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

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.