Are You Sleepless In Singapore?
Common habits and health conditions may be keeping you or your family awake, but simple changes can help everyone get a better night's rest
How well we sleep matters a lot to our health. While we snooze our body goes to work, healing and renewing. For a healthy mind and body, It is important to get the right amount of non-REM and REM sleep to maintain your natural sleep cycle. During the non-REM stage, you are just drifting off to sleep and can be woken up easily. You may also experience jerky movements and a sensation of starting to fall. As you enter deeper REM sleep, your body relaxes into the most restorative part of your night's sleeping. This is when your body restores and repairs itself. Your brain activity also increases and you may dream.
Sleep is so important to your health that numerous studies show that shift workers and night workers are more prone to health problems like obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and gastrointestinal disorders. It's thought their disturbed sleep patterns could be partly to blame.
Poor sleep can also cause mood problems - experts have discovered that sleep disruption affects levels of neurotransmitters and stress hormones, which can make it harder to manage your moods. Let's look at some common habits and health conditions that can disrupt your family's sleep balance, to help everyone get a better night's rest;
Depression Or Anxiety
Depression may cause sleep problems - and sleep problems make depression worse. You could have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and feel sleepy during the day. If anxiety and worry are keeping you aware, try setting aside a special "worry time" every day to go over any problems that occurred during the day. Doing this gives your worries airtime and means you are less likely to stew over problems when you go to bed. Try to keep the hour before you go to bed for relaxation.
Pain
Chronic or acute pain can lead to shorter sleep and poor sleep quality. Problems with noise, light, the wrong mattress, or pillows are more likely to bother people who already struggle with pain. if your mattress is more than seven years old it may be time to get a new one so your body is properly supported - or you can try adding a mattress topper. Gel toppers are useful if overheating is a problem for you.
Asthma
People with asthma often suffer from night-time coughing, wheezing, and breathlessness that disturb sleep. Talk to your doctor who can prescribe an effective treatment plan.
Medication
Prescription medication such as pills used to treat high blood pressure and heart diseases can affect sleep quality. Sleeping pills provide short-term relief, but you can find it harder to get to sleep when you stop taking them. If you cannot get to sleep within 30 minutes of you going to bed, get up and sit quietly in a darkened room. Resist the temptation to watch television, or use your smartphone or eat or drink. As soon as you feel sleepy again, go back to bed - this helps your brain link your bed with sleep.
Allergic Rhinitis or "Sinus"
Often called "morning sinus" in Singapore, allergic rhinitis is commonly caused by allergies to dust mites, pollen, or pet dander. Your sleep can be disturbed by a stuffy nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. Keeping pets out of the bedroom will help. It also helps to wash bedding in hot water, use blinds instead of curtains, remove rugs and vacuum your mattress regularly.
Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome typically happens in the evening or nighttime hours when you're sitting or lying down. Patients feel a crawling, creeping, or itching feeling and get relief when they move their legs. It can disrupt sleep. Doctors are not quite sure what causes Restless Leg Syndrome, but they know it's more common in the elderly and pregnant women. Gentle stretching exercises before bed can help. Your doctor may also suggest testing your blood for low iron.
A frequent need to go to the toilet at night is called nocturia and it is a common cause of sleep loss, especially as we age. A woman will nocturia may need to get up five or six times during the night. Some tips to try include;
Drinking earlier in the day
Drink your normal amount of liquids, but do it earlier in the day.
Reduce drinks in the last two hours before bed
Especially reduce alcohol, coffee and tea, which stimulate urine production.
Keep a diary of how much you drink
Keep a diary of how much you drink, what and where. This may help you to pinpoint exactly what drinks cause the problem
Teens are vulnerable to the negative effects of poor sleep. Studies show that teenagers need between eight to 10 hours of sleep every night, yet most are getting six to seven hours. This sleep deprivation can have a dramatic effect on a teenager's life, including mental wellbeing and performance at school. How can you help?
Allow your child to sleep late on weekends
And encourage an early night every Sunday. It can also help to look at your teen's schedule with them and decide together if they are over-committed. Do they need to drop an extra-curricular activity or some tuition to get some more sleep?
Encourage your teens to take an afternoon nap
When they come back from school, to help recharge their battery.
Avoid serving stimulating drinks before sleep. These include coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks.
Before bed, limit the use of smartphones, tablets and computers
The bright light from the screen tricks the brain and confuses the sleep cycle hormones, making it harder to fall asleep. Also, dim the screen as much as possible. You can install apps that transform the screen's blue light into a more brain-soothing red light. A free app to try is Twilight Bluelight Filter for Eye Care.
Help teens and children adjust their sleep body clock
Keep their bedroom dark and cool at night, When they wake up, expose their eyes to daylight - this signals the brain to wake up. If your teen goes to bed too late, try moving bedtime just 10 minutes earlier. Do this for one week and continue this pattern until you reach the desired bedtime.
Yet one more reason to limit junk food
A light and easily-digestible snack before bed can be a great idea. Try a small bowl of cereal, yogurt or a banana - they all contain sleep-promoting phyto-chemicals including calcium and magnesium. avoid processed foods that are high in fat. High fat foods trigger the digestive processes and cause a build-up of stomach acids. These can back up into the breathing tube, causing heartburn and discomfort. A high fat (and high sugar) diet also affects the production of 0rexin, one of the neurotransmitters that help regulate your sleep-wake cycle, along with melatonin.
Set the tone
If your room is too cluttered and brightly colored, think about toning the color down to more restful shades. If the light in your room is very bright, consider switching it to a softer light for a soothing glow.
Clear the air
Wipe the furniture with a damp cloth, including the bedhead. You can add a few drops of soothing lavender or pandan essential oil. Vacuum the floor and mattress.
Make space to dream
Try to de-clutter the room so you feel relaxed when you go in the door. It's not just mental clutter that can come between you and your sleep, physical clutter like too many ornaments, books and piles of clothes make you feel flustered and uncomfortable.
Soft sheets and the right pillows
Natural fibres like cotton, linen and bamboo are most cooling in Singapore's sticky weather.
Swap out a noisy aircon or fan
If they're keeping you awake, it's time to change to a new whisper-quiet model.
Prepare for sleep
Regular exercise can help you fall asleep, but avoid exercising before bed. Instead, try meditation, deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation.
Stick to a sleep schedule
"sleep hygiene" includes sticking to a regular sleep-wake schedule, using the bedroom only for sleeping (if you can). It also helps to keep the bedroom dark and free of blue light distractions such as television or computers.
Bauer Syndication/ Are Media. Additional Reporting by Tara Barker