Reader's Digest

(avery) #1
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.
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