ANCSLEEP BLOG

The use of melatonin as a sleep aid has increased substantially, especially during the pandemic. With people's daily schedules being thrown off, or thrown out completely, their sleep took a toll. Our bodies are creatures of habit. They like predictable schedules. They thrive on them. When we go to sleep at wildly varying times every day and wake up whenever, then we actually are throwing off our body's ability to create a consistent schedule to help us get good sleep. 

While the rising use of melatonin is certainly unsettling, the most unsettling thing is the fact that we may be using melatonin all wrong. Melatonin is not a little tablet that serves as a fix for everything. It may be an adjunct to an already established sleep schedule. Continue reading to find out some concerns about using melatonin and important considerations. 

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects nearly a billion people in the world. It is a sleep disorder that involves cessations of breathing throughout the night. These pauses can significantly disrupt sleep, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, and other health issues. 

The mainstay treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is a large mask that fits over the nose and mouth and provides enough pressure to keep the airway from collapsing. Due to the size of the CPAP machine, the tubes, and discomfort, many individuals may choose to not use a CPAP, which can worsen and prolong their disease. 

However, new technology may offer something a little more comfortable: Micro CPAP. We are going to review what they are and how they work so you can talk with your doctor to see if it's the best option for you. 

The thyroid is an organ in your neck that is responsible for producing thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormones are responsible for many functions in the body and require iodine to be created. Too much or too little of this hormone can be very problematic for the individual because of the vast number of organs that thyroid hormone affects. 

Graves disease is an autoimmune disease that causes too much thyroid hormone to be produced. It is problematic because it leads to a hypermetabolic state in the body that produces many other issues and can lead to very serious complications called thyroid storm. Continue reading to find out more about Graves disease and how it can negatively impact your sleep. 

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a machine used for those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a sleep disorder that is characterized by multiple cessations in breathing throughout the night. OSA can have negative consequences like excessive daytime sleepiness, weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. It's important to be properly diagnosed using a sleep study, or a polysomnography, and then treated with a CPAP. 

CPAP therapy provides significant relief to those with OSA. Untreated individuals often gasp and choke while trying to breathe. CPAP delivers enough pressurized air to help sleepers' breathing passages remain open. This can significantly reduce sleep apnea symptoms, but it can cause some side effects like dry mouth.

Humidifiers for your CPAP can reduce some of these negative issues. Some models even have built-in humidifiers to make it easier. It's important to take care of your CPAP by using the proper water. Is tap or distilled the best? Continue reading for more information about why distilled water is the best water to use in your humidifier. 

Getting good sleep shouldn't be a luxury, but more of a requirement for a good life. Sleep deprivation can exacerbate existing health issues, decrease memory, attention, and mood regulation, and also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions, such as diabetes. Therefore, missing out on sleep is not just an inconsequential action. There are serious health implications with missing out on sleep. 

If you are looking to improve your sleep, however, it is a process. You cannot have practiced bad sleep your entire life and expect to sleep like a baby tonight after reading this article. Good habits lead to good sleep, and habits take some time to develop. Honestly, they take so long that it may be easy to give up on them before you're even able to see the results. 

In order to see the benefits of sleep, you must change your mindset regarding sleep. It's almost like a diet. With crash diets that are painful and miserable, the failure rate is very high. However, when changing your mindset regarding food and activity, you are creating better food habits which are sustainable and easier to adhere to. 

Same with sleep. Having a different attitude towards sleep and looking at building lifelong healthy habits will help to turn your sleep around for good. Here are ways to change your mindset regarding sleep. 

Teen sleep is increasingly threatened by many factors; however, this time of their life is full of so much growth and learning that adequate sleep is required for them to fulfill their true potential. As teens age, their circadian rhythm is more geared towards later sleep and wake times. This means they are more inclined to go to sleep at a later time and wake up at a later time. 

When school start times are too early and bedtimes are too late, most teens are not getting enough sleep. This can lead to mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. It can also lead to trouble focusing and concentrating in school, as well as mood regulation and memory. All of these are important for developing as a teenager. 

Below are some ways to help you get your teen to get more sleep. 

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes interruptions in breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea is very common in adults, but can also happen in infants and newborns, especially those who are premature or have low birth weight. 

Sleep is vital to a baby's growth and development. Other sleep disorders and sleep apnea can all prevent newborns and infants from getting the sleep that they need to grow and develop. Without treatment, they will be at risk for long-term sleep complications. 

Knowing more about sleep apnea in babies can help parents become adequately prepared for ensuring the safety and health of their newborn. 

Meditation can be a very helpful technique for improving focus, reducing stress and anxiety, and providing a variety of other benefits. However, it is often harder to do than one may think because of the level of focus that it requires. Therefore, even though it's a helpful practice, it's often not utilized. 

An alternative, however, is non-sleep deep rest, or NSDR. NSDR is used by the Google CEO, and ever since he mentioned it in his interview, many have been wondering what NSDR is and how to do it. Below is some more insight on what it is and how to practice it yourself. 

As cold and flu season approaches, it's important to understand the important role that sleep plays in our immune system. Some infections are getting more and more resistant to the medications we have and are getting more difficult to treat. Certain strains of bacteria, viruses, and fungi are so mutated and resistant to our medications that they are referred to as superbugs. 

Superbug infections kill almost a million people every year, and it causes more than 2.8 million cases in the US every year, with 35,000 deaths. These numbers can only grow as these bugs become more and more resistant. 

Some of the most common are carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, Klebsiella, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). They pose a threat to daily life and are especially dangerous to those with suppressed immune systems - autoimmune diseases, chemotherapy, etc. 

Sleeping may be one way that we can help ward off these superbugs. Continue reading for more information. 

A lot of sleep content focuses on the signs of not getting enough rest, and for good reason. Sleep deprivation is common, and understanding those warning signs matters. But it is just as helpful to recognize what healthy sleep looks like, especially because those patterns often reflect habits worth maintaining.

Below, we’ll look at a few signs you may be getting enough sleep. If several of them sound familiar, your routine may be supporting your sleep in meaningful ways. If not, it may be a sign that something in your routine needs more attention.