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Sleep expert maas5/28/2023 ![]() “When we borrow time from sleep to socialize, work or study, our brains remain tired and seek that missed sleep. The most common cause of microsleep is sleep deprivation. “If you sleep too long or late in the day, it can keep you awake at night.” What causes microsleep? It puts a little more fuel in their tank.”īut you can experience the opposite if your micronap turns macro. “They’ve trained their bodies to expect this time, and the habit works well for some. “When people say micronapping, they’re referring to a type of regular power nap where they sleep 20 to 30 minutes at the same time each day to replenish themselves,” explains Dr. While microsleep is a clear sign you need more rest, a micronap is something you do to get it. There are unfortunately a lot of industrial accidents where sleepiness is the culprit.” Microsleep vs. “But it’s dangerous when it happens when you’re behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer or at a switch in a nuclear power plant. “It can occur while you’re on your couch watching TV or reading a book,” notes Dr. Microsleep involves very brief periods of sleep that last up to 30 seconds - and you don’t always notice them happening. Gurevich explains microsleep and shares some helpful tips for protecting yourself and others. Microsleep can have big impacts on you and those around you.”ĭr. ![]() ![]() Sleepiness causes a significant number of car and industrial accidents. “It’s important to recognize it’s happening and the situations that cause it and to take it seriously. “Short bursts of sleep, or microsleep, while driving can be dangerous,” says sleep expert Samuel Gurevich, MD. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. ![]() But for some, it simply isn’t effective and the current research is unreliable-some people who are given a placebo will sleep as long as those given the real thing.Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. “I always try to get patients off of pills.” Maas says that if you think taking melatonin helps you sleep, then it probably does and regardless, it won’t cause any harm. Rule #5: Just say no to drugs. “Prescription sleep medications can actually be really dangerous-they can cause heart attacks, strokes and even death,” says Maas. If you can’t cut the habit completely, at least dim the light on your devices until you can ease yourself off one hundred percent. “Avoid any electronics at least one hour before bed so that you don’t block melatonin, the sleep hormone that’s secreted when you’re in the dark, and delay the onset of sleep,” says Maas. “Blue light hits the spectrum of day light-it’s an alerting mechanism-so it’s like going in the sun,” says Maas. Rule #4: Dim, if not ditch, your devices. As addictive as bedtime Twitter scrolling may be, it’s the emitted light that’s the problem. Once you can get up in the morning alarm-free and feel alert most of the day, you’ve hit it just right. Still tired? That means you need an earlier bedtime (try just 15 to 30 minutes more). You must synchronize the circadian sleepy phase of your biological clock with your bedtime, and the alert phase with your waking life, otherwise a yo-yo schedule will give you symptoms similar to those of jet lag-daytime drowsiness, slow reaction time, impaired cognition, moodiness, lack of energy.” To know your personal sleep time, Maas suggests choosing a time that’s a minimum of eight hours before you need to wake up, and following it for one week straight. Maas, Ph.D., author of Sleep for Success!. “You have one biological clock, not one for the work week and one for the weekend. Rule #1: Set a 7-days-a-week schedule. “Regularity is vital-go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time naturally, including weekends,” says Equinox advisory board member and sleep expert James B. It’s time for a re-education: Follow these five simple rules for better, healthier rest. And what’s worse, letting proper sleep habits fall by the wayside is one of the easiest ways to put your health at risk. You may think your sleep routine is as simple as PJs on, lights out, but really, most of us are not sleeping correctly. From bedtimes to blanket choice, these guidelines will guarantee you rise and shine.
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