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Personal Wellness: Sleep disorders

July 28, 2014 10:20 AM 1
Total Posts: 52
Join Date: September 30, 2006
Rank: Manager
Post Date: January 1, 1970
Posts: 52
Location: United States

Personal Wellness: Sleep disorders

Friends,

Sleep Disorders are among the most common problems encountered in recent times and it affects work life, business and professional life. As part of corporate wellness program, we should proactively work on improving wellness of our workforce.

We stay awake till late nights and and get up too early. We interrupt our sleep with several botherations and worries which then lead to psychological disorders within us.
 
Having said this, lets learn about some essentials of good sleep habits. Many of these points will seem like common sense, but rarely found. 
 
*Fix a time to be in bed at night and out of bed in morning -* The body "gets used" to falling asleep at a certain time, but only if this is relatively fixed.
 
*Avoid Sleep during the day*. If you nap throughout the day, it is no wonder that you will not be able to sleep at night.
 
*Don't take your worries to bed.* Leave your worries about job, school, daily life, etc., behind when you go to bed. Some people find it useful to assign a "worry period" during the evening or late afternoon to deal with these issues.
 
*Exercise regularly, but not right before bed.* Regular exercise, particularly in the afternoon, can help deepen sleep. Exercise within the 3-4 hours before bedtime, however, can decrease your ability to fall asleep.
 
*Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4-6 hours before bedtime.* These can affect your ability to stay asleep.
 
*Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime.* This includes caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and many sodas, as well as chocolate.
 
*Use comfortable bedding.* Uncomfortable bedding can prevent good sleep...if required, make appropriate changes. *Block out all distracting noise*, and eliminate as much light as possible.*Reserve the bed for sleep and sex*. Don't use the bed as an office, work-room or recreation room. Let your body "know" that the bed is associated with sleeping.
 
*Try a light snack before bed.* *Warm milk and foods high in the amino acid tryptophan, such as bananas, may help you to sleep*.
 
*Practice relaxation techniques before bed.* Relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing and others may help relieve anxiety and reduce muscle tension.
 
*Establish a pre-sleep procedure : *Pre-sleep procedure, such as a warm bath or a few minutes of reading, can help you sleep.
 
For those who enjoy alcoholic drinks... *Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime.* Many people believe that alcohol helps them sleep. While alcohol has an immediate sleep-inducing effect, a few hours later as the alcohol levels in your blood start to fall, there is a stimulant or wake-up effect.
 
*Get into your favorite sleeping position.* If you don't fall asleep within 15-30 minutes, get up, go into another room, and read until sleepy.
 
....Most people wake up one or two times a night for various reasons. If you find that you get up in the middle of night and cannot get back to sleep within 15-20 minutes, then do not remain in the bed "trying hard" to sleep. Get out of bed. Leave the bedroom. Read, have a light snack, do some quiet activity, or take a bath. You will generally find that you can get back to sleep 20 minutes or so later. Do not perform challenging or engaging activity such as office work, housework, etc. Do not watch television...yes!
 
Several physical factors are known to upset sleep. These include arthritis, acid reflux with heartburn, menstruation, headaches and hot flashes.
 
Psychological and mental health problems like depression and anxiety are often associated with sleeping difficulty. In many cases, difficulty staying asleep may be the only presenting sign of depression. Consult a practicing yoga teeacher for getting you out of sleeping difficulty.
 
The goal is to rediscover how to sleep naturally and bing a fresh employee in your office, work situation.
 
At the end of the day, we all want performaing employee, and corporate wellness
 
Would be happy to hear from this group.
 
Regards,
 
Jagadish