Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Getting a good night's sleep
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Health 101
MODERNITY has its price, and certainly one of them is the slow decline of man's physical health. Our stressful, fast-paced lifestyle for instance, has negatively affected the quality of our sleep. Some even complain of insomnia, or not being able to sleep at all.
Those suffering from this problem should not dismiss this trouble as minor. A study by the American Sleep Apnea Association found that inadequate sleep causes problems similar to drinking too much alcohol. When a tired driver takes the wheel, the result can be disastrous.
Sleep is defined as "unconsciousness, from which the person can be aroused by sensory or other stimuli." A night's sleep consists of four or five cycles, each of which progresses through several stages.
During the night, a person alternates between slow-wave sleep (also called non-rapid eye movement or NREM sleep), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The entire cycle of slow-wave sleep and REM takes about 90 minutes. The entire cycle of slow-wave sleep and REM takes about 90 minutes.
According to sleep experts, approximately a third of a person's lifetime is spent in the Land of Nod. Because of this, they urge that more attention should be given to this matter of sleep.
Insomnia is how the medical science calls the problem of sleeplessness. Insomnia is a symptom, "not a disease," says Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, bestselling author of The Best Treatment.
"No one is born destined to become an insomniac," he explains.
Like any other symptom (pain, itch, cough, fever), there's always a reason for your inability to fall asleep, the most common being something psychological
-you're worried, anxious, fearful, depressed, or excited. Or, you may be perfectly content, but your sleep environment is at fault-your bedroom is too hot, too cold, or poorly ventilated; your bed is too short the mattress is bad for your back.
Or, you may have developed bad bedtime habits, like trying to catch up on your unfinished office correspondence before turning out the lights; working out on your rowing machine; smoking that last cigarette of the day (the nicotine will keep you awake); even your sex habits can cause insomnia-it soothes most of us, but over-stimulates others.
If you can't sleep, then don't go to bed. "If there's one recommendation I would make for insomnia, it's to delay bedtime by an hour, maybe two hours," says Dr. Edward Stepanski, director of the Insomnia Clinic at the Henry Ford Hospital's Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit, Michigan.
One of the worst practices people follow is to go to bed when they're really not tired. "They don't even feel sleepy, but they think it's time they should go to bed," he says.
A few factors could even tighten the tension, like lying in the dark, listening to the bathroom faucet drip and wondering why you can't sleep.
When you're snuggled under the covers and you don't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up, leave the bedroom and muddle through something mundane.
"Don't sweat it. Go ahead and watch the late show and ride it out," Dr. Stepanski advises.
Practice good sleeping habits. Sleep experts like to rattle off a list of what they call sleep hygiene tips: Don't use the bedroom for anything but sleep or sex; get up at the same time every morning regardless of when you retire; don't take naps; exercise in the late afternoon or early evening; don't go to bed hungry. Most people trying to banish insomnia go down the list, trying each item for a day or two, then discard it and return to the old habit.
Learn and practice relaxation techniques. The harder you try to sleep, the greater the chances are that you'll end up gnashing your teeth all night. That's why it is important to relax once you're in bed.
"The one problem with insomnia is that people often concentrate too much on their sleep, and they press too hard," said Dr. Michael Stevenson, clinical director of the North Valley Sleep Disorders Center in California. "The key to successfully falling asleep is to reduce your focus and avoid working yourself into a frenzy."
Biofeedback exercises, deep breathing, muscle stretches, or yoga may help. Special audiotapes can teach you how to progressively relax your muscles. It may not come easy at first, but as Dr. David Neubauer, of the Johns Hopkins University Sleep Disorders Center, "It's like dieting; you must work on it all the time. It will take time to get results, but if you stick with it, it will pay off."
What about sleeping pills? Sleep physicians are extremely reluctant to prescribe sedatives, says Dr. Suzanne Jaffee, clinical director of the Sleep Program at Hollywood Medical Center in Florida, except in the event of an obvious trauma, such as the death of a spouse, and even then only for a very temporary period.
Improper withdrawal from sleeping pills can cause the insomnia the prescription was designed to treat, she says.
What about the occasional use of over-the-counter sleeping pills? "Don't routinely take them," Dr. Jaffe advises. "We don't know the long-term effects of them. But they're absolutely not benign. They contain ingredients that can cause addiction."
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 29, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
