When To Visit A Sleep Center
Without a good night's rest, most people feel sluggish, irritable, or more susceptible to pain.
Creating a regular routine, getting enough exercise, and identifying common obstacles to healthy sleep patterns can help you get the rest you need.
If overcoming these obstacles on your own does not provide the 7 to 9 hours of rest needed each night, it might be time to visit a sleep center.
Sleep Center Solutions Before beginning a series of tests to identify and treat common disorders, most sleep centers offer helpful suggestions for getting the exercise you need to feel tired, foods and beverages that may help or hinder your efforts, and creating a bedtime routine that is conducive to healthy rest patterns.
Lack Of Routine One common obstacle to a good night's rest is the lack of a routine.
These handy tips will help program your body for deep, restful sleep: a) Set specific times for going to bed each night and getting up each morning - even on the weekends.
b) Be sure to get plenty of natural light each day and reduce the amount of artificial lights at night, such as television, computers, and overhead lights.
c) Use soft, low level lights in the bedroom.
d) A cool environment is more conducive to sleep; most specialists recommend something in the range of 68-72 degrees.
e) Take a warm bath or shower before bed.
f) Listen to some quiet music or read.
g) Use relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation.
Food & Exercise Certain foods and beverages can help you relax and get the rest you need, while others can make sleep more elusive.
Heavy meals in the evening are a common cause of problems, as are alcohol, tobacco, and too much of any type of liquid.
Rather than dreaming the night away and allowing your body the time it needs to rest and repair itself, you will need to make frequent trips to the bathroom or your body will be too stimulated to rest.
In the same way, regular exercise earlier in the day can make you more tired, improve organ function, and make falling and staying asleep more likely.
How Many Hours Are Right For Me? According to the National Sleep Foundation, there is no specific number of hours people should rest each night.
Sleep centers assess variables such as age, stress, and activity levels that significantly affect the number of hours required.
Whereas newborns frequently need 12 to 18 hours, adults need only 7 to 9 hours.
What To Expect At a Sleep Center Sleep centers use a variety of tests to diagnose sleep disorders.
A private room within the sleep center is used and patients are fitted with several sensors, wires, and other testing equipment that measure breathing cycles, eye movement, brain waves, and any twitching that occurs.
These tests provide sleep center professionals with the information needed to diagnosis your particular sleep disorder and to identify effective treatments.
Common Sleep Disorders Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), teeth grinding (Sleep Bruxism), sleepwalking, and sleep terrors are just a few of the sleep disorders that a sleep center can help diagnose and treat.
These are conditions that should not be addressed alone.
If you've tried changing your routine, diet and exercise and sleep is still eluding you, it might be time to visit a sleep center to see if you are suffering from a sleep disorder that can be treated.
Creating a regular routine, getting enough exercise, and identifying common obstacles to healthy sleep patterns can help you get the rest you need.
If overcoming these obstacles on your own does not provide the 7 to 9 hours of rest needed each night, it might be time to visit a sleep center.
Sleep Center Solutions Before beginning a series of tests to identify and treat common disorders, most sleep centers offer helpful suggestions for getting the exercise you need to feel tired, foods and beverages that may help or hinder your efforts, and creating a bedtime routine that is conducive to healthy rest patterns.
Lack Of Routine One common obstacle to a good night's rest is the lack of a routine.
These handy tips will help program your body for deep, restful sleep: a) Set specific times for going to bed each night and getting up each morning - even on the weekends.
b) Be sure to get plenty of natural light each day and reduce the amount of artificial lights at night, such as television, computers, and overhead lights.
c) Use soft, low level lights in the bedroom.
d) A cool environment is more conducive to sleep; most specialists recommend something in the range of 68-72 degrees.
e) Take a warm bath or shower before bed.
f) Listen to some quiet music or read.
g) Use relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation.
Food & Exercise Certain foods and beverages can help you relax and get the rest you need, while others can make sleep more elusive.
Heavy meals in the evening are a common cause of problems, as are alcohol, tobacco, and too much of any type of liquid.
Rather than dreaming the night away and allowing your body the time it needs to rest and repair itself, you will need to make frequent trips to the bathroom or your body will be too stimulated to rest.
In the same way, regular exercise earlier in the day can make you more tired, improve organ function, and make falling and staying asleep more likely.
How Many Hours Are Right For Me? According to the National Sleep Foundation, there is no specific number of hours people should rest each night.
Sleep centers assess variables such as age, stress, and activity levels that significantly affect the number of hours required.
Whereas newborns frequently need 12 to 18 hours, adults need only 7 to 9 hours.
What To Expect At a Sleep Center Sleep centers use a variety of tests to diagnose sleep disorders.
A private room within the sleep center is used and patients are fitted with several sensors, wires, and other testing equipment that measure breathing cycles, eye movement, brain waves, and any twitching that occurs.
These tests provide sleep center professionals with the information needed to diagnosis your particular sleep disorder and to identify effective treatments.
Common Sleep Disorders Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), teeth grinding (Sleep Bruxism), sleepwalking, and sleep terrors are just a few of the sleep disorders that a sleep center can help diagnose and treat.
These are conditions that should not be addressed alone.
If you've tried changing your routine, diet and exercise and sleep is still eluding you, it might be time to visit a sleep center to see if you are suffering from a sleep disorder that can be treated.