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Sleepless in Miami? Or Anywhere? 6 Tips for a Very Common Problem

By Nadja Atwal / Photo by Sergey Mironov – Shutterstock Everyone  has a friend or a family member with sleep issues. And if you yourself are one of the many millions who wished for a more restful night, then please know the issue already starts with the wrong idea of how many hours of sleep we need; as a result we force all kinds of unnatural schedules on ourselves. “People need around six hours of sleep, as adults, to feel well rested.” says Dr, Adam Zuber, one of the top sleep experts and neurologists in the US. “However the reality is people will force themselves to sleep longer, but after the six hours of rest, they wake up and cannot go back to sleep. Sleep consolidation, a term that means organizing ones sleep to an optimal level, is an accepted measure to treat insomnia and restless sleep. Sleep consolidation is not a term commonly known or heard of, by most non sleep specialists.  As sleep specialists we recommend limiting the total time in bed to six hours.  Meaning if one’s natural wakeup time is 6 AM then one should go to bed at 12 Midnight.  This pattern of sleep helps a person fall asleep easily and treat insomnia. Sleep consolidation also increases Non Rem sleep.  Non Rem sleep is the critical part of a human’s sleep cycle. About 80% of the sleep cycle is Non Rem sleep, it is the period when short term memory is converted to long term memory.  That is why people who have insomnia, sleep apnea and restless sleep, have poor memory and complain of not remembering things readily, this can also lead to having difficulty with job performance and productivity.   Apply these tips for getting closer to that perfect sleep:   The caffeine trap “Decaf is a lie”, says Dr. Zuber “ It does contain caffeine, just less that regular coffee, but enough to keep many people up at night. So next when you want to finish your dinner with a decaf latte, opt for a relaxing pure herbal tea instead, like Camomille or lemon ginger. Just make sure the tea has no black nor green tea base.   Choose blue No one wants to stumble while making that trip to the bathroom by night, but stay away from white nightlight . “White light wakes you up. Instead choose blue light in order to stay more relaxed and able to fall asleep again”, says the doctor.   The pillow The right pillow that does not only give you a great level of comfort , but also serves as an anti-snoring pillow and anti-teeth grinding device. For side sleepers only, there is the Sonoma Pillow, for those you variate their sleeping position, try the super pillow. “On top of that the NASA developed material and the unique shape these are also beauty pillows, as it puts your face in a position that keeps the skin from creasing.”, Dr. Zuber praises. Over 6 million Superpillows have been sold and the reviews are impressive. Worth a try ! www.remarkablelifeusa.com   The alcohol factor Lke a nice glass of red before bed to make you sleepy? Zuber shakes his head.” Try to avoid that habit. While alcohol does make it easier to to fall asleep, it makes it harder to stay asleep.” Often patients wake up earlier than they would without alcohol in their system.   Keep it cool Especially during the  colder season of the the year we tend to get to cozy with the heater. But a warm room interferes with your chance of better sleep. “68 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature for a goodnight sleep”, Zuber advises.    Unwind time Many of us feel light anxiety, even stress when thinking about all the things we have to take care of the next day. Dr. Zuber has a solution :” You should always unwind already 30minutes before going to sleep. To make it relaxing and productive at the same time, take a pen and write down all the thing you have to do tomorrow. With this trick it’s ‘done’ in your mind and you don’t have go over it endless times at night .