Are You Getting Your Zzzz’s?
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Hi, I’m Chris Bartch, supervisor, Cardiopulmonary Care, Hudson Hospital Rehabilitation Center. Welcome to my blog!
Are You Getting Your Zzzz’s?
We all know getting a good night’s sleep is more than just laying your head on the pillow and hoping you sleep well. Several "complete sleep cycles" are needed every night. During these sleep cycles there's stuff going on – regeneration of the brain, consolidation of memories, and that only happens if the pattern of sleep cycles is good. Sleep is prompted by natural cycles of brain activity and consists of two basic states: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and nonrapid eye movement sleep, anything that interrupts that pattern will cause sleepiness the next day.
Tips for a good night’s sleep:
- Stick to a sleep schedule
- Pay attention to what you eat and drink
- Create a bedtime ritual
- Get comfortable
- Limit daytime naps
- Include physical activity in your daily routine
- Manage stress
- Know when to contact your doctor
Think you may have Sleep Apnea?
According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, the Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." Sleep apnea is an involuntary cessation of breathing that occurs while the patient is asleep. There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Of the three, obstructive sleep apnea, often called OSA for short, is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. In most cases the sleeper is unaware of these breath stoppages because they don't trigger a full awakening. Left untreated, sleep apnea can have serious and life-shortening consequences: high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, automobile accidents caused by falling asleep at the wheel, diabetes, depression, and other ailments. Sleep apnea is very common, as common as type 2 diabetes. It affects more than 18 million Americans, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of 40, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children.
If you are having trouble sleeping, contact your doctor. Identifying and treating any underlying causes can help you get the better sleep you deserve. Here at Hudson Hospital, we offer a Sleep Health Center including two sleep labs and experienced pulmonary and sleep specialist physicians, Dr. Charlene McEvoy and Dr. Nicholas Benson. To make an appointment call (715) 531-6700.
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Categories: General