sleeping quality

Myths, that let you lose sleep

12. March 2018 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

There is an International Women’s Day, a World No Tobacco Day or a World Health Day. Did you know, that there is also a day for sleep? The World Sleep Day takes place on March 16^th. With the actions on this day, the World Association of Sleep Medicine wants to draw attention to the importance of healthy sleep. This year’s slogan is: ‘Join the Sleep World, Preserve Your Rhythms to Enjoy Life.’

In the western industrial countries, we have lost our natural rhythms. With artificial lights we turn the nights into the day, smartphones and tablets support constant accessibility – just two examples that show how we ignore the natural rhythms of activity and rest. Sleep disturbances are inevitable. Here are some myths that might further disturb your sleep.

Eight hours of sleep are perfect

That’s not completely true. As different as we humans are as different is our sleep need. There are different influencing factors: age, genes, sleeping routine and health. One significant factor is our inner clock. Our inner clock is responsible for the biorhythms of our body, like the sleep-wake-cycle. About 90 per cent of all grown-ups sleep from seven to eight hours per night, a few people need more sleep, some less. But, not only the sleep duration is decisive for our physical regeneration – our sleeping quality is just as much.

The harder the underlay the better you sleep

That’s not true at all. Neither a too hard nor a too soft mattress are good for your sleep and your relaxation. The perfect sleeping underlay adapts to your body and reacts flexible. It enables your spine to take the same position as when standing in an upright position. An ideal orthopedic sleeping system (slat frame, natural rubber mattress and sheep wool overlay) relieves at pressure points. And, it gives support at pressure-free places.

Snoring is harmless

That’s correct. If you’re regularly and quietly snoring. Irregular, loud snoring is not only disturbing your partner’s sleep, it might also have negative consequences for yourself. Obstructive snoring leads to several arousals during the night; your phases of deep-sleep and REM-sleep become disturbed. This makes your sleep anything else but regenerative. And it becomes crucial when your snoring is accompanied by breathing stops, the so-called obstructive sleep-apnea-syndrome (OSAS). Both, obstructive snoring as well as sleep-apnea are a hazard to your health. The risk for high blood-pressure, diabetes II and cardiovascular diseases increases. Furthermore, serious cases might lead to a stroke or infarction.

Improve your sleeping quality

Especially a healthy lifestyle contributes to an improved sleeping quality. Besides a well-balanced nutrition, regular exercise and sports in fresh air as well as frequent breaks, sleep-hygienic measures are the key to a good sleeping quality. So, a healthy sleep surrounding, and a regular sleep-wake-cycle are important preconditions for a healthy, restful sleep that will restore your rhythms to enjoy life.

Imagesource: @fotolia

Exhausted? Weak? Performance plummeted?

27. November 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Every morning, your alarm clock ends a period that is meant to be restful for body, mind and soul: your sleep. In reality, you are already spiraling downwards in the morning. Your body and your mind are not able to produce the required performance. Tiredness and concentration disturbances are constant companions.

Sleep duration and sleeping quality

The perfect sleep duration for an adult is about eight hours. Most of the time, we go to bed too late, but disturbances to fall asleep and to sleep through also contribute to a lack of sleep. Every third person regularly has too few sleep – the consequences are far reaching. Not only for the economy but also for the personal health and career. You are having too few sleep? Then you are more prone for mistakes, your creativity and adaptability are reduced, your immune-system is weakened.

But, not only the sleep duration is decisive, your sleeping quality is as well. You are sleeping for eight hours but still feel exhausted, are forgetful and irritable and your immune-system constantly is weak? Most likely, your sleeping quality is poor. There are several reasons for a poor sleeping quality: an improper sleeping underlay, a sleep disturbing sleep surrounding, a high stress level, sleep apnea, irregular sleep-wake-cycle, etc.

Contact us, we would be pleased to support you in your search for relaxation, getting up rested and high performance – all these are based on healthy sleep. Our holistic, orthopedic and sustainable sleeping system combined with innovations like the Soundlife-Sleep system^® or SAMINA Gravity^® offer valuable support in achieving more quality of life and vitality.

Imagesource: @fotolia

Snoring in children – risk for developmental disorder

17. May 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Especially in young years, snoring in children might lead to health impairments and to secondary diseases. The brain of children and juveniles is still developing. Due to breathing stops, obstructive sleep apnea can lead to developmental disorders. Is the nasal breathing impaired the sleeping quality will be diminished. Sleep fragmentation, restlessness and disturbance of sleep architecture are the consequences.

Therefore, regeneration of body, mind and soul is disturbed. Daytime sleepiness, irritability and concentration disturbances are the consequences. Under no circumstances, snoring in children should be regarded as being harmless. According to studies, regular snoring in children doubles the risk of developing learning difficulties.

Consequences of snoring in children

Exhaustion: Due to lack of sleep, the children find it hard to concentrate. Often, increased daytime sleepiness occurs.
Hyperactivity: Often, exhaustion is “compensated” with an aggressive attitude and hyperactivity.
Learning difficulties: Due to the occurring concentration disturbances and the daytime sleepiness the scholastic achievements decrease.
Susceptibility for infection: Healthy, restful sleep is important for strengthening the immune system. Lack of sleep increases the risk of falling ill with an infection.
Health disturbances: Besides infections, other health disturbances might arise, too. High blood pressure, altered blood fat levels, insulin resistance, sharp under- or overweight as well as lung diseases. Furthermore, growth disturbances might arise.

