Month: March 2017

On March 12th the USA changed its clocks one hour forwards. Instead of 2 AM, it was changed to 3 AM, essentially robbing us of one hour of quality sleep. So what is daylight saving and why does it exist? More importantly, does it affect our sleep and how?

We can all agree that sleep is important for normal functioning. So anything that disrupts this sleep needs to be scrutinized and determined if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

When was it invented?

There were previous proposals as early as the late 18^th century for some form of daylight saving. However, it was in the early 20^th century in the German and Austro-Hungarian empires that this was first implemented. The practice spread to the whole of the European continent and finally to the USA.

Why was it needed?

The primary reason for this practice was reducing the use of incandescent lights, such as gas light or candles in the evening, by using the fact that the sun rises earlier in the summer.

Does everybody do it?

Actually, the majority of the world does not have this tradition. The practice is pretty limited to Europe and some of their former colonies, such as the USA, Canada, South Africa and parts of Australia. The USA overseas territories such as Guam, Marianas, American Samoa and Puerto Rico do not use it at all, and neither do the states of Hawaii and Arizona.

Does everybody do it the same way?

In other countries, daylight saving does exist, but the European Union, for example, has a different schedule, with the summer time this year officially starting on March 26^th. Other countries have their own schedules as well.

Does it affect sleep?

There is a general consensus that there is an impact of this shift in time on our sleep patterns, which can negatively affect our general health. Americans sleep less than recommended even as it is, so this one lost hour can have a noticeable effect on our health.

Inner clocks

You may move your phone or computer clock an hour ahead and say it’s the correct time, but our inner clocks are a bit more difficult to fool. That’s why the majority of symptoms associated with daylight saving shift are felt early in the week. Our inner clocks need more time to adjust, so feeling drowsy and sleepy at work or in general during the first few days can be expected.

More heart attacks

Mondays are hard, sure, but when combined with the recent change of time, and the lack of sleep which comes as a result, the result can be shocking. Studies have shown that there is a sharp 25% increase in heart attacks on the Monday following the time shift compared to any other Monday of the year.

Oddly enough, the same study, named “Daylight Savings Time and Myocardial Infarction” found that when daylight saving ends in the fall, that Monday experiences a 21% drop in heart attacks. It really does appear that that one extra hour means a lot.

Strokes

There is also a spike in the cases of strokes in the days immediately following the time shift, though not as sharp as with heart attacks. The rationale seems to be the same. Sleep disturbance which comes from the disrupted internal clock affects the overall health, including circulation. This can ultimately lead to a stroke.

Find A Perfect Mattress in San Diego

This tradition seems to have some adverse effects on sleep and health. It’s a good idea, then, to start preparing your body for this change a bit in advance so that the shock is not so sudden. Another thing you can do is get a quality mattress to ensure the best sleep quality. If you are buying a mattress in San Diego, visit Mattress Makers in our showroom in San Diego, or contact us to learn more about our offers.

We can all agree that getting enough quality night sleep is important. However, some of us are not getting enough of it for a variety of reasons. The standard 8 hours per night may not be as accurate as you think it is. In fact, each person has different needs when it comes to sleep. Additionally, people of different ages can vary drastically when it comes to the amount of sleep they need because they use sleep for different processes.

An important factor in getting enough sleep once you go to bed is a good mattress. In order to select an ideal mattress for yourself, visit Mattress Makers, a fantastic mattress store in San Diego, or contact us online for further information.

Newborns

Newborn babies tend to sleep the most, compared to other ages in human life. The optimal time they should spend sleeping is between 14 and 17 hours. It can go up or down an hour or two, but it is not recommended to deviate from this timetable.

Babies

Infants who are older than 3 months will progressively reduce the amount of time they sleep, but not very much. About two hours less than newborns is the norm. Naturally, it may deviate slightly.

Toddlers

Children in their second year begin to explore their world in earnest. This means that they spend a lot of energy which needs to be replenished by sleep. However, it also means that they are eager to be awake more. Their sleep requirement drops once again, but only slightly; an hour is typical.

