This weekend is Spring ahead weekend when Daylight Savings begins. Although we love waking up to the sun shining in the window, we hate losing that hour of sleep and adjusting to a new sleep schedule.
Did you know that antioxidants like Superberries Aroniaberries may help you sleep better? Recent research has begun to identify benefits from antioxidants in falling asleep and getting a better nights rest. Obstructive sleep apnea and antioxidants were researched in a study by Christou, et. al. of the University of Thessaly. This Greek study confirmed that a relationship between oxidative stress and obstructive sleep apnea does exist. As you know Aronia berries help with oxidative stress.
According to researchers taking natural antioxidant supplements as a sleep aid is promising. Scientists have discovered that healthy sleep is one of the extra benefits of eating fruit or taking concentrated fruit extract. The most beneficial foods include those that are most colorful: grapes, pomegranates, berries, and other darkly colored fruits. Aronia berries, the featured ingredient in Superberries products, are a deep purple. (These fruits are considered PAC enriched antioxidants -- high in polyphenols, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins.)
Here are a few other sleep myths and recommendations for ways you can improve your sleep.
- You can cheat on the amount of sleep you get.
Most adults need between seven to nine hours of sleep. When we think we do better on six hours of sleep, we don’t. We accumulate sleep debt and which can result in obesity, high blood pressure, a negative attitude and even pose safety issues, driving and on the job. - Older people don’t need to sleep.
As we age our sleep patterns change which is why you may notice that when you visit your grandma or grandpa they may take naps and wake up in the middle of the night. It is still important at any age to get the right amount of sleep. - Your brain sleeps when you sleep.
Even in the deepest stages of sleep, our brains remain active. We dream, our breathing and heart rate may increase, our muscles relax and our eyes move back and forth. - If you wake up in the middle of the night, it’s best to lie back down and count sheep.
If you don’t fall back to sleep within 15-20 minutes of waking up, you should get up and go to another room and read or listen to soothing music. Do something relaxing. - You can catch up on sleep on the weekend.
We all look forward to the weekend and sleeping in. But according to research, one long night of sleep can restore your performance levels, but it may only last for up to 6 hours of waking up. The best rule is to get your 7-9 hours of sleep every night. - You should exercise before bed to help you sleep.
The natural thinking is that if you are exhausted it will help you fall asleep but there’s conflicting information about when you should exercise. One study has shown that 150 minutes of exercise a week provides a 65% improvement in the quality of sleep. - You need 8 consecutive hours of sleep.
Throughout time history has referenced first and second sleep – having a period of wakefulness, then sleeping again. In Matthew Walker’s best selling book, “Why We Sleep,” he makes the case that biphasic (two distinct ‘chunks’) sleep is a what we as humans are biologically hardwired to do and that we have a genetic disposition for alertness to dip in the midafternoon hours. This explains the need for a siesta in the afternoon.
Here are another 60 tips on how to get better sleep.
