Sleep Habits for a Better Life: Best Practices

Summary

Dr. John Sand is a Board Certified physician in Family Practice. He is a sleep expert and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Sand presents a straightforward approach to get you off pills. He tells how the medical community has become increasingly concerned about over the counter drugs including sleep medicine and underscores the special magic of sleep that can restore us to a wonderful state each morning. He states candidly his 8 Don'ts are more important than the 6 Do's. He then addresses over the counter drugs and too much pill taking in general. He states that you should share your med list, over the counter and prescribed, with your doctor on every visit. He describes non-sedating anti-histamines, which, he points out, are really less sedating, not non-sedating.

He underscores how much smoking harms your sleep patterns, how moderate drinking is OK but not within 4 hours of your bedtime, how you need to organize and maintain your bedroom as a refuge, habits to let you sleep better from snacks to weight and exercise, how to purchase and use your mattress and pillows, the importance of sunlight, and your overall routine. He also addresses aging, shift work, night time urination, and cognitive therapy to help.

A must listen for all of us: to stay sleeping well or to improve sleeping if we need to do so.