If you don’t snooze, you may lose

By Valerie Melton
THE JOPLIN GLOBE (JOPLIN, Mo.)

JOPLIN, Mo. Fri, May 16 2008

— If you snooze, you lose.
That old adage may be the key to taking advantage of a great opportunity. But according to the medical community, if you don’t snooze, you’ll surely lose when it comes to being healthy, happy and productive.
Whether Americans care to admit it, the numbers show that sleep, no matter how important it may be, is being regarded as a luxury rather than a necessity.

Costs of losing sleep
The National Sleep Foundation found that 63 percent of the adult population is functioning on dangerously low levels of sleep that affect health, safety and the ability to perform on the job. The study also determined that $100 billion is lost annually in productivity, medical expenses/sick leave, and environmental and property damage as a result of Americans losing or experiencing interrupted sleep.
"America is very much becoming a 24-hour society,” said Dr. Amy Meoli, director of St. John’s Regional Medical Canter’s sleep lab. “With the increasing of industry, the Internet and obligations at home vying for our attention and ability we are just really busy.”
According to Meoli, when people try to stay up a few extra hours to squeeze in last-minute work or cram for an upcoming test, they really aren’t accomplishing as much as they think they are and are sacrificing future potential productivity and efficiency.
“Sleep is restorative mentally as well as physically,” said Meoli. “Depriving our bodies of sleep can have negative effects on our overall mental state, as well as our mood and ability to concentrate.”
While most Americans believe that short naps or sleeping in on the weekends can balance out those long sleepless nights, experts are less than convinced.
“People often think they can get by on little sleep,” said Meoli. “However, the effects of sleep deprivation are apparent even after one long night. It’s not uncommon for a person’s perception of how sleepy they really are to be affected quite quickly.”

Removing distractions
Cynthia Johnson, a registered sleep technician at the Freeman Sleep Clinic, believes that people often jeopardize their ability to get a restful night's sleep by ingesting the wrong types of food, bringing non-sleep-related items into the bedroom and engaging in an irregular sleeping schedule.
Johnson recommends finishing eating at least three hours before heading for bed and restricting fluids to avoid disrupting the body’s deep sleep cycles.
“Specifically, individuals should avoid stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine,” said Johnson. “Also, although some may view alcohol as a sedative, it interferes with our sleeping.”
Keeping the room quiet and cool also helps ensure a quality night’s sleep.
“Allowing the room to be cool helps the body reach its deepest level of sleep,” she said. “Making the room dark and quiet also creates an environment that is conducive to sleep. Having the television on actually makes it harder to sleep because when its light flickers, it stimulates our brain, telling us that it’s time to be alert.”
Johnson also suggests keeping a sleep diary that includes what time you go to bed and what time you awaken, the foods you eat and your daily activity. It can help a medical professional diagnose sleep problems.

Medications
While over-the-counter medications such as Unisom are available, neither Meoli or Johnson recommends using them long term.
“If taken at the right time, they can be quite effective, but I don’t advocate using these drugs over an extended period of time.” said Johnson.
Meoli has found that over-the-counter sleep aids can often lead to more significant side effects than a person was experiencing before. Instead, she believes that seeking medical advice and possible prescription drugs may lead to a more positive outcome.

Valerie Melton writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.


Sleep tips
Implementing these simple lifestyle changes may be the key to unlocking a great night sleep:
Do not nap during the day. It can throw off your body clock and make it even more difficult to sleep at night.
Exercise early in the day. Twenty to 30 minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.
Make sure your bed is large enough, and comfortable. If you are disturbed by a restless bed mate, switch to a larger bed or invest in therapeutic pillows and mattresses.
Hide your clock. A big, illuminated digital clock may cause you to focus on the time and make you feel stressed and anxious.
Get out of bed if you are unable to sleep. Don’t lie in bed awake. Go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy.
Source: www.helpguide.org

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