Springing ahead to lose sleep

Spring ahead this weekend means we all lose an hours' sleep. Great, just great..... :-)

Wow, this is scary...

Apparently physicians are not getting enough sleep, according to this recent article from Science Daily. I have always wondered how wise it was to have someone performing such critical tasks for the health and well-being of our loved ones to be pushed to the limits like I understand still happens. I am not a doctor or even in the medical field and I am sure there are many reasons this is done, but I wonder if those reasons outweigh the risks they pose?

I found it quite interesting to read how those practices during their intense training and actual practice may desensitize those same doctors to the importance of sleep. How ironic as I am one of so many who have sought assistance from a doctor for sleep problems (and have no complaints about the help I have received to date I should note).

It is curious that the article notes the "chronic low-level sleep deprivation" experienced by physicians greatly reduces their complaints of insomnia and notes that few indicated this problem affects their work performance and where more indicated an impact in their family life. Family life, for the health of these same doctors, should be just as important as for the rest of us.

I wonder if, in a world where we (rightly in my opinion) limit the number of hours a truck driver, pilot and other such hardworking people can work in a row for safety reasons, society should look at the same concerns for the medical profession? I am fully aware that my effectiveness and performance is impacted when I feel tired and I do not even have a job where the health and well-being of a fellow human being relies on my performance.

National Sleep Awareness Week

Woohoo!!!! It's National Sleep Awareness Week in the United States this week, March 3 to March 9. What a great idea to further raise awareness about the importance of sleep for everyone, the impact if you don't have proper sleep habits/hygiene, and the work being done to help with sleep disorders.

Nothing but good can come from this :-)

Sleep in the headlines

It is nice to see that the issue of sleep, or lack thereof, seems to be coming to the forefront. Just today I saw a piece on NBC News about the quality of sleep and adults. This seems to be the result of a recent CDC study that many media outlets are reporting on right now. The National Sleep Foundation website is also referred to quite often and looks to be a great resource as well. It is wonderful to see all this focus on a problem which afflicts millions of people.

Another reason to look forward to retirement!!!

Although I am not wishing my life away there certainly are reasons I am looking forward to retirement, sleeping in being but just one :-)

I always thought living where I do now was some horrible mistake and that I was born to live in Hawaii. Happily this report from ABC News, which indicates that retirement and a better sleep seem to go together, also reinforces how Hawaii is a great place for getting more sleep!!! What a pleasant coincidence :-)

Its 22 minutes after midnight....

....do you know where your sleep is? As someone who does not take a good night's sleep for granted and who was awake at 00:22 AM this morning involuntarily, I have sympathy for those who suffer from sleep apnea. As I understand it, not only is someone who has sleep apnea not getting a good night's sleep, they are also in danger of developing other problems as well. I hope everyone who knows they have sleep apnea gets the required treatment, and those who suspect they might get immediate assistance to diagnose and treat that condition.

A theory on sleep from Down Under

I just finished reading this article written by an insominac from Down Under which outlines a theory regarding our sleep expectations today. It boils down to the suggestion that the eight hours of restful sleep is as much a creation of commercial interests (bed manufacturers, drug makers, and other sleep aid and therapy commercial interests) as anything else, and that a poor night's sleep was not uncommon in human history.

Although I do not doubt that insomnia, at any level, was not unknown to ancient civilizations, I still believe that problems sleeping is just one of the many effects of the modern age (caused by such things as electric light, our many distractions and demands on our lives, stress, pressure, and so forth) and has indeed increased over time.

The point made in the article is certainly well-made, however, that those having problems getting a good night's sleep have to be very wary of the solutions offered out there as so many do not even deliver on a temporary deliverance to the land of a sound and restful sleep.

Sleep and food

I just read this article about being careful about what you eat when before going to sleep. One of the concerns being Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causing sleep disruption.

I am pretty sure that this has not been a problem for me but I do find if I eat some foods to close to bedtime I have an even greater problem getting any sort of good sleep that night.

Begs the question why I keep doing that on occasion.... :-)

Drugs vs Therapy

I have done a lot of research on the internet about getting a better sleep. Today I just came across this blog post on the NY Times site which includes some interesting links about studies showing how cognitive behavioral therapy in some cases was as helpful as a drug.

These articles speak about how such therapy is just effective at getting you to fall asleep as medication. That is all well and good but what about someone such as myself that falls asleep, wakes up, gets back to sleep, wakes up etc multiple times during the night?

This other article I found that was a link on the above noted NY Times blog post, talks about sleep medication specfically. Again the focus is on how soon the person falls asleep and when they get out of bed the next day, missing the issue of STAYING asleep during the night. The article does make good note about the concerns about medication as well, which are very important.

I would love to have a full night's sleep based solely on good sleep hygiene but it is just not that simple for me (and I imagine I am not alone) so something that helps me stay asleep during the night is what I need.

All I Want Is Some Sleep

Have you ever watched those commercials on TV where the person wakes up well rested and refreshed from a great night's sleep? Have you ever wished that was you? I know I have for many years as I am a very light sleeper and I have nights of a thousand naps and not one long restful sleep. I can likely count on one hand the number of good sleeps I have had in any given year.

I am going to utilise this blog to outline what I have done to try and address this problem as I am not the person I like to be when I am always really really tired. I have seen so many results from my search for solutions where people were asked if they had troubles sleeping and/or were light sleepers (with lots of responses showing a lot of people out there) but not always much info on experiences trying to combat this problem. I know I would find it very helpful if there was one place where I could find out what techniques have worked and what have not. I am going to try to pull such information together here.

At the very least this will be a great reference for me to keep track of what I have done :-)