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Doctors Offer Tips For Getting Good Night's Sleep

(KDKA) Doctors say it is very important to get a good night's sleep.

But for some there are obstacles in the way of rest, which can end up having an impact on overall health.

"Sleepiness is a large problem in our society," said Dr. Daniel Shade, of the Allegheny General Hospital Sleep Lab. "I think a lot of it is because we live in a 24/7 world now, and we're supposed to spend a third of our lives sleeping, but we don't."

Experts say that studies have shown not sleeping well over the long haul can lead to many different problems such as heart disease, depression, diabetes and weight gain.

"What they found was - if you got less than seven hours of sleep that your body mass index increased," Dr. Shade said, "you had a higher risk of glucose intolerance, and possibly diabetes later on."

According to experts, it may have something to do with the hormones that control appetite.

"If you don't get enough sleep, you decrease leptin, increase grelin and that might make you eat more," he added

KDKA's Dr. Maria Simbra talked with experts on how to deal with the things that might keep you up.

If you lie awake thinking at night:
Dr. Shade says, "Take the clock out of your room, so you're not staring at it if you're awake. Keep your bed time fairly stable. Try not to watch TV or do anything active, like exercise right before you go to sleep."

Watch your diet:
He says it's important to limit how much alcohol and caffeine that goes into the body, and also not to eat large meals close to the time you go to bed.

Maybe it's your bedmate that bothers you:
Dr. Shade says about this, "We see the Elbow Syndrome a lot where a patient's spouse is snoring, and so they get the elbow all night long."

So he says to either leave the room and sleep in another room, or get help for your spouse or bedmate.

It could be hormones and hot flashes:
"The prevalence of sleep disorders in women does increase as they age," says Dr. Shade.

But he says a brief course of hormone replacement therapy can help with that problem.

Meanwhile, experts say you should see your doctor for help and treatment if a lack of sleep has been interfering with your daytime functioning for a month or longer.

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