journey to the land of snooze…

when was the last time you remember waking up feeling so refreshed you felt like jumping out of bed? if you do feel like that on most days, you’re one of the luckiest persons in the world! the majority of us (2/3rds in fact) never get sufficient sleep according to the National Sleep Foundation in the U.S. but it is not just the amount of sleep that matters, having a good quality sleep is essential too.

in recognition of Sleep Better Month in the U.S., let’s do some myth busting to clear away some misleading hearsays on the path towards that blissful land of snooze…

that glass of wine is going to help you sleep better
while the melatonin found in grapes and drinking alcohol can make you feel more relaxed and even fall asleep quickly afterwards, alcohol actually causes less restful sleep. frequent awakenings throughout the night are the result of alcohol’s affect on breathing during sleep. the relaxing of the throat muscles is also why even people who don’t normally snore may do so if they have been drinking the night before. alcohol also affects the brain’s breathing center by masking the effect of low oxygen levels in the bloodstream. finally, once the alcohol effects wear off, it actually gets harder to fall asleep.

eating before bed time is bad for your health
in fact light snacking before going to bed may help you fall asleep faster. but you have to eat the right foods – try those which contain more carbohydrate and just a small amount of protein, such as crackers and a glass of warm milk, a small cup of oatmeal or cereal, or yoghurt with granola sprinkled on top. these foods are rich in tryptophan, which is used to make the hormone serotonin, known for its calming effects and will help put you to sleep.

less sleep equals more productivity and success
yes you are always busy, but that doesn’t mean it’s ok to deprive yourself of sleep. during sleep your body goes through four stages of Non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep and one REM stage repeatedly throughout the night. out of all these, stages 3 and 4, commonly known as “deep sleep”, are when restorative processes happen in the body. this is also when hormones for growth and development are released and energy regained. then there’s also the REM stage which helps our learning processes by facilitating the transfer of new information we learned during the day to our long-term memory. therefore, if you’re depriving yourself of sleep in exchange for the more “productive” waking hours, chances are you won’t be performing optimally at work or anywhere else.

the older you get, the fewer hours of sleep you need
older people need the same amount of sleep as everyone else. however, various medical or health conditions may interfere with their ability to stay asleep for a sufficient duration they require. this is why you may often feel the call for a nap during the day time.  even those with no medical conditions tend to have changes in their sleep patterns. this is because as we age, our bodies produce less melatonin and growth hormone, which are important sleep hormones. melatonin controls our sleep cycle. with less melatonin, older adults may fall asleep and wake up earlier than they used to. on the other hand growth hormone promotes deep sleep. so, as our body secretes less of this hormone, deep sleep becomes more difficult to achieve.

you can catch up on your sleep during the weekends
many of us try to pay off our sleep debt by sleeping in during the weekends. however, since our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by a circadian rhythm, which means if your sleep schedule changes during the weekend, your body has to adapt to it again, you’re likely to get poor quality sleep instead. it’s better to make it a point to get a more consistent amount of sleep throughout the week.

so, this month why not honor your well-being by making a few changes in the way you think about sleep? go for a glass of warm milk instead of whiskey or wine before you go to bed, and keep a regular sleep schedule throughout the week and listen to your body. Also remember to get at least two hours of exposure to sunlight each day, which will help your body to produce melatonin. if you’d like to find more information on sleep, you can visit the National Sleep Foundation website. and as Mother’s Day is coming soon, encourage the hardworking mothers in your life to get their rest and consider sending them a mother’s day e-card from the National Sleep Foundation’s selection.

looking for the perfect mother’s day gift? pop by our site and check out our signature piece, the body ploh. it is so versatile it can be used as leg support and bolster, headrest and back support, especially useful for expecting and nursing mothers. show your love and appreciation with the body ploh today…

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