Reader's Digest

July• 2018 | 29

READER’S DIGEST

HowtoLieDown

Whichsleepingpositionisbest?Whateveryoufindcomfortableatanygiven
moment because comfort promotes slumber. Ergonomically speaking it’s
good to mix things up: over the long run lying the same way every night
could lead to aches and pains. If you sufer from...

Back or neck pain
Experiment until you
find a way to minimise
your discomfort. You can
use pillows for support.

HeartburnElevate your

head by approximately

15 centimetres to stop

food from backing up

into your oesophagus.

Obstructive sleep

apnoeaAvoid lying on

your back so gravity

won’t be working

against your airways.

HOWTOFOSTER
YOUR DREAMS

Scientists used to think that dream-
inghappenedonlyduringREM
(rapideyemovement)thelaststage
of the sleep cycle. We now know that
earlierstagescanbringwispsof
dreamsaswellbutREMisthetime
ofthemostdetailedactiveand
emotional ones.
Sleep deprivation is understood to
be dangerous but REM deprivation is
alsoanissueclaimsa2017review
publishedintheAnnals of the New
York Academy of Sciences.People
withfewerdreamsaremoresubject
to mood dysregulation (recurrent

temper outbursts or persistent

extreme irritability) pain sensitivity

Parkinson’sdiseaseanxietydemen-

tia and delusions; ironically dream-

inghelpsyoumaintainyoursenseof

waking reality.

Dreams are threatened by alcohol

whichhelpsyounodofffasterbut

then disrupts REM. Benzodiazepines

(usedassleepingpillsoranti-anxiety

medication) “significantly repress

REM/dreaming”thereviewsays.

Anothercommonculprit:alarm

clocks.heyareoftennecessarybut

trytowakeupnaturallywhenever

possible in order to avoid interrupt-

ing sleep cycles.