Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Dr Breus Sleep Tip: Can the Smell of Lavender Aid in Sleep?

Ask any sleep expert and they will tell you, a good night of sleep starts with creating a good sleeping environment. Dr Michael Breus has spoken on a variety of topics, and of note is his discussion about how aromas in your bedroom might be able to aid in sleep. According to Dr. Breus, aromatherapy can be very relaxing and serves as a sleep aid. Try herbs such as lavender, yin lang and chamomile in your bedroom to create a relaxing environment.

We often forget about the true power of the human sense of smell, until something reminds us - like encountering a foul smell, or not being able to taste your food when you have a cold. But did you know that our sense of smell can have a significant impact on our behavior and even our mood? Odors and scents enter the body through the nose and continue on to the limbic system, which is the area of our brains that controls such things as memory, emotions, and mood.

So how can the smell of lavender aid in sleep? Researchers have conducted brain wave studies that suggest smelling lavender increases Alpha brainwaves in the back of the head. In essence, our brainwaves slow down and increase in amplitude, which is associated with states of relaxation and peacefulness. *Just as a side note, you probably would not want to use a Jasmine-scented fragrance, as it increases betawaves in the front of the head, which is associated with a more alert state.

So if you are looking to create a better sleep environment, you might want to give Dr Breus's suggestion a try and using some lavender, yin lang and chamomile in your bedroom.




Friday, April 22, 2011

Sleep Deprivation It Does not Just Affect Air Traffic Controls

As we all try to do more with less, often one of the things that get sacrificed is our sleep. There have been many studies about Sleep deprivation and just about all of them have concluded that significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook. Below is a blog post from the Dr. Breus Insomnia Blog.  


Lack of sleep can make doing almost everything we need to do much more difficult.  Trying to do a job while sleep deprived often leads to poor job performance, something we all want to avoid.  This can be particularly problematic for those who make important and far-reaching decisions about the lives of others, such as politicians and ER doctors, to name a few.
A recent statement from the FAA highlights another profession for which lack of sleep can have very serious consequences: air traffic controllers.  The FAA reported yet another air traffic controller who fell asleep for about five hours during his shift.  The controller was on the midnight shift on February 19th, 2011.  Air traffic controllers work in pairs, one handling incoming flights, and one working the radar.  According to the article, while the controller who was supposed to be handling the incoming flights was sleeping, the other controller working in the tower in Knoxville, landed planes and worked the radar position at the same time.  The FAA does not allow one person to do multiple jobs at the same time; this man was forced to do so as his colleague slept because he was too tired to stay awake.
We know this about sleep deprivation:  there are real physiological and psychological effects as we deprive our bodies of a basic physical need.  Our judgment isn’t always the best.  Our reaction time slows, our memory decreases, our bodies and minds slowdown in an effort to preserve the energy we have left.  In addition the more sleep deprived we get the less we notice it!
This is only the latest in sleep deprivation and fatigue-related incidents for the airline industry.  Remember the October, 2009 incident, where two Northwest Airlines pilots fell asleep in the cockpit and overshot their destination by 150 miles? Pilots, traffic controllers on the ground—these are people we rely on for our safety when we fly.
The FAA suspended the controller who fell asleep on the job and continues to try to enforce rules about safely working midnight shifts.  My big question is:
Was this really the controller’s fault?
It sounds like in many of these cases, the air traffic controllers are being asked to work back to back shifts, and in some cases multiple days at a time. This is INSANE, it is a miracle we have not had more issues. And while I agree that no one should be working such a late shift by themselves, air traffic controllers, pilots, and anyone with responsibility late at night or after long days should also consider:
- Taking naps earlier in the day before their shift
- Avoiding using caffeine as a way to stay awake-unless for use in the short term only
- Having a set sleep routine during both their work week and time off
After those pilots missed Minneapolis by 150 miles, the FAA rewrote its rules that govern flight time for pilots and their require rest periods in order to reduce the chances of fatigue.  Hopefully they will also do so for the air traffic controllers on the ground.



Although the issue of sleep deprivation has been highlighted by recent news of air traffic controllers falling asleep, it can have some pretty profound on everyone of us. Below are a few of the negative effects it has on our lives just in the short term. (from WebMD)


• Decreased Mental Performance and Alertness: Sleep deprivation causes significant reductions a person’s performance and alertness. Something as small as reducing one night’s sleep by 1 ½ hours could result in a reduction of daytime mental alertness by as much as 32%.
• Memory and Cognitive Impairment: Decreased alertness and excessive daytime sleepiness impair your memory and your cognitive ability -- your ability to think and process information.
• Stress Relationships: Disruption of a bed partner's sleep due to a sleep disorder may cause significant problems for the relationship (for example, separate bedrooms, conflicts, moodiness, etc.).
• Poor Quality of Life: You might, for example, be unable to participate in certain activities that require sustained attention, like going to the movies, seeing your child in a school play, or watching a favorite TV show.
• Occupational Injury: Excessive sleepiness also contributes to a greater than twofold higher risk of sustaining an occupational injury.
• Automobile Injury: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities.

The Development of the Dr Breus Bed

The evolution of the Dr Breus Bed is a combination of knowledge from one of the world’s best sleep clinicians, and best bedding manufactures International Bedding.

The Dr. Breus Bed™ is the first and only mattress designed by a sleep specialist.  Dr. Michael Breus is a clinical psychologist and both a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He was one of the youngest people to have passed the Board at age 31 and, with a specialty in Sleep Disorders, is one of only 163 psychologists in the world with his credentials and distinction. Dr. Breus designed The Dr. Breus Bed™ by using cutting edge sleep science and the expertise of International Bedding design, materials, and superior manufacturing quality from the past 40 years.

Dr. Breus says, “After years of my patients, friends and family asking me, ‘What mattress do you think I should buy?’ I now have an answer.  I’ve used my years of experience, clinical practice and research, listening to what patients want and need in a sleep surface to design a bedding collection that is completely unique. It’s about your sleep, your health, your life.” The Dr. Breus Bed is available in Twin, Full, Queen, King and California King sizes.  Consumers should see four to six options when shopping for a Dr. Breus Bed™, with pricing from $1299 - $2999 for Queen size.