Dreamstime

By Lynn C. Allison From Newsmax

Emergency room physicians must be on the alert at all hours of the day or night, so getting enough sleep can be tricky. Sleep is important to physical, mental, and emotional health and too little sleep is associated with chronic conditions such as depression, obesity, diabetes, and strokes.

In a news release, the American Heart Association suggests 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily for optimum cardiovascular health for adults, and more for children depending on age.

Editor’s Note: Sleep Better With This Doctor’s Natural Secret

According to CNBC, here are some tips from ER doctors on how you can achieve this goal:

• Minimize light in the room. Melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythm, is stimulated by darkness. Try blackout curtains or shades or a comfortable eye mask to simulate darkness, and turn off electronic devices that emit light.

• Decrease the temperature in the room. According to the Sleep Foundation, the temperature in your room can make a significant difference in your sleep quality. The best room temperature is approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit but can be adjusted to suit individual preferences.

• Avoid eating too close to bedtime. Sleeping on a full stomach disrupts digestion and may cause acid reflux. ER docs try to eat during their shift a few hours before it is time to sleep and then sip herbal teas instead of late-night snacking.

• Take a warm bath or shower. This improves sleep quality by decreasing the body’s core temperature, signaling that it is time to sleep. Adding fragrances, such as lavender or eucalyptus, to bath water can enhance the experience. Or use a diffuser in the bedroom to utilize aromatherapy as a sleep aid.

• Use sounds to soothe. Smartphone apps, a fan, or even a white noise machine can help you sleep. The concept is that a blanket of noise or background sounds can block out disruptive noise.

• Exercise hours before bed. Avoid vigorous, heart-pounding workouts for at least a couple of hours before bedtime. Also, try a gentle, stretching or yoga routine that fatigues your muscles but doesn’t make you sweat closer to bedtime.

• Make sure you sleep on a comfortable mattress. “We spend a significant amount of that time lying in bed, highlighting the importance of making sure the mattress we use properly supports our body when we sleep,” says Kern Singh, M.D., a professor in the department of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center. “The ideal sleep position is one that maintains the spine’s natural curvature,” he tells Newsmax. “The best position to protect the spine is sleeping on your back where the points of contact with the greatest pressure are the back of your head, shoulders, buttocks, and the heels.”  For back sleepers, a firm mattress works well.

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