By Stuart Rich, DDS
For the Auburn Reporter
We have all seen the long-running ad campaign, “got milk?,” with a famous person sporting a milk mustache. It has been very effective in raising the public’s awareness of the benefits of the protein and calcium in dairy products.
Our bodies need those nutrients, along with many others, to stay healthy and repair themselves.
Another crucial element in excellent overall health is quality sleep.
Why is sleep so essential? Sleep is a daily opportunity for our bodies to repair themselves. Without regular, quality sleep, things begin to break down.
In past articles, I have written for the Auburn Reporter. I have talked about Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and the greatly increased risk of heart attack and stroke, amongst other things, that it can lead to. I help local sleep medicine physicians in treating patients who are unable or unwilling to wear a CPAP machine by making them a custom oral device that is worn during sleep to open the airway.
If you, or someone you love, is supposed to be wearing a CPAP, but isn’t, they may benefit from this device, which is covered by most medical insurance plans. If you, or someone you love, is snoring, waking up gasping, making several trips to the bathroom at night, or awakening unrested and with a headache, there is a strong possibility that they have sleep apnea, and should be tested immediately for this life-threatening condition.
What if you don’t have those symptoms but just have a tough time falling or staying asleep? Is that a big deal? After all, that’s what Starbuck’s and Red Bull (sometimes in combination) are for, isn’t it? While it’s true that stimulants like coffee, energy drinks and other “boosters” can mask your tiredness, they do nothing to replace the things that happen to your body during a normal healthy night’s sleep.
Normal sleep includes several stages, from light to deep, with periods of REM or dream sleep. The cycle repeats approximately every 90-120 minutes. Some forms of sleep are associated with physical repair, like mending torn muscles and organ cleansing, while other forms are associated with psychological repair, like laying down memories or working though anxiety issues.
The physical repair process is associated with slow brain wave patterns that occur in the moderate and deep sleep stages, whereas psychological repair occurs most during active dream states. Interestingly, the brain waves of a dreaming person look very similar to someone who is awake.
Given the above, it makes sense that babies and young children spend much more time in dream sleep. Since they have very little repair to be done, they spend far more time dreaming than adults. As we age, we dream less and spend more time in light and moderate sleep, as there is much more to repair. Various hormones associated with our sleep and wakefulness cycles also decrease as we age, making deeper sleep stages harder to reach. Elderly people often sleep for many hours, but much of it is composed of light and moderate sleep.
If sleep is disrupted over a long period of time, the physical and psychological repair described above cannot take place. That can lead to pain, fatigue and memory and thinking difficulties. So, how can you increase the quality and quantity of your sleep? About a third of Americans experience at least occasional insomnia. There are often habits that you have that are unknowingly causing the quality of your sleep to be less than it should be.
Here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Go to bed at pretty much the same time each night, seven days a week
2. Get up close to the same time each morning. An hour variation on the weekends is usually OK.
3. Avoid napping, as it interferes with your natural sleep/wake cycle.
4. Get into bed only when sleepy. If you are having trouble getting to sleep, get up after 20 minutes of trying and engage in a quiet, low-light activity like reading, in another spot. Save bed for sleep and sex, not watching TV, Web surfing or even reading if you are having troubles.
5. Repeat the above, to reestablish normal sleep patterns. You need to teach your body to associate bed only with rest and pleasure, not frustration. Get out of bed after you have spent the normal amount of time there, even if you are still tired, to reset your body clock.
6. Keep your bedroom dark and cool, but not cold. Even LED alarm clocks can disrupt sleep in some people.
7. Avoid caffeine at least four hours before bedtime. Same for nicotine, as both are stimulants.
8. Avoid alcohol at least four hours before bedtime. Although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it fragments your sleep later in the night with trips to the bathroom, and decreases its overall quality.
9. Avoid mentally stimulating activities within an hour of bedtime, like TV or exciting events. Try starting to dim the lights a bit and listen to soft music as it gets close to bedtime. Rhythmic deep breathing once you get into bed can help calm your mind and body.
None of these tips are magic. All of us will experience occasional insomnia. Use these techniques to get back on track, since your sleep is too important to ignore or cover up with stimulants.
Conversely, if you are asleep five minutes after your head hits the pillow, get elbowed in the ribs all night because of your snoring and wake up feeling unrefreshed, consider whether you may be at risk for sleep apnea.
For more information on sleep and sleep apnea, please go to our dedicated sleep apnea website at www.SleepSolutionsNW.com.
Although we are a general dental practice that sees patients of all ages, I spend quite a bit of time helping patients with sleep apnea issues in collaboration with their physicians. It has been rewarding to add this service to the other health options we offer our patients.
Look for an article next month on oral cancer, and the importance of regular screening for this deadly disease by your dental office team. Part of our commitment to the health of our community is to write this year-long series on the oral-systemic connections to excellent health. My associate, Dr. Jennifer Fields, will be sharing information that may just save your life. Look for it next month.
Dr. Stuart Rich is the owner of Simply Smiles, a general dental practice in Auburn, and enjoys writing on a variety of dental topics. Should you have further questions about dental care for your family or sleep apnea, visit www.SimplySmilesAuburn.com or www.SleepSolutionsNW.com. You may also email them at info@SimplySmilesAuburn.com, or call 253-939-6900.
