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The Times How-To Guide Advertising Supplement | Sunday, August 15, 2010
Tips for sleeping soundly:
GET THE SLEEP YOU NEED
• Create a sleep routine and stick to it.
F
or many of us, getting a good • Avoid alcohol and night’s sleep is the real caffeine after 5 p.m. American- Dream. A recent National Sleep • Make your bedroom Foundation (NSF) is appropriate for sleeping: Reduce noise by survey of more than using a tan or “white 1,500 people, ages 55 noise” generator, reto 84, found nearly place an uncomforthalf able mattress or bedding, use curtains to of the respondents block outside light from suffer from sleeplessseeping in through the ness. window or use a sleep The NSE, a Washingmask (available for ton D.C.-based non-profit about $4 at many retail outlets). organization focused on sleep research, education and • If you exercise, advocacy, also found Amerifinish your workout cans, ages 18 to 84, get an avwell before bedtime. erage of about seven hours of sleep each night. Those under 55 • See a sleep are likely to sleep less during the specialist if week, while older people have betyou suspect ter sleep routines and tend to wake you have a medical earlier. problem. It’s a myth you need less sleep as you age: Chronic pain, obesity and trouble walking — at any age — are linked to poor sleep. What’s normal sleep? Specialists say a good night’s sleep ranges from six to 10 hours. You may be sleep deprived if you doze off in meetings or have trouble concentrating. Some people simply can’t sleep; others are kept awake by television or work requirements, according to Thomas Roth, Ph.D., director of Henry Ford Health Systems Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit. He says
sleeplessness can be caused by biological problems, bad bedtime habits or the kind of lifestyle, such as shift work, that turns the body’s clock on its ear. Sleeplessness can be compared to drunk driving, Roth says. “They also interact. If you have a couple drinks, you’re impaired. If you have a couple of drinks and you’ve only slept four hours, you’re five times as impaired.” Sleep hygiene Healthy people can sleep better by making two simple changes: don’t oversleep and don’t nap. If you do nap, don’t nap dose to bedtime. Don’t drink caffeinated beverages near this time, either. You may also consider moving the television out of your bedroom. “It’s not a hard and fast rule,” Roth says. The question to answer is whether a few minutes of the tube will arouse and stimulate or soothe and relax you. Sleep disorders If you’ve made the lifestyle changes and are still falling asleep in mid-conversation, while reading or driving, see your doctor to rule out a sleep disorder. Sleep disorders range from something as transient as jet lag to chronic conditions. Insomnia is marked by a difficulty getting to sleep,staying asleep or waking up too early and being unable to fall back asleep. Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) entails such discomfort the sleeper must move around during sleep. Narcolepsy is a condition in which the body’s messages about sleep and wakefulness are. misrouted in the central nervous system. It causes sleep at inappropriate times, and vivid, frightening dreams or longer-thannormal periods of sleep paralysis. With sleep apnea, the sleeper experi-
ences repeated spontaneous pauses in breathing, sometimes caused when the muscles at the back of the throat relax, partially blocking the airway. An estimated 18 million Americans have some form of sleep apnea. Putting disorders to bed Insomnia has been linked to depression, and is now treated with behavior modification and short-term medication. Roth says depression affects people with insomnia five times more than people who sleep well. Consult a specialist to get to the root of your sleeplessness. The specialist will conduct a physical examination and evaluate your medical history. Some clinics allow people with sleep apnea to be observed in a laboratory sleep environment for a comprehensive evaluation. At Henry Ford’s Multidisciplinary Sleep Apnea Clinic, physicians from different disciplines — sleep medicine, oral surgery and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) — work together to develop a course of treatment for the patient, taking into account all possible treatment methods. Treatments vary and can include behavioral modifications, medical treatments and/or surgical procedures. Medication is the first line of defense against narcolepsy and RLS. Apnea treatment includes losing weight, surgically removing excess tissue, or using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. CPAP is activated when the sleeper stops breathing; it gently forces air into the nostrils, keeping airways open. Untreated, some disorders, such as sleep apnea, can lead to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease; in some cases they can even be life threatening. HTG