Are you sleep deprived?

We live in a high tech world that simply operates 24/7, so a lot of us

are sleep deprived. Many cities such as my own city of Portland,Oregon,

now have supermarkets, drugstores, video stores and restraunts that are

open 24 hours a day. The people who operate these stores plus the

police, nurses, firemen, factory workers often work a rotating shift.

More people are working from home and do not follow a set schedule, I

know I am one of them. TV stations and radios stations are operating 24

hours a day. Comute times take longer and we play catch up from the

office by taking work home. No wonder most of us are getting 5 hours of

sleep a night or less. Are you one of these people?
Noise pollution as cities grow is a problem too. I know that I work odd
shifts being a caregiver and then have to sleep a lot of times during

the day. Neighbors run loud music, chain saws, lawn mowers. The noise

level never allows me to get enough sleep.

Some people have sleep apena. Sleep apnea means episodes of cessation

of breathing during night time sleep that can occur as often as several

hundred times in a night. Snoring is a warning that the sleeper may be

a victim of sleep apnea.

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
SYMPTOMS

Loud snoring. This can indicate breathing problems or blocked air

passages.
Cessation of breathing or choking spells in the night. In severe cases,

this can occur over fifty times an hour with each hundreds of times a

night with each one lasting as long as ten seconds.
How can you decide if you are getting enough sleep? Ask your self some

questions.

1.Do you find you have lack of attention?
2.Do you experience memory loss?
3.Do you get irratiable and frustration at coworkers or friends?
4.Do you have poor concentration?

Of course you may not have any serious sleep disorder, you may just be

suffering ordinary things like a new baby, a sick child, worry over

some stressor in your life, like lossing your job, or other worries.
These kinds of sleep deprivation usually go away in time.

If you think you might be sleep deprived there are some things you can
do.
Ask yourself how much sleep makes you feel really well.
Then set a goal to get that much sleep. Some things you might do
is get some exercise it promotes sleep. Don't eat, drink coffee, tea or

alcohol within two hours of going to bed. Stop smoking. Don't use your

bedroom for anything except sleep. Establish that when you go into your

bedroom that you are going there to sleep. Establish a bedtime ritual.
Don't think about troubles when you are going to sleep. Put them on

hold until the next day they will still be there.

Recognising you are sleep deprived is the first step. Knowing that

being sleep deprived is dangerous if you are operating machinery, or
driving your car is important. You also may be putting your job on the

line with lack of attention and memory loss.

So see what is keeping you up. If you suspect you have a sleep disorder

see your doctor. If not maybe giving up an extra hour of whatever is

keeping you up will do it.
Try to de-stress your life as much as possible, tension is a major

factor in having sleeping problems. Try to close your eyes, breathe

deeply and think about something pleasant or relaxing. You might try

some daily meditation it cuts stress better than anything I know of.
Try yoga and deep breathing. They both promote good sleep. If you have

other health problems and pain is a factor in you not sleeping be sure

and see your doctor.
Take good care of yourself and Be well.