Searching for slumber
Area doctors confirm stress undermines a good night’s sleepBy Jimmy Mincin, jmincin@altoonamirror.com
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Fact Box
Alcohol, caffeine and smoking
Alcohol: Alcohol reduces overall quality of sleep. Many people think that a nightcap before bed will help them sleep. While it may make you fall asleep faster, alcohol reduces your sleep quality, waking you up later in the night. To avoid this effect, stay away from alcohol in the last few hours before bed.
Caffeine: You might be surprised to know that caffeine can cause sleep problems up to 10 to 12 hours after drinking it. If you rely on coffee, tea or caffeinated soda to keep you going during the day, consider eliminating caffeine after lunch or cutting back your overall intake.
Smoking: Smoking causes sleep troubles in numerous ways. Nicotine is a stimulant, which disrupts sleep. Additionally, smokers actually experience nicotine withdrawal as the night progresses, making it hard to sleep.
Source: http://www.helpguide. org/life/sleep-tips.htm
Sleep deprivation and stress are often intertwined.
"Lack of sleep can cause stress. And stress can cause lack of sleep," said Dr. Frederick Murphy, rheumatologist at Meadowbrook Sleep Center, an affiliate of Altoona Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, in Duncansville. "People who have a great deal of stress very often times may sleep for seven or eight hours a night, but they don't get good, quality sleep. They don't get restorative sleep ... the deeper stages of sleep."
Why?
"It's part of the whole fight or flight response, where the adrenal glands create all these stress hormones," said Murphy, also a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia. "Studies have shown there are increased levels of these hormones during stressful times ... chemicals that are not beneficial to us in the end ... that disrupt sleep."
The key to overcoming stress-induced sleep loss is practicing what Murphy called "good sleep hygiene."
It includes having a quiet, dark and comfortable place to sleep at night (and a good, quality mattress); going to bed and waking up within 30 minutes of the same time every day - even on weekends - thereby training the mind to be "more efficient" with sleep; getting 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day; not taking stimulants, such as caffeine products, in the afternoon; and not waiting until bedtime to take prescribed sleep medications.
"It takes at least an hour for (sleep) medications to be digested and then metabolized ... to go through the body to have a therapeutic effect," he said. "I tell my patients to take any (sleep) medication an hour and a half before bed."
Murphy, also noted that excessive news watching has exacerbated high stress levels in many people - especially the constant barrage of woeful economic news.
"Right now, people feel a great deal more stress because of the news, and so I've actually reached a point with certain patients where I've asked them how much do they watch in a day, and if they're watching more than 30 minutes of news a day, I encourage them not to do so ... most of the time, the news is repeated every 30 minutes, so it's ... just more repeating of bad news."
Wilson Carper, 44, of Altoona is a prime example of someone whose sleep has been affected by stress. Between running his three kids, ages 17, 12 and 10 - to and from their daily sporting activities and working two jobs, he often doesn't have time to slow down and smell the roses.
"I work a full-time job with Veeder-Root (Co.) and I'm part-owner of a trophy shop in Holllidaysburg (All Pro Trophy Inc.)," he said. I get done working at about 5 or 6 in the evening, then we have football, baseball and track. ... We're just non-stop."
Carper enjoys his busy lifestyle, but admits it's taken a toll on his sleep. So much so, he decided to undergo a sleep study at Altoona Regional Health System Sleep Institute in February. In the process, he discovered he may have sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during slumber.
"The doctor put me on a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, which helps keep my airways open," he said. "I also wear a breathing mask at night. Where I used to sleep between three and four hours a night, I now sleep between five and six hours."
During a typical sleep study, patients sleep overnight in a comfortable bedroom, said Dr. Timothy Lucas, medical director at the Altoona Regional Health System Sleep Institute.
Professional staff will place a number of painless electrodes on the body to monitor brain waves, eye and limb movements, heart rate, breathing and snoring. They will also monitor a patient's blood oxygen level, as well as chest and abdomen movements during sleep. Once a diagnosis is made, staff physicians will discuss various treatment options then work closely with the patient and their family and the referring physicians throughout the process.
Lucas, Carper's primary sleep care physician, said getting adequate sleep allows the brain to process information effectively and allows our bodies to restore themselves. Sleep deprivation results in energy loss, fatigue, irritability and, you guessed it, stress.
"Stress is definitely a big contributor to sleep deprivation," he said. "People tend to ruminate about their problems as they're lying in bed. ... You need to keep a routine, and part of that routine ought to be trying to put your day's worries, whatever those are - financial, personal relationships, work - you need to try and put those worries to rest."
So, what's the trick?
"First of all, getting to the root of the problem ... figuring out what's causing you stress and trying to resolve those issues," he said. "Secondly, you need to relax before bed. Many people just keep going, going, going and then, oh, it's time for bed - that doesn't work quite right.
"Do something, such as reading a book, that will put you in a different mindframe - allow you to think about something other than what's going on in your own life," he added. "Do what you can to cope with your worries - by turning them off."
Mirror Staff Writer Jimmy Mincin is at 946-7460.
