A good night's sleep can be more than just a dream

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Have any of the members of your family complained about your loud snoring? Have you ever woken up feeling exhausted, with pain in your neck and back?

If your answer is "yes", you may need to review your sleeping habits, which might be the source of your lack of a good night's sleep.

When someone experiences disturbed sleep, he or she will not only become irritable but will also suffer tiredness the next day. The problems will continue due to lack of energy, irritability and weakened stamina, which, later on, can increase the risk of contracting a disease like flu.

Specialist at Mitra Keluarga Kelapa Gading Hospital's medical rehabilitation center Gerry Heryati said that as disturbed sleep could be triggered by psychological or other health-related factors, professional help was needed to restore restful sleep.

For young and healthy people, it is necessary to analyze if their failure to enjoy restful sleep is caused by consuming too much coffee or having an unfavorable sleeping environment.

Gerry further suggested that these kind of people should have total relaxation, a comfortable sleeping position and a supportive pillow and mattress to enjoy a good night's sleep.

Relaxation is important to stimulate sleepiness. Some people can relax themselves by reading magazines, listening to music or praying. Those light activities will, in the end, help them forget their problems or stressful routine at the office.

"Try to relax, using whatever method you think is right for you," she said.

A good sleeping position, Gerry said, would help ensure a restful sleep, which can often be disturbed by poor breathing or blood circulation.

"Jerky, tense muscles, snoring and other breathing problems are often caused by wrong body position during sleeping. These conditions will likely wake people up in the middle of the night," she said.

People aged 40 years old and over are especially prone to developing painful or serious injuries due to incorrect sleeping position, as their muscles are no longer flexible. However, young people can also develop pains if their wrong sleeping position remains uncorrected.

"An incorrect sleeping position, in the short term, will lead to temporary pain but can also deform the affected areas too and cause continuous pain in the long term."

A good sleeping position, she said, could be obtained by using proper mattresses and pillows to provide necessary support for the body, especially pain-prone areas, such as the head, neck and lower back.

"A good mattress should not be so hard that it is uncomfortable to sleep on nor too soft or spongy because it would not provide the necessary support for the spine, and strain the lower back and tailbone as those areas have to support the weight of the stomach, which is quite heavy," Gerry explained.

A mattress with a sunken part around the buttock area is too spongy and can explain why its owner may often complain of back pain in the morning.

Pain related to an incorrect sleeping position, Gerry said, could be eased by hot compresses and massage. However, serious problems may need to be corrected using devices like a wrist splint to protect the wrist, and this should be discussed beforehand with physicians.

Avoid falling asleep while reading with spectacles as that may cause unnecessary injury or disturbed sleep.

As for the pillow, the ideal inclination to comfortably support the head and neck is between five degrees and 15 degrees. Ideally, a pillow should have a hollow part in the center for the head.

"This specially designed pillow can provide comfortable support while the person is lying on his back or when he is turning to left or right," she said.

Using a head support that is too high can hamper air circulation, leading to snoring or even coughing.

Apart from the above-mentioned factors, Gerry said, it was advisable to develop regular bedtime hours and avoid sleeping at odd hours.

"Some people have problems falling asleep at night because they have a long nap during the day," she said.

It was also advisable to avoid consuming stimulating drinks like coffee several hours before bedtime. Having regular exercise would also help improve sleeping quality.

Gerry said a favorable ambience was important to help induce sleepiness and this could be obtained by adjusting the lighting or temperature, and reducing noise.