What You Didn’t Know About Sleep: Shocking Stats and Helpful Hacks

It’s Sleep Awareness Week! So we’re sharing some important facts around sleep and some helpful hints for improving your quality of sleep.

3 Shocking Stats About Sleep Loss

1: Lack of sleep causes an increase in heart attacks and heart disease

A study from the University of Warwick Medical School which evaluated data from 470,000 participants over 7-25 years concluded that if you sleep less than six hours per night you have a 48% greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease, and a 15% greater chance of developing or dying from a stroke. [1]

2: Many do not think about the hours of sleep they need

A National Sleep Foundation poll conducted in 2018 found that 60% of surveyed American’s do not take into account how much sleep they need before they go to bed. This suggests that many do not make an effort to get the proper amount of sleep. [2]

3: Lack of sleep is as dangerous as drinking and driving

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s estimations, the crash risk associated with driving on less than 4 hours of sleep is comparable to the crash risk associated with having a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit. [3]

Now that we’ve looked at some statistics, here are 3 easy hacks to help you get a better night’s sleep:

1: Get a good amount of vitamin D

A study based on the sleep patterns of 89 people showed that use of a vitamin D supplement improved sleep quality, reduced sleep latency, increases sleep duration and improves sleep quality. [4] If you live in a place that lacks sunlight, make sure to eat lots of vitamin D rich foods, or find a supplement that works for you.

2: Treat yourself to a morning reward

Try setting a sleep goal, and if you hit it, reward yourself with a treat. For example, if you set a goal to sleep 8 hours, for every night that you get a full 8 hours of sleep, reward yourself with your favourite latte in the morning or something else you enjoy. Setting goals with small rewards can help you stay motivated to prioritize sleep.

3: Have a routine, big or small

Set a pre-bedtime routine and stay consistent with it. Having a consistent routine before bed helps train your brain that it’s time to wind down, and can help you fall asleep much faster. Even something as simple as taking 5-10 minutes to stretch and meditate, or maybe taking 5 minutes to journal about 3 good things that happened throughout the day in order to end the day on a positive note.

LIMITED TIME OFFER

For Sleep Awareness Week 2019, we want to give you the proper rest you need to avoid some of the dangerous consequences of poor sleep, so we are offering 15% off all mouthpieces when you use the coupon code SAW. This offer ends March 16, 2019.

We also want to support those who lack the conditions for proper sleep by partnering with Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW), an 100% charitable organization that donates bedkits to those in need. We have previously partnered with SCAW, and are passionate about giving back and spreading better sleep all around the globe. To support this mission, we will be donating $1 for every mouthpiece sold to SCAW during Sleep Awareness Week!

Give yourself and others a good night’s sleeping by picking up your Good Morning Snore Solution today at 15% off!

Sources 

[1] https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/uow-lnc020711.php

[2]https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/Sleep%20in%20America%202018_prioritizing%20sleep.pdf

[3] https://aaafoundation.org/acute-sleep-deprivation-risk-motor-vehicle-crash-involvement/

[4] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1028415X.2017.1317395

source https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/blogs/news/what-you-didn-t-know-about-sleep-shocking-stats-and-helpful-hacks

Sleeping with Mouth Open Blog

Do you breathe through your mouth while you sleep? Or just keep it open when you are catching up on rest at night? Although you can not help this natural reflex, especially when you have a stuffy nose or sinus issues, there is science to say this is not the best way to rest throughout the night.

Possible side effects of mouth breathing at night: 

• Dehydration: Breathing through your mouth can dry out your airways and lead to the loss of essential fluids throughout the night.

• Jaw Pain: Having your mouth open at night keeps the jaw in a position which can cause teeth grinding, the development of an overbite or underbite, or general jaw soreness.

• Poor Oral Health: Gum disease and tooth decay are more common in those that breathe through their mouth at night.

• Bad Breath: One of the most common side effects of mouth breathers, and one that affects others.

• Worsened Asthma: By inhaling cold air that is unfiltered through the nose, the airway can become more irritated, especially for those with asthma.

• Tiredness: Breathing with your mouth open does not let as much oxygen into the lungs, impacting the body's whole supply of oxygen. This can lead to feelings of fatigue when you wake, and can result in restlessness for the whole day.

Snoring and mouth breathing:

This mouth position has a great impact on snoring and sleep apnea, worsening both of these sleep disruptions. Those who are prone to snoring and sleep with their mouth open allow for the airways to be in the position that obstructs airways. Individuals with sleep apnea that wear a CPAP machine do not get the ideal benefits from the device when they have their mouth open, making this breathing method less than ideal.

