What Are The Ideal Sleeping Positions For You?

Did you know that many researchers have claimed that the sleeping positon you adopt when sleeping actually can show your behaviour, characteristics and even your moods? Read on and learn some more on this facinating topic.

The Sleeping position is the one an individual adopts when asleep. The are many varied sleeping positions but the most common are as follows:

1) Fetal Position – The individual sleeps on their side and curl their bodies inwards to almost a C or D-shape or reverse C or D-shape dependent onto which side they sleep;

2) Soldier Position – As the name indicates, the person sleeps flat on their back with their hands to their sides;

3) Starfish Position – The person is again flat on their back, but this time their arms extend over and outwards above their heads and their legs are somewhat flayed outwards as well;

4) Freefall Position – In this position, the sleeping person lies on their stomachs with their arms in the vicinity of their head;

5) Log Position – Almost like the soldier position but the person lies on their side during sleep. Their hands are still at their sides

6) Yearner Position – Almost the same as the log position with the person on their side, but in this one the sleeper’s arms are outstretched in front of their bodies.

7) Dead Man’s float – Similar to the freefall position in that the individual is on their stomachs however the hands hold onto the pillow during sleep.

Various schools of thought have researched the most popular sleeping positions and even hypothesized on the resultant behavioral characteristics of the individual.

We have noted during our research that sleeping on one’s side i.e. Fetal Position or Log and sleeping on one’s back i.e. Starfish or Soldier are the most recommended.

Benefits and drawbacks:

• Fetal Position – In this position stress on your spine is eased and snoring is absent or significantly reduced. However over the long term it can have adverse effects on the promotion of wrinkles. Too much of a fetal pose can risk affecting breathing during sleep and causing aches and pains in your joints;

• Log Position – This position allows your back to be elongated, promotes fair breathing and therefore less snoring. This is the most recommended position for women during pregnancy as well;

• Starfish and Soldier – Allows clear breathing and thus the least snoring. With the proper pillow as a close ally, it will promote good posture during sleep and support spine, hips and shoulders. It also has been noted that it puts the least stress upon the skin of your face so can reduce the occurrence of wrinkles.

 

Travel can be hectic especially if your trip is for business with tight deadlines, all day meetings and stressful sessions. Thus a good night’s sleep runs the risk of being affected. We like to highlight hotels that have placed a large degree of emphasis on Natural Sleep and those which provide the ambiance and amenities to compliment it.

Before going further, it is advised that you dress comfortably for bed generally, travelling is certainly no different especially as you will be in a strange environment. Check out Sleepheads.com below for some great deals only offered through our site.

Many hotels have niched themselves as providing superior sleep comfort for their guests. We like to recommend the Crowne Plaza hotels for their priority in this area. Their special “Sleep Advantage^®” program often includes a package with features including:

• Comfortable Beds:

The Crowne Plaza bed is excellent for your Natural Sleep;

A soft duvet, an array of plush pillows and soft textured sheets ensure a fine night for rest;

• A quiet zone: You can specially request the quiet zone area.

Housekeeping will not call on your rooms between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. unless requested;

Guests that are part of large groups e.g. leisure groups, tour groups and guests with small children are usually placed in another part of the hotel.

• Guaranteed wake up calls

The hotel will wake you up five minutes before or at the latest five minutes after your requested time. They put the added guarantee that if this is not done to your specification your night is free. That is confidence and customer service at its fullest;

• Sleep amenities

The Crowne Plaza amenity kit is second to none. It includes items such as:

• Eye Mask and drape clip to block out unwanted light;
• Earplugs;
• Lavender spray;
• A nightlight to provide soft lighting during the night to enhance the in room sleeping experience.

All About How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is all about proper sleep hygiene, sleep routine and consistency.

SLEEP HYGIENE

This is the following of good sleep habits that will enhance your sleep experience. Follow these guidelines to improve your personal sleep hygiene:

1. Use the bedroom only for sleep and sex. This means no –

• studying on the bed;

 

• bringing the laptop or tablet or smartphone;

 

• work or reports for that deadline.

