November•2016 | S1

R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T

Having trouble getting quality shut-eye? Our

expert advice will help you rest easy

Secrets Healthy Sleep

of

S L E E PS P E C I A L

FROM THE BOOK SECRETS OF HEALTHY SLEEP

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conditions in the bedroomWhen it comes

to bedding, your choice of materials and the number of layers you use will keep your temperature

just right

If you want to fall asleep, you need to give your body the right signals. An environment that is dark, quiet and not too warm makes it easier to get to sleep, while light and sound in the morning will help to wake you up.

Getting the indoor climate right – an appropriate temperature and humidity , w ith adequate ventilation – is good for your health. Being too hot or too cold can prevent you from falling asleep and may lead to muscle cramps or chills. Low humidity can dry out your airways, leaving you parched and very uncomfortable.

A good sleeping environment has  an enormous impact on the quality of our sleep, and

supports our natural recovery pro-cesses, too. Your sleeping environ-ment is made up of your bedroom (or whatever room you sleep in), as well as your bed – including the frame, mattress and bedding. This setting

should have certain characteristics to ensure that your sleep gets off to the best possible start every night, and that it continues on without interrup-tion. You should feel at ease in bed and enjoy the time you spend there. Create a haven of calm through care-ful use of colour, bed linen and, most important of all, a comfortable bed.

SleepingEnvironment

The

‘You’ve made your bed, now lie in it’, so the saying goes. But for some of us it’s more like: ‘You’ve made your bed, now lie awake in it’. On the next few pages, you will find information on how to create a sleeping

environment that will give you the best possible chance of getting a good night’s rest

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S E C R E T S O F H E A LT H Y S L E E P

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YOUR BEDROOM SHOULD BE…

n QUIET Close windows and doors. If you can, it’s better not to sleep on the side of the house nearest the street, especially if it’s on a busy road.

n WELL VENTILATED Before you go to bed, open the windows up wide to let in plenty of fresh air. You may even want to leave the window slightly open as long as it does not create a draught or let in too much noise.

n COMPLETELY DARK Windows should be fitted with blinds, shutters or curtains that block out as much light as possible. Dawn simulator alarm clocks, which gradually increase the brightness in the room as your wake-up time approaches, are highly recommended.

n RELATIVELY FREE OF DUST Carpets, artificial plants and other decorative items quickly gather dust, which often contains allergens that can irritate the airways and impair sleep. Vacuum regularly to get rid of dust.

n AT A TEMPERATURE OF AROUND 18C° This is generally a little cooler than what we would consider comfortable for other rooms in the house. Set your heater or air conditioner accordingly.

n AT A HUMIDITY LEVEL OF AROUND 15 PER CENT Appliances that either humidify or dehumidify the air are an effective way to maintain an appropriate humidity level.

n WITHOUT POT PLANTS OR CUT FLOWERS Although plants produce oxygen during the day, they give off unhealthy carbon dioxide at night.

n A PLACE OF REST AND RELAXATION The bedroom shouldn’t be an all-purpose junk room. It’s not the place for computers, televisions, exercise equipment, laundry racks or the ironing board. Never be tempted to take your laptop to bed for some late-night browsing; the bright screen will keep you awake.

If you get up at sunrise, there’s no need for curtains, blinds or

shutters. You can simply allow yourself to be woken

up naturally by the sun

Choose colours for your bedroom that will help you relax and sleep better. Make sure your bedtime tea is a calming herbal brew

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How to Buy a Good Bed

S L E E PS P E C I A L

Follow these small tips to gain huge improvements

n Your bed should be at least 1 m wide and, ideally, 20 cm longer than your height.

n Your bed should be right for you; take the time to get proper advice in a specialist bed store, and try out a few beds before you buy.

n A bed consists of both a mattress and a supporting base – each of these elements needs to be suitable for use with the other.

n The base should be neither too yielding nor too solid, and should be able to stand up to long-term use. A well-made slat base is a good option.

n Consider using a removable mattress protector, making sure you wash it at least once every season.

n There is no absolute rule about mattress firmness. Some people prefer a really firm surface; others prefer something with a little more give.

n Mattresses should be made using good-quality polyurethane or latex foam to ensure they are

as free as possible of dust and microbes. Apart from general good hygiene, this is especially important for people who suffer from allergies. These materials are quite breathable, too, which makes them good at dissipating heat and moisture.

n No mattress lasts forever. You should replace yours at least once every ten years. Don’t give your old mattress away (eg, to your children or grandchildren) and it’s best not to buy a used mattress. Think of your mattress as an important investment in your health.

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Eating Right for a Good Night’s Sleep

S L E E PS P E C I A L

The later the lighter, and other nighttime tips What we eat affects not only our health but also how well we sleep. In particular, what we eat in the evening and the time at which we eat has a direct effect on the quality of our sleep.

For a sound night’s sleep, stick to the following simple rule: the later it is, the lighter your meal should be. Otherwise, your body won’t have enough time to digest the meal before you go to bed. Your stomach will be busy and may keep you awake for quite some time.

Dinner should leave you feeling full without being too rich. Meals that favour a good night’s sleep include just about any type of food – so long as it’s eaten in moderation and not too close to bedtime.

