Good Sleep, Happy Aussies!

I think it’s safe to say that we can all agree on one thing: A good night of sleep can make for a happy person. A recent survey in Australia proves just that. This survey, dealing with 2000 Australians, found that a good night’s sleep makes a happier life so much more likely. In other words, sleep and wellbeing go hand in hand.

To back up this claim, the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index states that those with lower wellbeing levels are the people who sleep less than six hours a night (compared to those who sleep seven to nine hours a night). However, it’s interesting to note that when people sleep for more than ten hours a night, their levels of satisfaction noticeably drop off. Australia’s Deakin University came out with a report on such results, The Wellbeing of Australians – Quantity and Quality of Sleep. The report covered a study in which thirty percent of the subjects slept for seven hours a night while the other  two-thirds got between seven and nine hours of sleep. The study found that people who tend to sleep for more than ten hours a night usually find themselves struggling with a lack of purpose in their lives. On the contrary, people who can only get at most seven hours of sleep a night are usually stressed out.

Here’s why: Sleeping six hours a night—in other words, not getting enough sleep—can significantly reduce levels of satisfaction when it comes to health and safety. This may lead to higher levels of anxiety, which can all be traced back to a lack of sleep. At the same time, sleeping for too long could be an indicator of depression or sleep apnea. We find that the takeaway message here is that although sleep and wellbeing go hand in hand, it’s important to add moderation to the mix. For the sake of your health and wellbeing, it’s important to find that sweet spot in sleep—don’t sleep too much, but at the same time, don’t sleep too little!

 

How Diet & Fitness Help You Sleep

If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, or if you’ve been paying attention to the latest health articles on the Web, you know how important sleep is—how almost everything can be linked back to sleep. You can imagine how bummed out we are to hear that according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, otherwise known as the CDC, thirty percent of us are sleeping a sad average of no more than six hours a night. That’s 40.6 million Americans not getting enough sleep! The National Sleep Foundation tells us that the recommended amount of sleep is seven to nine hours a night. Apparently, anything less than that opens the door to an increased risk of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, substance abuse, and even an increase in appetite and the risk for future weight gain or obesity. At a recent meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a new and unpublished study shared that a lack of sleep could impact diet by boosting our cravings for less healthy foods and by hindering our decision-making ability when it counts—like when we’re up against fatty and calorie-filled snacks.

As alarming as all of this may be, we’re actually here to give you some good news that will most likely help! There are several things that you can do to help you get the sleep you need. And to avoid all of those nasty complications that come with sleep deprivation. All of these tips tie back to eating well and staying active.

Exercise keeps your muscles, bones, and heart strong and in shape to conquer the day. It may also help you sleep! Previous studies have shown that participating in an exercise training program has moderately positive effects on sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults. So for all you parents and grandparents out there, stay active for a good night’s sleep! We recommend that you exercise earlier in the day. After your workout, your body needs a few hours to cool down. A cool body sleeps better, so be sure to give your body enough time to cool down so that you can get the sleep you need.

If you’re dieting, you might be staying away from carbs. But carbohydrate-rich foods, in moderation, give you the energy you need during the day and hit your sleep sweet spot at night. Tryptophan, an amino acid found in lots of carbohydrate-rich foods, creates serotonin in your body. This is the neurotransmitter that helps you wind down after a long day. Try a steady dose of carbs like oatmeal and other whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. These options will not only help you get to sleep, but they’re healthy for you too! Remember to keep you dinners and bedtime snacks small. Large, late meals can adversely affect sleep!

Be cautious with caffeine! This stimulant of the central nervous system is notorious for delaying sleepiness and is known to cause sleep disturbances for those of you who do manage to doze off after a cup of coffee. This is because caffeine inhibits some sleep-promoting hormones in your body. Caffeine also stays in the body for several hours, so you should steer clear of the coffee at least several hours before bedtime.

Another beverage to keep an eye on is alcohol. Alcoholic beverages not only encourage binging on food, but it promotes a restless sleep and boosts daytime fatigue. And we don’t even have to discuss the likelihood of hangovers.

The bottom line is that eating healthy and staying active could help you with any sleep problems you may be experiencing at night. We think it’s worth a try. At the very least, you’ll be living a healthy lifestyle!

CPAP: A possible cure for depression

Have you ever woken up and felt that you did not get enough sleep? Even though you probably slept for more than 7 hours in a night. Because you couldn’t sleep the rest of your life is affected. You end up being grouchier, and as a result you snap more at the people around you. As the nights go on, you find that your sleep is not improving and neither is your mental state. You may be affected by sleep apnea, which in turn may be causing depression.

779 patients with sleep apnea were asked to fill out a standard PHQ-9 form, which accesses symptoms of depression. After receiving PAP treatment, all the patients showed signs of improvement. The degree of improvement was also dependent on other things such as a prior diagnosis or marital status. How long the CPAP machine was used also affects how effective it was in treating the symptoms of depression.

Sleep apnea comes as a result of sufficient air not being able to make its way down into the lungs. CPAP therapy is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea, which is the most common occurrence of sleep apnea. This happens when soft tissue around the airways collapses resulting in the cessation of breathing during sleep. CPAP is the most commonly prescribed treatment because it is 100% effective in treating sleep apnea and has no side effects. Pressurized air is dispensed through mask and tubing into the throat allowing the airways to be left open.

Depression

Sleep is one of the most vital parts of keeping healthy and making sure that our bodies get ample amount of time for recovery. Which is why it is not so surprising that many sleeping disorders are linked with symptoms of depression. It was found that twice as many males who don’t receive enough sleep are more likely to develop symptoms of depression than males who sleep better.

A body lacking in sleep will indubitably receive more stress than a normal well rested body. Sleep apnea is one example of such sleeping disorders. Irregular breathing patterns will result in a person not being able to sink down into a deep sleep causing the said person to experience very light or shallow sleep. This will lead to daytime sleepiness or fatigue throughout the whole day. Impacting the person’s mental state.

With this in mind, it is very important that people always put their health first. One thing about sleep apnea is that it is one of the most under diagnosed disorders because most people who have it usually don’t know what is happening to their bodies during times of rest. Sleep apnea is a simple disease that can very likely develop into something detrimental. It is important to always be on top of things and understanding that our health deserves our utmost attention.

Raising Public Awareness of Sleep Apnea

According to research obtained from the  National Heart, Lung and Blood Institutes, including the National Institute of Health, it is essential to gain knowledge of the effects of Sleep Apnea  to anyone’s health.

To begin with, knowledge of the disorder can give increased awareness of its’ relationship to other illnesses such as hypertension, cardiac disease, etc. Sleep Apnea has also been linked to other types of conditions such as irregular heartbeats, depression, and myocardial infarctions (heart attacks).

To add further to the list, obesity, and diabetes Mellitus(Type 2), sleepiness during daytime, and more have been associated with Sleep Apnea. Sleepiness during daytime, in particular,  is dangerous because when people do their ADLs (Activities of Daily Living), such as driving, they can fall asleep on the wheel which could lead to disaster.

Over 60% of Asian men, researchers say, are known to be suffering from some type of Sleep Apnea, be it mild, moderate, or severe. This phenomenon  continues to baffle many sleep experts and physicians. The main question then, is why there is this prevalence of Sleep Apnea in this particular demographic.

With greater awareness, easy to do Home testing,  CPAP machines and other various treatment options, Sleep Apnea can be controlled.

As the old adage goes, “the best things in life are free”. We can say the same thing about Sleep – it is free. We just need to know whether we’re getting free GOOD sleep or not.

www.n2sleep.com