1. Do not consume caffeine, alcohol or nicotine at least five to six hours before bed. These substances have a negative effect on our minds and well-being. If you cannot control the urge to consume any of the above you may have to look at ways to quit as with that lack of self-control there may be signs of addiction.

 

2. Train your pets to adapt to your sleep times. Your best friend may be a sweet pet who wants to play when you need to sleep so train your dog or cat to know when to quit. This is not hard to do with the proper training. For a dog, make sure you walk them a little while before, tire them out a little, and move into the bedroom, they will quickly adapt to your routine.

3. Help a snoring partner. Someone else snoring and keeping you up at night may be a sign of a sleep disorder like sleep apnea. You should address snoring with your physician if the little changes in habits do not work. Refer to the related articles on snoring and sleep apnea to learn more.

4. Keep regular hours. Your hours of waking and going to sleep should be kept as consistent as possible. Leave only a ten minute tolerance on both ends for anything unforeseen.

5. Your room ambiance. The environment of the room is critical to a good sleep.

• Have it dark or very dimly lit (preferably from a faded nightlight);
• No television or personal computers. As much as that may hurt you remember the bedroom is not suitable for these distractions, it is a place for your body to rejuvenate and get the rest so badly needed;

SLEEP ROUTINE

Your ideal sleep routine is covered in a related page, please visit sleep routine.

CONSISTENCY

This is all about taking what is best practice in sleep hygiene and sleep routine and sticking to it. To get a good night’s sleep you must practice discipline. Many people feel the urge to party all night and consume alcohol and test the body’s resistance. This may be fine in college or for an odd night in the month but remember as you age you will feel the consequences.

Be consistent and look forward to long life and health. Do not be consistent and you will feel the effects.

Stop Snoring With These Exercises & Techniques

Snoring a Definition:

Snoring is the sound that emanates from your throat (respiratory passageway) resulting from an obstruction to the free flow of air. Snoring can affect the natural sleep of the snorer as well as people around them, this can further be worsened to cause sleep deprivation which is the condition of not having enough sleep.

A person can then be adversely affected during their waking hours through irritability, decreased concentration, slowness to react and increased stress. This can then lead to more serious complaints like heart attacks and strokes. Studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between heavy snorers and heart issues.

So snoring should not be taken lightly. In this article we will explore some key “stop snoring exercises” and include it as part of our “stop snoring solutions.”

Stop Snoring Exercises:

1) Tongue stretches –

i. Stick your tongue out parallel to the floor and really reach with it, stretch and hold for ten seconds;
ii. Stick out your tongue and try to reach for your nose, really go for it and hold for ten seconds;
iii. Lastly, try to reach your tongue for your chin, again reach hard and hold for ten seconds.
iv. Practice an exaggerated smile, again hold for ten seconds and relax.
Practice these exercises repeatedly perhaps beginning with sets of three for each exercise and then increasing as your comfort zone allows.

2) Vocal –

Sing the following words at the top of your voice without pushing to the point of straining. Place your hands on your throat to feel your muscles working out, this will help you concentrate on this area:

1. La-la-la-la-la-la-la – seven times hold the last one for approximately three seconds;

2. Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma – seven times hold the last one for approximately three seconds;

3. Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka – seven times hold the last one for approximately three seconds.

These are vocal techniques used by singers all over the world to strengthen their throat muscles. One major cause of snoring is weak throat muscles or even too much fat tissue in the throat, so do not feel silly doing this exercise, it is critical to your sleep health. Do these exercises two to three times daily and monitor your sleep for a month to see if it is working, if you are not in the acute snorer range, this technique may certainly be the one for you. For the more serious snorers there are further techniques and strategies for you.

More Stop Snoring Solutions –

• Adjust your sleeping position. It is best to sleep on your right side.

Please refer to the page dedicated to the topic the ideal sleep positions.

