SlumberBlog - Better Pillows

I hate going to bed on an empty stomach.  It always made me feel kind of bad for myself, as if I couldn’t afford to properly eat.  When I was younger, I would go down to mom’s fridge and empty it out.  But, now, I can’t really eat before bed because I am one of the many who suffer from night time heartburn.  There are ways to grab a light snack before bed without causing an influx of acids.  Plain slices of low fat turkey are low in acid and contain a natural sedative called tryptophan. (For the record, Tryptophan isn’t what makes you sleepy, it’s actually serotonin.  Tryptophan is, however, an essential amino acid that helps to make niacin, which in turn helps produce serotonin, which calms you and makes you sleepy.) It works best on an empty stomach.  If you can’t sleep, you many want to get out of bed, read for a little while as you snack on some turkey. That should calm you down enough to finally get a little sleep.  Tryptophan is also found beans, soy, and peanuts for anyone who doesn’t eat turkey.

If, you can’t stay away from the leftover manicotti the fridge, and you end up eating a plate full of that instead of the plain low fat turkey (I know I have) you may want to try a wedge pillow.  Raising your upper body 4 to 8 inches above your stomach can reduce your tendency towards GERD and heartburn.  If you have already tried these types of pillows and you just can’t get comfortable with them, you can also try the bed rest study pillow.  They are also known as husband pillows or boyfriend pillows.  I have written about these pillows before.   They will help raise your upper body and might be a good choice since they are used for more than just GERD patients.

Getting adequate amounts of sleep is extremely essential for all ages.  Last year in April, an article surfaced about an experiment with sleepers.  Dr. Micheal Twery, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reported that after a few nighs of only 4 hours of sleep, the patients started to develop a resistance to insulin.  Without the body’s ability to use insulin properly, over time, diabetes could develosp.  When the patients were allowed to go back to their normal 8 hour sleep schedule, the problem reversed in just a few days.

How many hours of sleep do you get per night?  Do you think you’re getting enough?  Is GERD effecting your sleep?

Here’s to a good night’s sleep.

As always, Art.