Reader's Digest

30 | July• 2018

SLEEP BETTER EVERY NIGHT

HOURS

HOW TO ACCOMMODATE

A FURRY FRIEND

Should you let Spot into your room

at night? Mayo Clinic researchers

tackledthisquestionbyputting

accelerometers on volunteers and

theirdogsforoneweek.Mostofthe

pooches spent some time playing or

moving around while their owners

dozed. Even so they didn’t affect

thehumans’sleepmuch–solongas

theyweren’talloweduponthebed.

Ablanketorapetbedonthefloor

wouldbeagoodcompromiseifyou’d

liketoenjoyacomfortingcanine

presence without being disturbed.

HOWTOIDENTIFY

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP

APNOEA

Oneofthemostcommonsleepdis-

orders is also a potentially serious

one. In obstructive sleep apnoea the

musclesinthebackofthethroat

relax too much during slumber

blocking breathing. This causes

dropsinblood-oxygenlevelsthatif

left untreated can strain the cardio-

vascular system and raise the risk of

heartproblemsovertime.

Suferers will automatically wake

long enough to reopen their airways

but they may not remember their ep-

isodes come morning. It’s their part-

ners who f lag the disorder after

noticing snoring guttural sounds or

gasping says Dr Michael Gelb a

specialist in breathing-related sleep

disorders. People who sleep alone

can use an app such as SnoreLab

andSnoreReporttorecordandtrack

snoring. Otherwise Gelb says

warning signs also include “waking

unrefreshed moodiness diiculty

concentrating daytime sleepiness

and memory problems”.

How to Know if You’re Oversleeping

Moreisn’talwaysbetter:regularlysleepingmorethan

ninehoursatatimeisassociatedwithheadachesback

pain obesity and diabetes. These risks may be due

to underlying causes (depression alcohol abuse and

narcolepsy for example) rather than oversleeping itself.

But either way it’s worth telling your GP.