Sleep, Pillows,Your Health & Memory
Thank you all for your amazing comments to Gratitude Monday. I LOVE reading them & am GRATEFUL for them!
Pixie Sleep - Lori's adorable kitty! Also check out her post on what she is trying to help her sleep.
OK, I got carried away with pics but I could have put a lot more on here!
Anyway, we all have read numerous articles & watched many news stories on how important getting sleep is for your health. I am the first to admit that I have some very strange sleeping habits but not willing to go into that here today. Suffice to say that I have been doing what I do for many years & my bod has adjusted but I doubt many would want to do what I do..
I definitely feel it when I overdo it AND when I was working long hours & got just 4 hours of sleep many nights, yes, my concentration & thinking abilities suffered!I also do NOT use a pillow. I did when I was a kid but not as an adult. I have been thinking about trying one again. Do you use or NOT use a pillow? Do you have recommendations for the best pillow you have found for sleep?
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Yes, lack of sleep can affect your immune system. Studies show that people who don't get a good night's sleep or who don't get enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as the common cold. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.
During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines. These substances increase in the presence of an infection, inflammation and stress. Increased cytokines are necessary in fighting infection and regulating deeper sleep. In addition, other infection-fighting cells are reduced during periods of sleep deprivation. So, your body needs sleep to fight infectious diseases.
How much sleep do you need to bolster your immune system? The optimal amount of sleep for most adults is seven to eight hours a night. School-aged children and adolescents need nine or more hours of sleep a night.
But be careful; more sleep is not always better. For adults, sleeping more than nine to 10 hours a night has been associated with weight gain, heart problems, stroke, sleep disorders, depression and other health concerns.
There is also a new study out that says fragmented sleep may impair memory & learning! I do wake up a lot due to age hormones AND I live in a high density area & it is noisy outside my window at all times of the day & night. YIKES!
Per the study & link above, "The research, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a novel method to isolate the effects of sleep fragmentation from overall sleep quality. Studies to date have shown that when sleep is frequently interrupted, memory suffers. But no one really knew whether the memory problems they observed were the result of shorter cumulative sleep times, poor overall sleep quality, the degradation of some distinct part of the sleep cycle, or the sheer annoyance of being prodded awake repeatedly while sleeping. This study suggests that even when frequent waking doesn't affect sleep quality and doesn't cut into overall sleep time, memory takes a hit." You can read the whole piece at the link.
I also found a ton of other great articles & will leave some links for you to check out:
7 Steps to Better Sleep from Mayo Clinic
Napping Do's and Dont's from Mayo Clinic. "If you're sleep deprived or just looking for a way to relax, you may be thinking about taking a nap. Napping at the wrong time of day or for too long can backfire, though. Understand how to get the most out of a nap."
Best & Worst Sleep Positions for Your Health from The Huffington Post.
So, how is your sleep? Do you wake up a lot? Do you get 7-8 hours of sleep? Do you use a pillow & if yes, does it help & recommendations are wanted!
PS: I am one the when I know I want to get my sleep, I lie there & can't sleep cause I know I am tired & want to fall asleep! :-O
Categories: Health Issues, Sleep, Health, Tips, Weight Loss
Tags: sleep pillows Weight Loss health Health Issues Tips memory Mayo Clinic naps napping
what a great subject! two things: this is a great place for me to ask others out there (and hopefully Dr. J will have a solid answer too) about any long term problems with taking a benadryl ("diphenhydramine HCL 25mg") each night as a sleep aid??? my husband and i pretty much HAVE to take one each night to fall asleep now. we struggled with loud, annoying neighbors playing music so we got in the habit of taking a benadryl each night and cannot break it. can anyone give me peace of mind that it is okay and will not cause any long term damage? second thing: i bought a good "down feather" pillow for a great price at Ross. love it!
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I can't imagine not sleeping on some sort of pillow! My neck is very bad, sometimes a certain kind of pillow works for a long time and then I'll wake up with extreme pain and have to find another one to use.
I wake up anywhere from 1 to 10 times a night! I am off to read those articles you linked too. Thanks Jody!
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Sheri - ah, you are with some of us that wake up a lot! UGH!
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Now this is an important topic that most of us think about and have to deal with!
I tend to trust myself as to how long I sleep (when I can sleep for as long as I want). Studies on hard working athletes have supported that for them, sleeping nine or more hours as a recovery is not a problem.
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Dr. J - I like that. I do sleep differently than most & have for years so I again think that listen to your own bod is a good thing!
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Lisa!
Ideally I can not recommend the use of any drug for sleep. Benadryl is an anti-histamine with the side effect of causing drowsiness. I understand your using it, but if you can, you would be better off breaking the habit.
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Thanks Dr J! I will do my best to take your advice. I will let my husband know too so we can maybe just knock each other out each night instead, haha. Seriously, thanks for the help!
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Lisa - I hear you on the noise factor over here too!
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If you haven't used a pillow - I would suggest starting with a small one. I sleep on a very small pillow. If it is big and fluffy then it hurts my neck. I've tried the really pricey chiropractic pillows that supposedly support your neck but found when I woke up I'd slide around and end up on the hard edge of the pillow and be hurting after.
I do know my girlfriend bought the Sobakawa Cloud pillow (it's on infomercials and can be bought at Target or Walmart) and she really loves it. You can do some research and check out the site to see if that might be an inexpensive option.
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Ali, thank you for this suggestion. Going to check it out!!!
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I read Lori;s post and her comments..seems many have a hard time sleeping. I have issues falling asleep but once there I am usually good...hate to think about when I go through menopause ; (
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Sian, don't think about it!!!!!!!!!!!
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Very good post! Sleep is so important and from time to time I struggle with getting enough of it.
I listen to a guided imagery sleep CD at bed time and it helps me greatly!
I use a Tempurpedic pillow - the best pillow ever but very pricey!
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Tami, we turn on a noise machine thing at night because it is so noisy around us & I am sure that does not help along with age hormones!
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My hubby just bought me the most awesome pillow at Costco a couple of weeks ago. I will check the name when I get home!
I must be the opposite of you. I sleep 7 - 9 hours a nite and very deeply. I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, even sitting up! Sometimes it's a pain though because I need to nap a lot.
Great post!
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Carla, maybe the pillow is the Tempurpedic one others commented about.... I mentioned in another reply, when I was young, I could fall asleep anywhere & anytime!
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Sleep..oh how I wish I could. I also use a Tempurpedic pillow..they are on sale at Costco right now for about 70 dollars. It is pretty good but not perfect.
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Dana - I might also check out that pillow mentioned in another comment here...
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Hi Jody, what a great topic. I wish I could sleep as soundly as Pixie (and my Neva) For me, getting to sleep isn't hard, but STAYING asleep sometimes is. However, I'm working on it... Have a great day. Thanks for all this info.
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Roz, yes, the staying asleep is tough!
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