Stress and Sleep Deprivation

Stress is a major cause of sleep deprivation in America! The Better Sleep Council recently conducted a survey to learn what keeps Americans up at night and at the top of the list at 65 percent was stress with 32 percent of all Americans losing at least one night of sleep per week and 16 percent complained of stress induced insomnia.

Stress comes in all shapes and sizes, however, from this study 26 percent of women reported having problems sleeping once per week while only 16 percent of men complained of the same problem.

What causes stress in one person may not be stress to another. Stress can be job related, school related, family related or even traffic related. Many people go to bed at night and either go over the day or go over what they plan to do tomorrow before drifting off to sleep. All of these little things can be stress. Do you have a deadline to meet that is looming over your mind? Do you worry about the traffic causing you to be late to work? Do you have to have three children at three different locations tomorrow afternoon for ball practice, dance class, or other activity? Do you worry about paying all your bills on time? All of these if they are on your mind can keep you awake at night.

How to help relieve stress before retiring

• First and foremost – create a schedule for going to bed and waking up. Stay on this schedule every day of the week – do not treat yourself on weekends and stay up to watch the late show if that is not in your regular schedule. Your body needs to be on a routine.
• Create a bedtime routine – soak in a warm bath, read, or listen to a tabletop water fountain such as the Alpine Calming Bamboo Fountain
• Create a bedroom for sleeping – the bedroom should be dark, quiet, comfortable, and cool. Invest in a white noise machine and aromatherapy products. A white noise machine will ensure that all noises that might be waking you up at night are absorbed and you will be able to sleep all night long without any interruptions. A few of the most popular white noise machines include the White Noise Machine-SleepMate 980A, the Marpac Marsona DS-600A, and the European 240 Volt SleepMate 980 Sound Screen. If the bedroom is not quite dark enough, you can also invest in a sleep mask such as the Dreamer Sleep Mask by Dream Essentials.
• Only use the bedroom for sleeping or for sex – Take the television out of the bedroom, the computer, and any other work type materials.
• Eat at least two to three hours before your scheduled bedtime.
• Remember to exercise. You should begin a moderate exercise programs a few hours before retiring every night.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. These items can cause you to have restless sleep patterns.

Menopause and Sleep

Women during perimenopause and menopause often complain of sleeping problems, which are often associated with hormonal and psychological factors. Hot flashes are one of the prominent problems that occur during before menopause and during menopause that often causes poor sleep and has been known to cause insomnia if the hot flashes occur prior to going to bed.

Along with hot flashes, 56% of menopausal women complain of insomnia without night sweats or hot flashes. Some even have complaints of other sleep disorders such as restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and snoring. No matter what all women have sleeping problems during menopause and some even have them up to seven years before the onset of menopause. Menopausal women have restless sleep, toss and turn, and have problems going to sleep.

A few of the reasons sleep is a major problem can be blamed on daily stress, fatigue, overwork. All of these when combined can lead to an unbalance of your bodily functions, which then causes metabolic changes that can lead to sleep disorders. On the other hand, most sleep disorders in menopausal women are attributed to unbalanced hormone levels.

Before you rush out and get on hormone replacement therapy there are some things to try. Remember, hormone replacement therapy does have side effects that are harmful to your body and your overall health. Trying natural ways to cope with menopausal sleep disorders should be your first choice.

There are three major approaches to coping with Menopause Sleep disorders which include lifestyle changes, all natural herbs, and of course medication.

Begin with creating a room for sleeping and a sleeping environment. Using products such as white noise machines, tabletop water fountains, and Electric Aromatherapy Diffusers can be the best way for you to create a calm and peaceful setting that will help you achieve better sleeping patterns.

When you use a white noise machine in your bedroom, the machine will absorb all noises that might awaken you during the night. Once awaken you may experience insomnia. The white noise machine will absorb sounds such as traffic, the hot water heater, or other noises around the home that tend to keep you awake. A tabletop water fountain, will give you something to focus your mind on so you can relax and drift off to sleep and the electric aromatherapy diffuser will help in providing a relaxing and calm mood for sleep.

Helping your Teen Receive Adequate Sleep

We all know just how stubborn teenagers can be and of course they wish to stay up late and most would sleep the day away if they could. However, the American Sleep Disorders Association states that teenagers need on average 9 ½ hours of sleep every night. The reason this is true is that hormones, which are critical to your teen’s growth and sexual maturation, are released during the time they are sleeping. Throughout America studies have shown that teenagers on average are only getting a little less than 7 ½ hours sleep per night.

In a study by Stanford University showed that teenagers need 1 to 2 hours more sleep than children in the 9 to 10 year age bracket that only need around 8 hours sleep.

Sleep deprivation is a growing problem among teenagers and because of this; the National Sleep Foundation has released warning signs for parents of teenagers. These warning signs include:
• Problems waking in the morning
• Grouchy or irritable in the afternoon
• Falling asleep during the day
• Sleeping too much on the weekend
• Having problems remembering or concentrating
• Waking up often throughout the night and having trouble going back to sleep

When teenagers do not receive enough sleep, you may notice extreme mood changes, poor performance in school, and depression. Not only this, but teenagers can and do fall asleep behind the wheel.

What can you do as parents of a teenager to ensure they receive enough sleep?
Here are a few suggestions to get your teen the sleep they need:

• Set a reasonable bedtime and wake time: stick to the same schedule throughout the week during school.
• Create a bedtime routine a hot bath, reading, or some type of quiet activity about an hour before bedtime.
• Do not allow caffeine drinks in the late afternoon and evening.
• Exercise at least two hours before bedtime

Of course, these tips will not work with every teenager. Teenagers have quite a bit on their plates – school, homework, extra-curricular activities, their social life, and many have part time jobs. All of this can contribute to problems going to sleep at night. None of the above will help if your teenager’s mind is going a mile a minute when their head hits the pillow.

One of the best ways to help your teenager sleep at night is to set a bedtime and then ensure they have a calming atmosphere. Teach your teen relaxation techniques and invest in soothing water fountains or a white noise machine. Once your teen can shut off his thoughts by focusing on a waterfall tabletop fountain the faster he or she will drift off to sleep. Along with the fountain, a white noise machine will absorb all other distractions that might be waking them up during the night such as traffic, younger siblings, or parents talking in another room.

Give your teen the advantage by giving them tools they need to sleep in a quiet and calm atmosphere. They will thank you even if not today.