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There’s an Irish proverb that says, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” As doctors, we can hardly argue with this wisdom. Unfortunately, the latter is increasingly difficult to achieve for a rising number of our patients. “Trouble sleeping” is one of the most common things we hear patients complain of in our exam rooms at Fountain Hills Medical Center. This is no surprise considering that 1 in 3 adults in the United States report not getting adequate sleep. And whether you have trouble falling asleep or trouble staying asleep, the bottom line is that lack of sleep has a huge detrimental impact for those experiencing it. And with National Sleep Awareness Week happening right now, we wanted to put a spotlight on this very real, very important issue.

It’s no secret that sleep deficiency often causes a decline in mental clarity, productivity, and reaction time (making driving when sleep-deprived very dangerous). However, what might be more surprising is that lack of sleep is also tied to chronic health problems such as diabetes, kidney malfunction, heart disease, obesity, depression, and stroke. 

So if you’re one of the 40% of US adults who report falling asleep when they don’t mean to on a monthly basis, or one of the 50 to 70 million adults who have chronic sleep disorders, or the 33% of US adults reporting being overall short on sleep what can you do? 

There are a number of steps you can take to help improve your sleep cycle. Many of these may sound too simple to be true, but changing your sleep cycle requires a long commitment to changing your routine, and lots of patience. So while these may not bring instant results, turning them into your daily practice can help. We suggest the following:

• Cut out artificial light from devices for an hour before bed. The light from your phone, computer, or television can signal to your brain that it’s time for you to be awake, and tell your body to reduce melatonin production.
• Stick to the same sleeping and waking hours (within about an hour) every day of the week. Avoid daytime sleeping if possible.
• Do something that clears and relaxes your mind before bed. This can be taking a hot bath or shower, praying, meditating, or light reading. In addition, proactively work to lessen stress, or manage your stress, so that it doesn’t rear its ugly head as soon as you lie down.
• Avoid caffeine (including soda, coffee, caffeinated tea, and chocolate) 8 hours before bedtime. Also avoid nicotine (which is a stimulant) before bed.
• Balance your food intake. You’ll sleep better if you don’t go to sleep too hungry or too full. Stay away from heavy, big meals right before bed. Not only can it affect sleep, but doing so on a regular basis can negatively impact insulin resistance.

While we do recommend trying these steps to naturally improve the quality of your sleep, we know that sometimes medications are needed. There are a number of prescription and over-the-counter sleep medications available, and many come with risks of side-effects. For example, Benzodiazepines are helpful due to they stay in your system longer, but they do run a risk of dependence. Other medications don’t have the addiction risk, but do increase your risk of feeling groggy the next day. 

As with any medication, it’s important to talk to a medical professional and hash out any questions, concerns, advice about the medication’s appropriateness, interactions with other medications, and more. 

As your Fountain Hills medical experts, we welcome you in to discuss your concerns about sleep, ways that holistic measures might work for you, and any questions about sleep-enhancing medications you might have. Not getting enough quality sleep causes a myriad of other health concerns, and we’re dedicated to helping you achieve sleep wellness.

Sources:

• Sleepfoundation.org
• Webmd.com
• nhlbi.nih.gov
• sitn.hms.harvard.edu