go to bed early enough.
There are many excuses for not going to sleep earlier. I often ask patients what they do in the evening hours that prevents them from going to sleep. Most of the time the answer involves late night television, computer use or similar activities.
Many people find it difficult to flip the switch of their brain to rest mode.
There are a number of reasons for this.
The biggest answer lies in the way we spend our evenings. Watching news shows with shouting political opponents, becoming emotionally involved with a show about made-up “reality,” searching for the end of the Internet and similar activities are all too neurologically stimulating.
Our brains are buzzed on electronic caffeine.
Not only is the content of electronic media often over-stimulating, just the light source of the screen itself makes sleep more difficult.
Research has shown that the more time a person spends in front of a monitor, either TV, computer or smartphone screen, the more troubling sleep can be.
Another common reason for sleep difficulty is chronic pain. Pain often silently steals sleep insidiously. Although a person may be spending sufficient hours in bed, their sleep is disturbed to the point that it is not productive.
As I treat patients with pain, one of the first comments I frequently hear is how wonderful it feels to finally get a good night’s sleep. Patients often experience better sleep after the initial treatment, even if they cannot tell a difference in their pain level.
Here are some tips to help you begin getting more sleep starting tonight:
• Turn everything off and go to bed an hour earlier tonight. You won’t miss
anything.
• Before you go to bed, take a shower or warm bath, and apply lotion or any other soothing ritual that can help you relax.
• Take a few minutes before getting into bed to do some relaxing slow-paced stretches. You don’t have to get too fancy, just slow methodical movement patterns.
• As you get into bed, take a few minutes to do some slow, deep breathing, counting each breath and pausing between breathing in and out.
For more healthful tips, visit DrKestner.com.
Next week, this column will focus on a habit that will increase your non-Facebook social connections. |
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