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Ever wonder why some people sleep through loud noises like thunderstorms, while others are woken by the slightest noise such as creaking floorboards?
Evolution plays a role in why some of us are light sleepers. Genetics and environmental factors both play a role. Taking a nap at lunchtime and when you get home from work will impact how deeply you will sleep. Don't drink alcohol through the evening before going to bed.
In this post we look at:
There are reasons why it's a good idea not to sleep heavy and mostly it is to do with your own safety and security, and in some cases for the benefit of your sleeping partner.
Let's talk about safety and the potential hazards of sleeping deeply.
Although sleeping deeply sounds as if it is our desired utopia it does present some potential problems for the person who is not easily awoken.
For instance, imagine you have an intruder in your home, he would be able to ransack your home without fear of being caught in the act, (assuming he knows you sleep heavily).
In the unlikely event of an explosion would you be able to wake? There is also the possibility of a fire. Now not all fires are noisy but electrical fires in a fuse box can be noisy with pops and bangs as electric components explode.
Ok. it's a long shot but a possibility and if you sleep heavy it could be a potential problem, a big problem.
If you are a mum you will know that your baby needs constant attention, feeding and changing through the night, sometimes a cuddle is enough to make the baby feel secure and drift back off to sleep.
So how are you going to deal with waking up if you sleep heavily? For most mums, there is a biological change after you give birth, In most cases, you will wake at the slightest murmur.
If you do find yourself sleeping heavily, bring your new baby in their cot next to your bed. A baby's cry should wake a mum and in some cases the dad.
If this is still a struggle you will quickly learn the baby's routine for feeding and changing through the night. Set a vibrating alarm every two to three hours, this should be adequate to wake you with the noise from your baby.
A word of warning. Do not put your baby in bed with you, if you sleep heavy you could roll on to the baby.
Sleeping with a heavy sleeper can be so irritable particularly if they move around through the night, the thought of trying to sleep with the dead weight of an arm across your body is too much to bear for a lot of people.
If your partner is a heavy sleeper you will have experienced the urge to sleep in another room to escape what appears to be selfish actions.
If you have ever shared a room with strangers you will know that sleeping heavily puts you at a distinct disadvantage. You don't even have to be sharing a room. Have you ever had to crash out at an airport with a long flight delay?
Or even worse try sleeping on a long train journey or bus journey, when you wake and find your personal belongings intact you have been lucky.
If you are alone and can't keep your eyes open the potential for theft of your personal items is high. There are so many scenarios where sleeping like a log is not a good thing.
Sleeping lighter in these situations is an advantage for obvious reasons.
Is it better to sleep light or heavy? The answer is difficult to pin down when you are at home. It's great to crash out and sleep like a log. I guess the answer for most of us lies somewhere in between, sleep sound but wake to a regular disturbance would be ideal.
Take a power nap during the day, even if it sounds like something your granny would do. If you combine the benefits of napping, you will find you will no longer need to sleep so heavily during the night.
If you are a mum, taking a nap during the day will become part of your daily routine. Take advantage of this downtime and relax.
Napping is a good start to altering your sleep patterns, and helping you sleep lighter and be more alert.
Having the right sleeping conditions is an important factor when it comes to sleeping and sleeping lights.
Your bedroom should be at a comfortable temperature for you, not too hot or too warm. By altering the temperature of the room you are setting yourself up for normal sleep patterns.
Your bedding and pillows also play a role in good sleep patterns, if your mattress is old and sunk in your position it needs changing, you may find it ideal for your slumbers but the truth is it’s bad for your posture and sleep.
Pillows need to be supportive and support the joints and muscles of the neck. Why is this important to sleeping lighter?
Well, it's all about setting up the perfect sleep conditions for you to sleep normally. Certain factors in the bedroom can create abnormal sleeping habits.
Let some light into the room, light will set your circadian rhythm and make you wake earlier in the day.
Normal sleep does not end with the clattering of an alarm clock. For most folks, it's a gentle process of waking slowly feeling refreshed.
Sleep patterns vary from person to person and part of that variance will depend on factors like what type of job you do.
If your job is physically demanding you may need more sleep through the night than say someone who works in an office.
That's not to say working in an office is not demanding, it can be very demanding and take a lot of mental acuities to perform well, which itself is tiring.
There are some averages you can measure your sleep by.
Six hours is enough sleep for some folks. Give or take an hour. While others need a full eight hours. If you are sleeping more than eight hours this would fall out of the norm. That's not suggesting you have a problem, it's just not in the standard range.
This is an interesting question and a question with some merits. If you feel you are sleeping too much then yes, you should consult your doctor if nothing more than for assurance you don't have a problem.
There is a condition called Narcolepsy that causes the immediate urge to sleep, if you have these symptoms then go ahead and see your doctor.
Narcolepsy is a complex disorder that can only be treated by the medical professional but with drugs, Narcolepsy can be addressed and you can return to a normal life.
Narcolepsy is not as rare as you might think, one in two thousand Americans suffer from the effects of Narcolepsy, this is a staggering statistic and one that needs to be expired further to provide all of the answers for you.
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