If the news has got you down, undoubtedly you’re having trouble sleeping. I know I am. These are stressful times.
Tired of being tired? You’re not alone — 82 million American have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep and 40% of the adult population reports having insomnia at least once a week.
We all need sleep, deep restful sleep, for 7 to 9 hours a night. Teens need at least an hour more.
Yet the National Sleep Foundation says that 63% of Americans get 6 hours and 55 minutes of sleep a night or less, but most say we need at least half an hour more.
Shockingly, 69% of children under the age of 11 have at least one sleep-related health problem.
The statistics go on and on.
Sleep deprivation is increasingly recognized as a public health risk, with sleep deficiency linked to motor vehicle accidents, industrial disasters and medical and other occupational errors. Insufficient sleep has even been linked to road rage and other acts of violence.
The Centers Disease Control and Prevention reports that people who do not get enough sleep are more likely to have chronic diseases like hypertension, cancer, diabetes, depression and obesity.
Sleep disturbances can also result in hormone imbalances, accelerated aging and decreased mental function. People with insomnia are also more likely to have cancer, an increased risk of dying from all causes and reduced quality of life and productivity.
The studies linking lack of sleep to obesity have been widely reported. One study showed that the appetite suppressing hormone leptin and the hunger triggering hormone ghrelin and largely regulated by sleep patterns. Another study involving identical and fraternal twins showed that adequate sleep can even overcome genetic predisposition to obesity. In one study, people who slept only four hours per night for only two nights had 18% reduction in leptin levels and a 28% increase in ghrelin.
Sleeping pills are not the answer. They can lead to the increased risks for chronic diseases mentioned by the CDC as well bizarre behaviors like sleep walking. sleep driving, sleep sex and more, plus addiction and incredibly difficult withdrawal.
So how to improve sleep quality?
- Get the television out of the bedroom. Ditto for your cell phone and iPad. In our “constantly on” world, not only the mental stimulation that goes hand-in-hand with our daily lives, but the electro-magnetic frequencies, radio waves and many new waves in our new technology are all proven sleep disruptors.
- Darken your bedroom. The pineal gland produces a hormone called melatonin that regulates sleep patterns. It helps you fall asleep and sets your circadian rhythm. The trick is you’re your body can only produce melatonin in the dark. Even a small light from an alarm clock or even a smoke detector on the ceiling can disrupt this pattern. Worst of all is light coming through from an outside street light or a security light in your own yard.
3. Ban the electric blanket and more. Electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) from all sorts of electrical and electronic devices will disrupt sleep patterns. Eliminate night lights as much as possible and avoid sleeping near electrical outlets. Never sleep under an electric blanket because electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) are right next to your skin. Numerous studies suggest that EMFs from power lines, electricity-generating substations and power company transformers, home electrical wiring, airport and military radar, wi-fi routers, cell phones and tablets, computers and even home appliances like alarm clocks and anything with an LED display may cause an array of health problems.