Kids

Children aged 3-5 are often even more physically active than toddlers. They typically get some sort of a nap during the day to compensate for the active day they often have. Still, their need for sleep is still pretty high during the night, with around 10 to 13 hours of a night’s sleep.

School kids

Pre-puberty school children, while still pretty physically active, begin to be seriously active intellectually as well. This changes their sleep needs somewhat, reducing the total number of hours needed for sleep to the more adult-like 9 to 11 hours.

Teenagers

Teenagers often get a bad rep as lazy. This comes from the disconnect between their sleep needs and the expectations of the adults that they are (becoming). Teenagers actually still need at least 8 hours, but it is perfectly normal to need 10, and for some, even an hour more.

Young adults

Young adults are at the cusp of adulthood, but since not everyone develops at the same time, this category is useful as a divider between the still-developing teenagers, and fully grown adults. Most of the people this age (18-26) will adapt to the standard 8 hours of sleep. However, the recommendation always leaves a bit of space, so anything between 6 and 10 is acceptable, though the border values are not ideal.

Adults

Most people who are concerned with the amount of sleep they are getting belong in this category. Fully grown humans need around 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Like with young adults, there is a bit of space for extremes. That said, 6 to 10 is again within the norm, but probably not preferred.

Seniors

Finally, people over 65 years of age tend to reduce the amount of time they need to sleep to achieve the same effect. Their ideal amount is 7 to 8 hours, with even as little as 5 or 6 being acceptable.

These recommendations tend to reflect the amount of sleep which ensures that our health remains unaffected by the lack of sleep. If you feel comfortable with other sleeping arrangements, and as long as you are not damaging your health, feel free to keep your sleep cycle. Another thing that helps with quality sleep is a good mattress. Mattress Makers is the best mattress store in San Diego. Contact us online to learn more, or visit our San Diego showroom.

We have all been there, trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep, ending up wide awake and still tired in the morning. Insomnia can be acute, and fortunately, this is the most common type. However, for some people, insomnia is a chronic state and more often than not they do not get enough sleep.

There are several factors which may affect how much sleep you are getting. If you are experiencing insomnia, it may be due to a bad mattress. Mattress Makers is a fantastic mattress store in San Diego, which offers a wide range of comfortable and quality mattresses. Once you are sure you have the best mattress possible, we can start to list some of the most common insomnia causes.

Stress

Probably the biggest cause of insomnia in the developed world, stress is a contributing factor in a lot of different medical conditions as well. People mostly worry about work or financial issues, which leads to sleepless nights. If this trend persists, insomnia becomes chronic and starts affecting the overall quality of life.

Medical conditions

A variety of medical conditions can make sleeping at night uncomfortable or nearly impossible. Starting from quite common ones like the flu or allergies that keep us up through discomfort, to chronic pain and arthritis, illnesses can take a toll on our regular sleep. Some more serious illnesses such as Parkinson’s or cancer may also keep you awake through the night.

Furthermore, various medications can also be meddling with your regular sleep patterns. Many cold and allergy medications are often the cause of insomnia as well, but birth control, blood pressure and depression medication have all been linked with insomnia as well.

Depression and anxiety

Not only physical illnesses can cause insomnia. Conditions such as depression and anxiety are also prime candidates for insomnia. It is a vicious cycle where depression can trigger insomnia, and insomnia, in turn, worsen the depression. These two are actually very commonly linked, but both conditions are manageable.

Anxiety is strongly linked to stress and thus can lead to insomnia. Overthinking past or future events is the perfect trigger to over stimulate the brain and trigger insomnia. If this persists, another vicious circle begins, where the person fears not getting enough sleep before going to bed, which triggers anxiety, which leads to insomnia once again. This is often described as feeling “restless”.

