Earlier this week, I had the chance to sit down with a new patient to discuss their goals. It really helps us to know how to go about setting up their treatment plan if we know what they are trying to accomplish with treatment in our office. The typical responses are "I would like to get rid of this pain" or "I want an exercise program to stop this from coming back." This week, I heard a new goal though. After telling me that he would like to get rid of the pain, this patient told me that he "just want(s) to be able to sleep through the night." That is an interesting goal, and it lead to another conversation that revealed a lot of about this particular patient. So please be sure to discuss all of your goals with us, so that we can help you reach them.
After hearing how much lack of sleep has been impacting this patient, I realized that this week I wanted to take a couple of minutes to discuss sleep, and just how important it is for all of us. Did you know that getting adequate sleep can help to improve your memory? Did you know that it can help to decrease systemic inflammation that can contribute to heart disease, stroke, diabetes along with a host of other illnesses? We all need to be aware of all the benefits of sleep so that we make it a priority in our lives. Do you know how much sleep you should be getting? All recommendations state that we should be getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep.
Here are some tips to help you get a better night's sleep:
- When you get up in the morning open the blinds and let the natural light in ASAP.
- Make sure to get your exercise in during the day.
- Limit Alcohol and Caffeine consumption
- Get yourself into a bedtime routine.
- Shut down your electronics at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
- Regulate your temperature - The room should be around 68 degrees.
Click this image if you want to watch a TED talk from Jell Iliff to learn more about the importance of sleep.
