Category Archives: Sleep

Get your Down Sleeping Bag to the outdoors


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Where do you time out when you are spending time in the wilderness? A lot of outdoor freaks are freezing out there, so let’s take a moment and think about what can be done to feel nice and relaxed when you are in the nature.

First of all, you need a nice quality sleeping bag. I prefer down sleeping bags, which I feel are warmer than most other types of sleeping bags.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to down sleeping bags. A major advantage is the weight and the way down sleeping bags can be compressed if you apply a bit of force. If you do it correctly, you can probably force most down sleeping bags into a small bag so it doesn’t take up much space in your backpack.  Read more...

Ease Your Snoring and Sleep Apnea


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Sleep apnea can be a very serious disorder. Breathing repeatedly stops and starts through out the sleeping cycle. It occurs in two main types; obstructive sleep apnea or central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the more common form and happens when the throat muscles relax. Central sleep apnea happens when your brain does not send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. Complex sleep apnea is a combination of both types.

Symptoms of sleep apnea are very similar for all types. This makes it really hard to diagnose the disorder. The most common symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headache, insomnia, dry mouth or sore throat, awakening due to shortness of breath, and loud snoring. Loud snoring is most common in obstructive sleep apnea.

It is recommended to see a doctor if your symptoms are snoring loud enough to disturb others sleep or your own, shortness of breath that awakes you, pauses in breath during sleep, and excessive drowsiness. These symptoms are serious and need to be addressed.  Read more...

Sleep Deprivation and Traffic Accidents


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Ten years ago, a former colleague of mine, a fine teacher and person, was tragically killed in a car accident in British Columbia. He was on vacation with his daughter who miraculously survived the accident. What happened was a classic case of sleep deprivation: my friend was anxious to make his way to a chosen destination and despite his fatigue and the fact that he had been on the road for over 6 hours, he made the decision to drive through the night. He never made it there.

That there is a direct correlation between sleep deprivation and traffic accidents cannot be disputed. In 1998, 24,318 deaths were cited from accidents related to sleep deprivation in the US. There were as well 2, 474,430 disabling injuries resulting from accidents where decreased mental efficiency and attentiveness due to sleep loss was the major causative factor. In fact, a major review conducted in 1996 suggested that the oil spill of the Exxon Valdez, the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger, the nuclear accident at Chernobyl( costing over 50,000 lives) and the near nuclear accidents at the Three Mile Island and Peach Bottom reactors were all associated with sleep deprivation of the personnel involved.  Read more...

How To Make Sleep Your Weight Loss Buddy


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My friend, Gail, has been a restless sleeper since childhood. “It’s rare that I get a goodnight’s sleep,” she confided in me several years ago. Her weight has been a problem as well, spiraling upwards of 60 lbs within the past 20 years. Like most of us, her exercise and diet plans begin with enthusiasm but fizzle out within the first month. “Just too tired to keep them going” is her excuse. It wasn’t until her doctor referred her to the Sleep Specialist that things began to change. Within 6 months, she lost 25 lbs. She began exercising and now she feels much more optimistic about her future. “I’ll get down to where I want to be,” she said. “But the great thing is I can sleep like a baby at night.”  Read more...