So, finding out and treating nightly snoring early might prevent from learning and developmental disorders. Have you already tried inclined sleeping? Seek medical advice, when no improvements are noticeable resp. when noticing any abnormalities.

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Four astonishing facts about sleep

10. May 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

What do you know about healthy sleep? Did you know that our dreams are in colour? Or that a bed accommodates 1.500,000 dust mites, on an average? No? Learn here some interesting facts about sleep!

Useless knowledge or astonishing facts about sleep?

Sleeping makes smart: Do you believe that our brain is inactive during sleep? Far from it! During sleep, our brain sorts and evaluates the happenings of the day. Also, long term memory is strengthened. Learning before going to bed is especially effective – learning without sleeping not so much.
Sleeping makes beautiful: Beauty sleep makes sense. During sleep, the hormones melatonin and somatropin care for regeneration of skin cells and skin repair. The sleeping hormone melatonin acts as radical catcher and protects our skin. The “anti-aging-hormone” somatropin cares for repair of damaged cells and skin tissue. But, not only sleep duration is important for an effective beauty sleep. Especially our sleeping quality is decisive for a fresh complexion.
A nap boosts concentration and performance: A short nap demonstrably increases concentration and performance. Provided, that the power nap doesn’t last longer than 20 minutes. This short break enables our body to come to rest. Also, our brain takes the chance and recovers during this short nap.
Lack of sleep makes fat: Be careful! When you have too few sleep the risk of gaining weight Usually, we burn calories during night because or body is busy with important regeneration processes. The power needed comes from our fat cells. Furthermore, the appetite regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin are also connected with sleep resp. wakefulness. They become unbalanced – ravenous appetite is the consequence. So, care for sufficient and restful sleep to maintain weight.

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Which sleeping position is the healthiest?

9. May 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

During night, body and mind regenerate. That’s why sleep duration as well as sleeping quality significantly influence our health. Studies reveal that our sleeping position also influences our health. Sleeping on the left side supports different organs in their function. Amongst others, blood flow and digestion are supported.

What is your preferred sleeping position?

Dorsal, prone or lateral? In case you are no typical left-side-sleeper you absolutely should go on reading. Or simply think about changing your sleeping position.

Why sleeping on the left side is healthier

Prevents heartburn: our esophagus leads from the right side towards the stomach. When sleeping on the left side, the gastric acid cannot reflux into the esophagus. This prevents inconvenient heartburn.
Digestion: lying on the left side supports activity of our stomach and our pancreas. Regulation of our digestive juices is relieved. Furthermore, the pancreatic enzymes are secreted easier.
Lymphatic system: our lymph transport important nutrients like proteins, glucose and others. At the same time, our lymph nodes filter waste products and transport them to the left side of our body.
Spleen: our spleen is responsible for blood purification. The spleen is also responsible for perfectly functioning lymph. Sleeping on the left side facilitates removal of waste products via the lymphatic system to the spleen.
Blood flow: our main artery, the aorta, is bended towards left. Therefore, our blood flow is favored when sleeping on the left side. When lying on the right side, our blood has to be pumped upwards.

Source: Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology (http://journals.lww.com/jcge/Abstract/2015/09000/A_Novel_Sleep_Positioning_Device_Reduces.7.aspx)

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Start a healthy life with healthy nutrition #1

3. April 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Sleep, exercise and nutrition are directly linked and form the pillars of health. They interact. Even small changes in everyday life may lead to far-reaching improvements of health. It is important that everyone determines the own pace. Tiny steps lead to the goal, too! The only thing that counts, is the personal intention to treat the body and mind in a conscious and respectful manner. A great awareness strengthens mental health, too. Healthy nutrition, sufficient sleep and exercise are supportive.

Healthy nutrition

The one who permanently eats unhealthy is going to be sick in long-term. Sleeping quality suffers, the natural urge to move, too. The hormonal balance becomes disturbed. Different symptoms of illness that are due to a lack of macro- and micronutrients occur. Take a closer look to your personal eating habits: are you really eating healthy and balanced?

Useful guidelines for healthy nutrition:

drink sufficiently, best are water or unsweetened herbal teas
combine complex carbs with proteins
add sufficient healthy fats
eat fresh fruits and vegetables, best by season and by region
prepare your food fresh
avoid food with supplements
avoid artificial sweeteners like aspartame
avoid food with white flour and sugar
largely avoid synthetic medication, alcohol and nicotine

Diets and prohibitions only lead to stress. It is much easier to consciously enjoy a piece of chocolate than to completely do without. Just smaller pieces – and not every day. Just like too much food, too few is harmful for the body, too. The solution is, to find the proper amount for oneself depending on energy consumption (degree of activity and sport, physical or sedentary work, etc.). If you are unclear consult a nutritionist or your doctor.

In #2 read on how healthy nutrition and healthy sleep interact.

Imagesource: @deathtothestockphoto