• Cut down on your dairy consumption and cut it out completely four hours before bed. Dairy can lead to increased mucus in your throat and result in congestion and blockage of the air passageway;

• You can use nasal drops before bed to clear the nasal passage. However it is not recommended for long term use as it has been shown to damage the nasal cavity over time. It can be part of your overall strategy and phased out as soon as possible as your snoring diminishes. Nasal strips may be useful for some of us as an alternative to nasal drops;

• Watch your weight. Work out your ideal weight with a height/weight chart. It is easily found on the internet and once calculated you can see where you need to be to be healthy. Fat tissue can be a major cause of snoring and should be addressed as soon as possible as it can also lead to cardiovascular issues;

• Adjust your pillow height. This may take some getting used to but is effective as well. Raising your pillow height can reduce the chance of your passageway being blocked;

• Alcohol usage should be at a minimum. Ideally alcohol should not be consumed four hours before sleep. Many people have a drink before bed to unwind, but this is a myth. Alcohol is a depressant and may relax your throat muscles too much and lead to respiratory issues like snoring. Opt for a good book or some relaxing music instead, sounds boring but your entire body will thank you;

• Smoking is an absolute negative for proper respiratory functioning. It too can have adverse effect on the structure of your throat muscles and should be avoided at all costs;

• Do not take any chemical filled sleeping pills unless specifically prescribed by your doctor for some acute sleeping illness beyond the content of this article. Artificial pills and sleep medicines have the same effect as alcohol and are just quick fixes to a bigger problem;

Please refer to the page dedicated to snoring for more on this subject.

From What Causes Insomnia To It’s Solutions

Insomnia is best defined as a sign and/or a symptom of a present or potential sleep disorder. It is characterized by a state of sleeplessness or challenges in maintaining a state of sleep for any prolonged period of time.

The best timespan to analyze if you suffer from insomnia is one month where you experience difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and your daytime activities are adversely affected due to this lack of sleep.

Insomnia is commonly placed into two main categories: 1) Primary and; 2) Secondary (Comorbid).

1. Primary insomnia is sleeplessness which is not due to any medical, psychiatric or other causes such as use of medications or substance abuse; This category of primary insomnia can be further broken down into three types:

I.        Psychophysiological Insomnia –

The most common type of insomnia and affects at least 10% of adults. It can be caused by:

• An individual’s tendency to worry excessively or be hyper aroused;
• The individual telling themselves they are not going to be able to sleep (negative self-conditioning);
• A stressor that occurs to trigger the individual not being able to sleep, e.g. a harsh boss threatening your job security that day.

II.        Idiopathic Insomnia –

One of the rarest forms of insomnia estimated to affect 1% or less of the population.

• It is theorized that idiopathic insomnia begins from a very early age sometimes from birth;
• With this type of primary insomnia, sleeplessness occurs for no apparent reason such as stress, medication or psychiatric conditions;
• Since this disorder begins at an early age, the individual may adjust to it over the years and one may not see any detrimental effects.

III.        Paradoxical Insomnia –

Another infrequently occurring form of insomnia affecting an estimated 5% or less of the population

• Individual’s tend to underestimate the amount of sleeping hours, e.g. “I only got two hours last night”;
• Individuals are very aware of their surroundings and may be deemed as very light sleepers;
• Daytime functioning may only be moderately affected.

2. Secondary insomnia is sleeplessness that can be attributable to one or more medical conditions such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or reaction to medications to name a few.

The term secondary insomnia has been updated to and is widely referred to now as comorbid insomnia. Statistical analysis has shown that this type of insomnia is most prevalent in the following groupings:

Shift workers; elderly people and individuals who suffer from mental and psychiatric conditions.

Some of the adverse effects of insomnia can be increased risk of falls for the elderly, loss of attentiveness at work or on operating machinery, altered moods, increased fatigue, loss of memory and headaches.

As is apparent comorbid insomnia is very serious and can cause extreme discomfort to the individual and even escalate to life threatening levels. For this type of insomnia more proactive steps are recommended. This can come in the form of cognitive relaxation therapy, medicinal aids or surgery or in many cases a combination of all.

Insomnia in whatever form is to be taken seriously and should be addressed as soon as diagnosed. Seeking medical attention even if you are not absolutely sure that it is insomnia you are suffering from is recommended. It is always better to be proactive than reactive in the area of sleeplessness. For more on this topic, please visit the insomnia page on this site.