Losing Sleep Over World Events? No Need to Yawn at Dawn!
Are current events keeping you awake at night? If so, you're not alone. Many of the recent major news stories have been pretty scary.
Deadly and destructive Hurricane Ian ravaging Florida and the Southeast coast… Russian President Vladimir Putin making nuclear war threats… a new COVID wave brewing in Europe.
The nightmare list goes on. But perhaps it's not accurate to call them nightmares. At least folks are able to sleep through most nightmares.
This seemingly endless parade of horrific events is keeping some Americans awake at night. A recent study conducted at Ohio State University found that approximately one in five Americans has trouble falling asleep at night.
Too Much Stress = Too Little Sleep
Aneesa Das is a professor of internal medicine at the Columbus, Ohio university. She said, "Everybody's stressed and there's lots of news. So, I think the increase in stress may be one of those things that's causing more people to lose sleep.
"Stress can increase your heart rate, increase your blood pressure, make you have an upset stomach, and cause muscle tension. All of those things increase our alertness, making it harder to fall asleep."
The survey also revealed that many of those who have trouble falling asleep at night are compounding the problem with their late-night habits.
Nearly one-half of us scroll through our phones right before bedtime. And some 37% of us fall asleep with the television on.
Aim for the Dark Side
Our phones and TVs provide light exposure that messes with our internal clocks. While our bodies are telling us it's time to sleep, our minds are waking up from the light and the content of what we're seeing.
"Our circadian drive is that central clock telling us when we're supposed to be awake and asleep," Das said. "And that is driven by light more than anything.
"When we use our smartphones and our TVs right before bed, we increase that bright light exposure at the wrong time."
In another study done at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, it was determined that ambient light while sleeping at night can result in increased blood sugar levels and an elevated heart rate.
Light Increases Your Heart Rate
It makes sense. When we're up and active during the day, light affects our nervous systems. It can increase awareness and heart rate. The same thing can happen at night, even when we're sleeping.
Daniela Grimaldi is a research assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Northwestern.
She said, "Even though you are asleep, your autonomic nervous system is activated. That's bad. Usually, your heart rate together with other cardiovascular parameters are lower at night and higher during the day. We showed (that) your heart rate increases when you sleep in a moderately lit room."
And the problem goes beyond just frustration and tiredness. When people don't get enough sleep, they are more prone to serious health issues.
Practical Suggestions for Better Sleep
Major problems in the world will never end. Even if the current issues get resolved, new ones will take their place. That's just the way it is and always has been.
The solution is not to hide out in a cave for the rest of your life. But rather to discover ways to deal with the stress that comes from too much bad news.
One way is to limit the amount of time you spend watching the news on TV and on your computer and phone. Another is to establish routines you can follow each night to enhance your sleep quality.
For example, try to go to bed at approximately the same time each night. Avoid the light of TV, computer and phone screens during the last hour or two of your evening. And sleep in a dark and cool room whenever possible.
The American DreamZzz Solution
An inability to fall asleep in a timely manner is a problem. But it's just one of the issues that affects sleep-deprived Americans. Regardless of what's going on in the world.
Other challenges are staying in a deep sleep longer and waking up refreshed. If any of those are issues for you, I've got good news.
American DreamZzz is a safe and non-habit-forming solution to your sleep problems. It helps you get to sleep faster, remain in a deep sleep longer and wake up the next morning without the grogginess you may have felt from other sleep remedies.
It's formulated with six clinically-studied, natural ingredients in research dosages. You'll sleep better and wake up refreshed and reenergized.
If you stare at the ceiling for too long before falling asleep, wake up too often and have trouble getting back to sleep, or feel groggy when you get up in the morning, American DrezamZzz is for you.
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