There are many foods that stimulate production of the sleep hormone melatonin, among them

almonds, avocados, prawns and spinach. B-group vitamins and the trace element manganese also have a calming effect on the body. As a general rule the more balanced and vitamin-rich your diet, the better. A healthy diet will help strengthen your immune system while also giving your metabolism a boost. This is good for both your general health and your sleep.

A BANANA BEFORE BED Bananas are often recommended as a great natural source of tryptophan, which is one of the building blocks of melatonin, the sleep hormone. The time-honoured tradition is warm milk, also a good source of tryptophan.

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The Cure for Interrupted Sleep

S L E E PS P E C I A L

Older people often find they need to visit the bathroom more frequently at night. Some people resign themselves to this as being an inevitable part of ageing; others stop drinking fluids from the late afternoon onwards to try and prevent themselves from needing to urinate during the night. But neither of these two approaches is quite right. To avoid nighttime trips to the bathroom, try the following.

n Drink when you’re thirsty but aim to drink no more than 1 cup (250 ml) of fluids in the last hour before going to bed.n Before going to bed, avoid beverages that have a diuretic effect such as beer, cola, coffee and certain teas – such as nettle tea or other herbal teas recommended for the kidneys and bladder.n Consult your doctor before taking any over-the-counter herbal remedies for reducing the need to urinate at night. n If you do need to get up during the night, don’t switch on the main light. Exposure to bright light during the night can make the body think it’s

time to wake up. It’s best to use low-powered orange or red night lights so that you can find your way around but still get back to sleep. You can buy night lights that plug into power sockets. However, for older people, whose night vision and contrast vision is impaired, the light has to be adequate to prevent falls and it may need to be quite bright.

If you find yourself needing to go to the bathroom more than two to three times during the night and this goes on for more than a week, see your doctor.

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Say ‘No’ to a Nightcap

S L E E PS P E C I A L

Avoid alcohol for at least two hours before going to bed. While many people say alcohol helps them fall asleep, it actually interferes with the stages of sleep that come later in the night. As our blood alcohol level falls, one of the brain’s responses is to send out signals to wake us up. Here are some of the other problematic effects.

n Alcohol causes a sharp rise in blood glucose, and it’s impossible to enter the really restorative deep-sleep phase until the body’s blood glucose has stabilised. n Alcohol affects the REM ‘dream’ phase of sleep. Among other things, this affects our memory.n Nightmares are more common. n Alcohol slows breathing and causes the throat muscles to relax. For snorers or those who suffer from sleep apnoea (interrupted breathing), alcohol can make the problem worse.n Alcohol can have an unpredictable effect on the action of sleeping pills, as it acts upon similar structures in the brain to many common insomnia medications. Alcohol can radically

increase the effect of sleeping pills, or conversely it can cause the medication to start having the opposite effect, exacerbating symptoms of restlessness and insomnia.n After a night of heavy drinking, the restorative effect of sleep is greatly reduced and we are likely to feel unwell, both physically and mentally, the following morning.

If you are already having difficult sleeping, it is better to avoid alcohol altogether. In the interests of good sleep, you should not binge drink, nor drink alcohol in the evening more than twice a week.

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Snoring and Sleep Apnoea

S L E E PS P E C I A L

In most cases, people who snore are unaware of it – and that’s not a bad thing if their snoring is mild. Persistent snoring, however, can have a huge impact on all sleep phases, including deep sleep. It also fragments sleep, causing us to wake throughout the night. When these interruptions last for longer than ten seconds at a time, it is considered sleep apnoea.

There are two main types of sleep apnoea – central and obstructive. According to the Australasian Sleep Association, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is the most common, affecting around 9% of women and 25% of men in Australia. OSA is a serious condition; repeated sustained pauses in breathing during the night prevent the brain from getting enough oxygen, which can kill off brain cells.

Sleep apnoea leaves people feeling tired and irritable, and their physical and mental capacity may be impaired. Short- and long-term effects can impact a person’s

cognitive abilities, as well as increase the risk of hypertension, insulin resistance, stroke, heart attack and cardiac arrhythmias.

Help for snoring is available, and the first point of call should be your GP. Weight loss and reducing alcohol intake can help. In addition, medical devices and surgery may also reduce disruptive snoring.

WHY DO PEOPLE SNORE?n Narrowing of the airways in the nose and throat leads to a concentrated airflow, which hits the soft palate and causes it to vibrate. n The airways may be narrowed by inflamed nasal membranes; polyps; or by sleeping on your back, causing the tongue to drop back.

Secrets of Healthy Sleep is available online at Reader’s Digest, www.shop.readersdigest.com.au or call 1300 300 030.

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Q W E R T Y U I O P

A S D F G H J K L

Z X C V B N M

Our ultra-short-story competition is backfor a fifth year, so send us your tiny tale!This is your chance to win US$1000 or one of tworunners-up prizes of US$250 each and see your workpublished by Reader’s Digest. All you have to do iswrite an outstanding work of fiction in just 100 words.Stories should be original, unpublished and exactly100 words long (99-worders will be disqualified,hyphenated words count as one).Email entries to editor@readersdigest.com.auor post to 100Word Stories, Submissions Department,GPO Box 3799, Sydney, NSW 2001, by December 31, 2016.Formoreonhowto enter, and full terms andconditions,visitwww.readersdigest.com.au/terms-and-conditions

WORDSTORY

WRITINGCOMPETITION

2017

100

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