by:  Jody Jorgensen

Sniffles, Sneezes and Sleep

Rest Up for a Healthier Cold Season

It seems inevitable. The cooler weather settles in, and quite possibly so does another bout of seasonal sickness --  the cold you just can’t shake, and you don’t know why.

Turn to your mattress and your pillow, say experts.  Poor sleep may not be the most obvious cause for your illness, but it could certainly be part of why you’re suffering.

Amongst the various benefits of adequate sleep is the regulation of your immune system – the body’s defense mechanism against invaders, like germs.  Piles of research over the past few years show that sleep deprivation can throw a wrench in these efforts, weakening the power your body has to stay as healthy as it can.

Are you truly sleep deprived? Likely not. Few of us are really wide awake through the evening, although that doesn’t mean that the potential risk to immunity isn’t there. In fact, a more recent, attention-getting study conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that it doesn’t take an all-nighter to weaken your defenses. “People who sleep fewer than seven hours a night are nearly three times more likely to get a cold than those who average eight or more hours of sleep,” notes a university-issued report on the study.

What’s more is that simply clocking the hours isn’t enough -- they must consist of quality sleep to minimize the risk. After running around all day, you would think that it would take seconds for our minds to revel in the quiet of the evening hours.  With our overbooked and overextended lives these days, it’s getting harder and harder to keep our sleep time the sacred part of the day it deserves to be.  We don’t take the time to separate our days from our nights, instead expecting turbo charged thinking to come to a screeching halt when we decide to hit the pillow.  While the lack of quality sleep can have a host of health effects, let’s face it, the most obvious effect it can have is leaving us feeling drained and unprepared to face the next day ahead.  The difficult part of all of this is that lying in bed with thoughts-a-flowing can only breed frustration that you can’t fall asleep, perpetuating a cycle of alertness. Consider your mattress, is it too soft, is it too firm?  Is it uneven and giving you or your sleeping partner a fit?  Consider your pillow, how does your neck feel?  Doing everything you can to create an environment that is as comfortable as possible can help. If you think it may be time for a new mattress and pillow, consider mattresses and pillows that are made with the environment in mind. Those with a proprietary plant-based memory foam or latex and manufactured in zero emission chambers offer a healthy alternative for optimal spine alignment and full balanced body support.  This can greatly reduce tossing and turning resulting in a better night’s sleep.

Solid slumber isn’t always going to be enough to allow you to magically not catch that bug that seems to be making its way around your office (or that your child so kindly brought home from school)  -- but it’s certainly a weapon in your stay well arsenal.

Here are a few suggestions to help reduce your risk of cold and flu this season:

Suds Up

Wash your hands vigorously with soap and water often. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. If a sink is nowhere in sight, opt for antibacterial gel.

Break a Sweat

Exercise has been shown to keep immunity and energy levels high.

Eat Well

Vitamins and nutrients in a well-balanced diet can help – aim for foods of a variety of colors especially the leafy green type.

Deep Breathing

Learning  to breathe sounds funny, you would think that would think that we all should be experts at it.  But learning deep breathing involves specific steps – ones that can calm you, body and mind.

Guided Imagery

Set aside 15 minutes before bedtime for this relaxation method which demands that you switch your thoughts over to imaging yourself in a soothing environment – sights, sounds and feeling.  It may help to do this right in bed.

Find Time to Relax

Though that may be easier said than done these days, do what you can to carve out time to decompress. Stress has been tied to weakened immunity.

Take time to Enjoy Family and Friends

Treasure the time you can spend together. Have a good and hearty laugh.  Whoever said “Laughter is the best medicine”  just may have had something there.