Monday, December 03, 2012
Sleep tight, live right
Studies show that getting proper rest and a good night’s
sleep may actually strengthen the immune system. A healthy immune system is vital, especially as we are in
the midst of cold and flu season.
Registered nurse Sheryl Ness, Mayo Clinic Nurse Educator,
offers some simple strategies that may assist you in getting a good quality
sleep:
• Create good sleep habits. This includes going to bed at the
same time every night and waking at the same time every morning. Most people
need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
• Incorporate a relaxing bedtime routine of a few minutes of
meditation, quiet music or easy yoga stretches before you go to bed.
• If you need to nap during the day, try to nap in the
mid-afternoon and limit your nap to 30-60 minutes at the most.
• Watch your total caffeine intake all day; especially limit
drinking coffee, tea or sodas with caffeine in the afternoon and evening hours.
• If you do have problems falling to sleep after a few
minutes, get out of bed and try reading or doing another relaxing activity
until you feel sleepy again.
• Create a good sleep environment. The bedroom should be quiet
and relaxing; try using ear plugs and window shades if needed.
Backus Hospital Pharmacist Ryan Jones acknowledges that
stress can make sleep difficult.
“Try to remove any stressful or worrying thoughts from the
forefront of your mind before going to bed,” he said. “If the next day’s tasks have you
stressed, make a list of them before bed. This simple act helps clear the mind
of stressful thoughts for the night.”
If all of these measures fail, discuss with your primary
care provider the possibility of sleep aids or medication.
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
# posted by ----------------- @ 9:33 PM 
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Very well said.Living healthy takes us to think right and feel good,It is not only beneficial for our body but our mind also.Thanks..
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