SAN ANTONIO — Sleep, stress, and weight. Most of us think about them separately, but in tonight's Wear The Gown we find out how all three are related, and how to keep them all in check for your overall health.
"We all deal with stress differently. Many stress eat. Others lose sleep. The key is keeping all three in balance. When it comes to chronic sleep problems, your metabolism can be affected by cortisol levels in the body.
"If you are carrying those high levels of cortisol into sleep and this is going on for long periods of time, we do think it starts to affect your circadian rhythm," said Elise Vader who is a physicians assistant with University Health. She says stress can also be stimulating, keeping you awake. Vader added, "If you're lying in bed and you're worrying about everything that happened today or everything that you have to take care of tomorrow, it's probably going to prevent you from falling asleep."
So how much sleep do people really need? The Sleep Foundation says Infants up to 12 months between 12 and 16 hours including naps. Toddlers up to 2 years, 11-14 hours including naps. Preschool kids up to 5 years old 10 to 13 hours. School-age kids up to 12 years old need 9 to 12 hours. Teenagers should be getting 8 to 10 hours. And adults about 7 hours or more.
To help improve your sleep create a more relaxed mental state, have a healthy diet, avoid alcohol, avoid smoking, and make sure you have some type of exercise daily. Vaderadded, "Being social. Going out with family and friends. That seems to reduce levels of stress."
Vader also says if you are constantly waking up and still feeling tired throughout the day, or think you may be suffering from sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, that is when you should consider seeing a physician.
For more information about family health call 210-358-3045. You can also find the rest of Wear The Gown stories, just go to WearTheGown.com.