Stop Snoring Exercises

Today’s lifestyle keeps us so busy that to accomplish our work schedules, home and family life needs, have time to exercise, eat healthy, keep our homes clean, socialize and spend quality time with the special people in our lives, most people are shortchanging their sleep time. According to Dr. Emily Senay on 9/20/06 on CBS news, anywhere from 10-34% of Americans have sleep trouble or insomnia. Chronic lack of sleep can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure, anxiety and depression, car accidents, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, diabetes, and aging, among other things. In fact, one study shows that getting less than 5 hrs of sleep per night tripled your risk of heart attack.

More and more people are working over 40 hours per week which when added to commuter time, leaves little time left to accomplish all our other requirements. Most of us find ourselves staying up later and later to get these things done. Then we drag ourselves out of bed and try to concentrate on our tasks at hand. One of the signs that we are severely lacking in sleep is if we are able to fall asleep almost anywhere and almost instantly.

Many of us also lay in bed worrying about all the things we need to do and are unable to fall asleep. Tossing and turning seems like such a waste of time and then we are even more frustrated! What should we do? Lay in bed longer or get up and get some of those things done? Experts usually suggest getting up for a short period of time, perhaps 30 minutes, and doing something active, then returning to bed. Another suggestion that I like is to make a list of things you want to accomplish, ranking them in order of priority, so you can stop worrying about them and let your mind relax and finally sleep.

There are many more things you can do to prepare yourself for a good night’s sleep but this has to become a priority and not a last minute thing to do when you can’t stay awake any longer. Women are particularly good at sacrificing themselves and their health for their families. When you look at the results of sleep deprivation, these diseases are not worth the time you think you may have saved each day.

Get a health checkup and determine if you have any of the symptoms like weight gain, especially around your middle from higher cortisol levels which lead to eating high sugar and high carbohydrate foods. What is your cholesterol level and blood pressure? Do you have trouble remembering things or concentrating? If you have any of these problems and you know that you are not getting around 8 hrs of sleep/night, make it a habit to start caring for yourself. There are many products out there from sleeping pills, sound machines, hypnotherapy and relaxation tapes to help if you have trouble getting or staying asleep. Now is the time to prevent further health problems and to energize yourself so you can feel your best.