Comfort Sleep

Are Today's Kids Getting Less Sleep?

Getting an adequate amount of sleep each night is necessary for everyone, including children. If children are sleep deprived, their mood, activity levels, and performance in school may all suffer.

In a recent report by New York Magazine, surveys revealed that 90% of American parents believe that their children get plenty of sleep each night. However, 60% of high school students reported that they have felt sleep deprived for years. Watch this video to find out more.

Help your children get the sleep they need and schedule an appointment with Comfort Sleep in New Jersey. You can reach a member of our experienced staff by calling (732) 649-6616.

A Guide to Life with a CPAP Machine

A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is a great tool for treating your obstructive sleep apnea because it keeps your airway open as you sleep. Using this device can improve the quality of sleep you get each night, helping you feel more energized and productive throughout the day. Because you’re probably not used to sleeping with this device on, it will take a few minor adjustments before you become comfortable wearing a CPAP each night.

Give it time to work
According to WebMD, a 2010 study revealed that 30% of sleep apnea patients had stopped using their CPAP machines within the first 10 years of use. Of these individuals, 19% stopped within just four years. One way that you can stay encouraged about wearing your CPAP is to concentrate on how this machine is helping you improve your overall health. By focusing on the big picture, you can help yourself find comfort in making the CPAP a permanent part of your life.

Think about how you are helping your bed partner
The constant interruptions in sleep brought on by sleep apnea have driven many couples to spend the nights sleeping in separate bedrooms. If focusing on how you are improving your own health doesn’t help you make peace with wearing a CPAP, consider how wearing this device can help your loved one achieve peaceful sleep as he or she lies next to you.

Get a mask that fits properly
To make your CPAP experience as comfortable as possible, talk to your doctor about finding the mask that fits you best. There is a huge selection of mask styles to choose from so you can test your different options and find the CPAP machine that will best help you fall asleep.

Call (732) 649-6616 to schedule an appointment with the expert sleep medicine staff at Comfort Sleep. We specialize in treating patients with a range of sleep conditions, including sleep apnea. You can also visit our website to learn more about our sleep lab.
 

Tips for Relaxing Before Bed

Sometimes, no matter how exhausted you feel, you can still have difficulty closing your eyes and drifting off to sleep at the end of the day. As you lie in bed, you may be concentrating on certain family issues or stresses at work, which can make it difficult for you to get the restorative, uninterrupted sleep that your body needs to function. Luckily, there are some simple techniques that you can use to relax before you crawl into bed each night.

Get regular exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways that you can alleviate stress in your daily life. Physical activity releases endorphins, which can naturally lower the stress hormone cortisol in your bloodstream. Some great exercise options that you can begin include yoga and Tai Chi. Both of these activities combine strength training with breathing techniques. After participating in an hour-long class, you will likely find yourself feeling calmer, more relaxed, and better able to drift off to sleep.

Practice meditation techniques
For centuries, various cultures have used the breathing techniques associated with meditation to calm their minds and alleviate stress. Meditation techniques have been successful in helping individuals who suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia. If you are interested in learning more about meditation, there is a huge selection of websites, books, videos, and CDs available to guide you through the process.

Listen to music
Instead of watching television or movies before you go to sleep, play some calming, slow tempo music. The beats in these kinds of songs can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, making it much easier to relax. The National Institutes of Health report that listening to half an hour of classical music each night provides the optimal calming effect for your muscles and brain waves.

At Comfort Sleep of New Jersey, we help individuals identify and treat the source of their sleep disorders. You can learn more about our state of the art sleep lab by visiting our website. To book an appointment for a sleep study, give us a call at (732) 649-6616.

The Treatment of Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by episodes of sudden fatigue and sleep attacks. While the exact cause of narcolepsy is unknown, scientists have identified that there is a problem in the sleep brain waves of narcoleptic patients. Because people who suffer from narcolepsy can fall asleep in the middle of daily activities like driving, this sleep disorder can be very dangerous.

If you believe that you suffer from narcolepsy, you should schedule an appointment with an experienced sleep disorder specialist. This individual will be able to identify what kinds of medications you should take to have restorative sleep at night and stay awake throughout the day. To learn more about your possible treatment options, take a look at this informative video.

Comfort Sleep of New Jersey provides comprehensive treatment for sleep disorders. Schedule an appointment or sleep study by calling us today at (732) 649-6616.

A Look at the Most Common Sleep Disorders

There are a number of common sleeping disorders that millions of people suffer from each night. In fact, according to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders, approximately 40 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleeping problem, meaning that they’ve had trouble sleeping for at least one month. An additional 20 to 30 million individuals frequently experience some kind of difficulty sleeping.

Delayed sleep phase
Those who suffer from delayed sleep phase disorder have a problem with their internal circadian rhythm, or biological clock. Because their biological clocks are delayed, these individuals find themselves waking up and falling asleep at strange times of the day. It is often very difficult for someone with delayed sleep phase disorder to awake once they fall asleep, even with an alarm clock. The symptoms of this sleep disorder include fatigue throughout the day, difficulty concentrating, and impaired memory.

Obstructive sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which an individual’s airway becomes blocked as he or she sleeps, resulting in a temporary interruption of the breathing pattern. These breathing interruptions may occur multiple times every hour throughout the night, dramatically hindering the quality of sleep that an individual gets. Many times, people aren’t even aware that their sleep is consistently being interrupted throughout the night, but they may begin to notice feelings of drowsiness during the day, increased irritability, and lowered productivity. 

Narcolepsy
Individuals who suffer from narcolepsy have a problem in the portion of their brain that controls sleeping and waking up. Because of this problem, narcolepsy causes people to fall asleep suddenly during regular daily activities. People with narcolepsy sometimes fall asleep in the middle of a sentence, at work, or while driving a car. Because individuals with narcolepsy don’t have control over when they fall asleep, these symptoms can be very dangerous and life-threatening.   

If you suffer from a sleep disorder, contact Comfort Sleep at (732) 649-6616. Our expert staff can help identify and treat the underlying cause of your sleep problem. Located in Neptune, New Jersey, we serve the surrounding Monmouth and Ocean Counties.