Never underestimate the power of a good night's sleep
By Good HousekeepingA bad night's sleep can really kill your ability to get things done. According to recent research, too little sleep can also lead to serious medical problems. But there are things you can do to sleep better. Toni Hope, health editor of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute says recent studies have found that people who sleep five hours a night or less are more likely to develop heart trouble, high blood pressure, even to die prematurely. "Many of these people may have sleep apnea, which leads to cardiovascular disease, but if you just have a more common variety sleeping problem, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute has tested various devices that could help you," she said. Kathleen Huddy, the institute's textiles director says the first step is to take a good look at your bedroom. "If there's too much light in your room, try to get a black-out shade or blind. "We tested a variety of blackout shades and blinds in our appearance room, which is a total blackout room. The best ones were the JC Penney roller shade and the Hunter Douglas pleated blinds," she said. Maybe what you need is some calming sounds to put you to sleep. Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping's test engineer, tested nine sound machines for ease of use, performance, durability as well as appearance. "The top model was the Brookstone (Tranquil Moments $129). I really liked that fact that it had three different categories of sounds, and under each of the categories, it has four different sounds," she said. In a recent survey, more than 60 percent of people said during the previous month, they'd only had a good night's sleep a few nights or less. By the way, younger women are less likely than men to suffer from sleep disorders caused by breathing problems. But when women hit perimenopause and menopause, the rate of sleep problems tends to go up. If you see a telltale sign, such as loud snoring or you're excessively tired during the day, talk to your doctor about getting checked out by a sleep specialist. |
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