Better Sleep Month
Sleep Center at Comprehensive is proud to support Better Sleep Month and wants to share the ways you can ensure good sleep.
Better Sleep Month, an effort organized by the Better Sleep Council, was created as a time to reflect on the benefits of good sleep, while raising awareness of the disruption that poor sleep can have on our lives. Bad sleep, unfortunately, can be something that’s not taken seriously and has come to the point where The Center for Disease Control & Prevention has proclaimed insufficient sleep a public health epidemic. Just as with parts of our lives done while awake, such as diet and exercise, good sleep is crucial to physical, emotional and mental health.
The team at Sleep Center at Comprehensive, with a division of Lung Center of Nevada, encourages everyone to be fully aware of the relationship that sleep and breathing play in your health. Poor sleep can lead to poor diets and relying on bad habits, such as smoking, to better cope. Those habits, in turn, decrease lung efficiency, while also contributing to poor sleep.
If you’re having challenges with breathing and/or sleep, be sure to schedule an appointment with the Sleep and Lung teams at Comprehensive to find out the cause of these issues. There is no need to suffer when solutions are available.
There are many ways to work towards better sleep, and the start Better Sleep Month, is a good time to get started.
Where Do You Sleep?
A good way to get going is to evaluate how you’re sleeping is to check the environment you check into, when you’re ready to check out for some sleep. What might have worked well for you during the cooler months – heavy bedding, more clothing, heated blankets – will likely not translate well to summer’s heat. We understand that some people like a cozy environment and will turn their air conditioning down low to keep the winter bed set up, but it’s better (and more environmentally and financially efficient) to consider going lighter. That includes what you sleep in and what kind of bedding you choose. Look for light cottons when possible.
When Do You Sleep?
With Las Vegas being a three-shift city, our fellow Nevadans may be going to bed at a traditional nighttime, or around what other people consider lunchtime. Either way, with the arrival of summer, it means more light in the morning and the evening. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you may want to consider something like blackout curtains. A simple set of curtains are easy to put up and take down.
How Do You Sleep?
An interesting way to look at how you sleep can come from how you set your body up for sleep. The Better Sleep Council offers some insights into how your sleep affects how well you sleep:
Side Sleepers – This position is considered beneficial in helping to alleviate insomnia and chronic sleep deprivation. The Council recommends those with hip or back pain consider using pillows between the knees to alleviate pressure. They also recommend this position for women who are pregnant.
Back Sleepers – This position may induce lower back pain and is seen as a possible cause of apnea. This is a way of sleeping you cannot adjust; it’s recommended that back sleepers place a soft pillow or rolled-up towel under the knees to facilitate the natural curve of the spine.
Stomach Sleepers – Sleep Council members do not recommend sleeping on the stomach as it causes strain on the lower back and possible neck pain. For these sleepers, who cannot avoid it, use a very soft pillow or none at all, to keep the neck better positioned.
Some Fun Facts About Sleep
The Better Sleep Council offers these fun facts about sleep:
- 47% of all Americans sleep in a curled-up fetal position manner and it’s considered the most common sleep position.
- 17% of people sleep on their stomachs, with heads turned to the side and arms under or wrapped around a pillow, in what’s called a Freefall Position.
- Other sleep position names are funny and include Yearners, Logs and Starfish.
- Another funny named set of sleepers, Solider Sleepers (on their backs with their arms down and close to the body) are the most likely sleepwalk.
Not So Fun Facts About Sleep and Breathing
It’s not fun when you struggle to sleep and/or breathe. Good news is that there are solutions to these problems. Reach out to Sleep Center at Comprehensive and/or Lung Center of Nevada to see what help is available.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
Lung Center of Nevada and Sleep Center are part of Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a team of care givers provide a variety of treatment options for patients who’ve been referred to the practice, with all treatments done in Southern Nevada. To schedule an appointment with Comprehensive, please call 702-952-3350.
The content is this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