Lifestyle

The choices you make during the day affect your sleep patterns. People who choose to work at home really late run the risk of over-stimulating their brains and not being able to relax in time for sleep. For some people, it can also be detrimental to take naps during the day. It causes a disruption in the circadian rhythm and triggers insomnia. Trying to catch up on sleep during the weekend is also considered a bad idea since it tends to confuse your circadian rhythm.

Food

Things you put in your body can affect the quality of your sleep. Some substances and food can lead to insomnia. The prime candidate for this is alcohol. Even though we assume it helps us sleep, it is actually a sedative, knocking us out initially, but causing sleep problems later during the night. This is why very drunk people pass out, but usually sleep quite poorly.

Caffeine is another substance that disrupts sleep. In fact, this is specifically what we use it for, to keep ourselves awake and alert. However, excess caffeine causes insomnia and can stay in your system for eight hours. Finally, big meals before bedtime are a bad idea if you are looking to get some good night sleep.

Making sure that you follow all these rules can be tedious and difficult but try to follow as many as you can, and you should be free of insomnia. One thing you can do quite easily is make sure you sleep on the best mattress possible. If you are looking for a mattress store in San Diego, visit Mattress Makers for the best deals and a wide range of products.

We are constantly told that sleep is important for normal functioning of our organisms. And it is true; we need around 8 hours of (most commonly) nocturnal sleep when our bodies and minds can rest and reset for the next day. Finding the proper mattress to sleep on is probably one of the most important things we can do to ensure proper sleep. If you are looking for the perfect mattress in San Diego, consider visiting Mattress Makers.

So we have to sleep to function normally. Is this trait ubiquitous to all creatures, or is it just us? Do all animals sleep? And if they do, how do they do it and for how long?

Who sleeps?

The sleep as we know it is present is some form or another in all species of mammals and birds. It can also be found in some species of reptiles, amphibians and fish, although not all species of these classes of animals seem to need it. Sleep is even present in some species of insects as well.

Circadian rhythm

Even those animals who do not experience sleep as we know it, are governed by the circadian rhythm. This is a kind of an inner clock which tells the animal when the optimal time for activity is, and when to lay low. This inner clock is almost exclusively governed by the sun. So, nocturnal animals will lay low when they experience sunlight, and the diurnal ones will do the opposite. In fact, animal sleep is so similar to our own, that we can identify several sleep disorders that affect humans in various animals. The most commonly affected animals are pets, but other animals can also experience them. Disorders such as insomnia, night terrors and narcolepsy prove that sleep is a common trait developed by all vertebrates.

Interesting examples

Even though it is found quite commonly in vertebrates, sleep isn’t the same for every species. It was shaped by the evolution and the environment where the species live. They have to balance between the need to sleep and the dangers of not being on alert at all times. So the duration and the ways of sleeping are different from species to species.

Dolphins

Dolphins sleep with only half of their brain actually falling asleep, while the other half looks out for danger and performs all the necessary regular functions. After a few hours, the sides switch, so the other half can get its well-earned rest. Dolphins aren’t alone in this practice, creatures such as some bats, ducks and iguanas do it as well.

Giraffes

These tall giants are in a constant danger from predators. It is no wonder then that they sleep very little. Some estimates guess as little as 20 minutes per day, while a more realistic figure is around two hours. And who can blame them? Their sleeping position looks fairly uncomfortable.

Sea otters

You may have heard of this before, but sea otters sleep while holding hands. This may sound cute, but it actually serves an important purpose. They sleep on their backs in water. In order to keep themselves from drifting away from each other, they hold each other’s hands.

Sea birds

Large sea birds such as albatrosses tend to spend a lot of time in the air. On land, they are clumsy and awkward, and it takes them a long time to gain flight again. But once airborne, these birds transform into true aces, able to sustain flight for days and weeks on end. It is believed that they also sleep during that time while flying.

There are plenty of other unusual sleeping arrangements that animals make for themselves. Most people, though, prefer a nice bed with a good mattress. If you are on the lookout for a good mattress in San Diego, visit Mattress Makers, the best custom mattress makers in the county, or check out the offer online!