Brain & Quality Sleep

According to associate professor neurology at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Rachel Salas, MD, some sleeping positions and sleeping habits may be more beneficial than others. For example, sleep apnea is considered a serious medical problem. It involves episodes where your breathing repeatedly stops and starts. This interferes with the amount of oxygen your brain receives, which impacts how your brain and body function. No surprise you may have difficulty staying asleep (insomnia), experience loud snoring (which may cause relationship problems when your partner becomes sleep-deprived), excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia), waking with a dry mouth, morning headache. If you have any of these symptoms, you may be wise to obtain a medical evaluation. Sleeping on one’s side may help keep your airways open, reduce snoring, and alleviate mild apnea.

 Using Big Five personality traits, researchers followed 22,000 American and Japanese adults for over 10 years. The ones who slept poorly tended to become less conscientious over time. The ones who slept best were the least neurotic. It is worth doing whatever it takes to achieve quality sleep.