2019-11-01 Canadian Living

Go ahead, nap!

Catching a few extra winks can be beneficial
for people with erratic sleep schedules, like
parents with young children or shift workers
who aren’t able to catch the recommended
seven to nine hours at night. But, on the
other hand, a long nap at the wrong time—
in the evening for example—can be counter-
productive, because it’s likely to mess with
your chance of a good rest that night. Accord-
ing to the Canadian Sleep Society, the ideal
nap is no more than 20 minutes and best
taken in late morning or early afternoon.

Take your phone to bed

There’s sound reasoning for us banning
screens from the bedroom: “There are both
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reasons why you shouldn’t bring your phone
to bed,” says Melodee Mograss, a cognitive
neuropsychology and research associate in
the Perform Centre sleep lab at Concordia
Uni versity in Montreal. “Blue light stimulates
you and even has the potential of shifting
your biological rhythm.” That’s because it
interferes with melatonin production, the
hormone needed for quality sleep. That
said, there are a new crop of sleep apps
designed to enhance sleep and many people
swear by the soothing music options and

relaxing guided meditations. As long as

you’re following the rules of smart tech in

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ing work emails or scrolling through your

Instagram feed) and you turn down the

light on your device, a sleep app might be

just what you need to get to dreamland.

Move Fido

into the bedroom

The old thinking used to be that pets were

sleep disrupters, but research published

in Mayo Clinic Proceedings showed that

having a dog nearby doesn’t actually keep

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felines haven’t been studied, but researchers

speculate that cats could be more disruptive

since they’re nocturnal.) In fact, sleeping

near your dog can be both comforting and

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better. Note: If you have a big pooch or a

restless one that moves around a lot, having

it sleep in a dog bed near you might be more

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you under the duvet.

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memory, feeling moody (and at increased risk of depression and mood

disorders), poor blood sugar control and decreased immune function, while

putting your heart at risk, too. Good sleep is the foundation of good physical

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we should, says Kimberly Cote, director of the sleep research lab at Brock

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breaks and other sleep stealers are continually getting in the way of a good

night’s rest. But you can change all that—starting tonight!

CANADIAN LIVING NOVEMBER 2019 | 59