How to prevent mouth breathing:

Breathing through the nose is definitely better for your health, so how can you ensure you breathe this way throughout the night? Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do yourself to ensure you do not open your mouth throughout the night. 

A sure way to promote breathing through the nose is to secure the mouth into a position which does not let it fall open. A snoring mouthpiece such as Good Morning Snore Solution helps gently keep the tongue in the same position all night, both preventing snoring and protecting from the negative effects of mouth breathing. No matter the source of your snoring, a stabilizing mouthpiece can greatly help you breath through your nose overnight!

 

Sources:

https://www.buoyhealth.com/current/mouth-breathing-effects/#is-it-bad

https://www.healthline.com/health/mouth-breathing#prevention

source https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/blogs/news/sleeping-with-mouth-open-blog

What is the Best Side to Sleep on?

Back or Side?

Information about the best side to sleep on is plentiful, but it tends to have many contradicting messages, making it difficult to crown one position the best to sleep on.  

Many sources support the idea that the back is the best, as it maintains the spine in a neutral position which minimizes neck and back pain. Although this is the case, the significant increase in snoring and airways obstructions suggests that sleeping on the back is not ideal for everyone [1].

When sleeping on your side, the benefit of an elongated spine is achieved to protect the neck, spine and back, along with offering a preventative position for breathing disruptions.

What the Research Says:

• A study which studied sleep patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) found that most of those with OSA sleep on their back. Studied further, it was concluded that airways obstructions are more severe and frequent when sleeping in this position [2]. 

• Another study found that when one’s sleep posture is changed from the back to a side position, airways obstructions such as the tongue and larynx are relieved [3].

Due to these type of research discoveries, the side position is recommended by medical professionals for those who deal with airways obstructions [4]. Even those snorers without OSA greatly benefit from sleeping on their side, as it is shown to decrease snoring time and intensity [5].

Especially for snorers, sleeping on your side, paired with an effective and minimally invasive snore solution would provide a great amount of comfort and snore-free bedroom!   

Left or Right?

For those with acid reflux and heartburn, the left side is said to be the better side to sleep on [6]. It is also a recommended side to sleep on due to how it helps digestion throughout the night [7]. Your body will tell you which side is most comfortable to sleep on, so if you experience any shoulder or jaw pain which may occur from sleeping on one side, try flipping to the other.

Sleeping left or right, we hope you choose the comfiest position for you and sleep tight!

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References:

1 https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20479110,00.html

2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2013.01.005

3 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/lary.24825

4 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy-sleep/sleep-better/choosing-the-best-sleep-position

5 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12683476

6 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/410292

7 https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/sleep-effects-digestion#side-sleeping

source https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/blogs/news/what-is-the-best-side-to-sleep-on

The Relationship Between Love and Sleep

Have you ever wondered how your romantic relationships affect your sleep? Not only do your relationships have a significant impact on your sleep, but your quality of sleep also directly impacts your romantic relationships. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we thought we'd take a look at the relationship between love and sleep.

The increased psychological state of being newly in love can do wonders for quality sleep and a feeling of being well rested. A study evaluating 60 adolescents who had recently fallen in love concluded that those in early-stage intense romantic love recorded fewer hours of sleep, increased sleep quality and lowered daytime sleepiness [1].

Not only do relationships have an effect on sleep, but sleep has an effect on relationships. Specifically, an increase in sleep fosters healthier and happier relationships.

A study which looked at the effect of a poor night’s sleep on the amount of conflict in a romantic relationship found that when participants slept worse than they usually do, they reported significantly more conflict with their partner compared to the nights they got a better sleep [2].

Another study found that sleep disturbances caused by a snoring partner enhanced agitation and tensions among couples, causing an increase in fights and negative emotions such as resentment rage and helplessness [3].

Along with causing conflict, poor sleep has also been seen to make people prioritize their own needs over their partners, making their partners feel unappreciated [4].

It is quite apparent that poor sleep has a negative effect on the health of a relationship, but luckily, the opposite was found for good sleep. This means that that the better sleep you have, the better your relationships!

A 443 participant study gathered data to determine a correlation between an individual's perceived higher sleep quality and a high level of satisfaction with their partner [5].

So there you have it! The better you sleep, the better you love, and the better you love, the better you sleep! This Valentine's Day, we want to help encourage the romance, which is why we're offering 25% off all mouthpieces! That's right, say goodbye to sleepless nights and post-snoring fights. Use the coupon code LOVE25 at checkout and save 25% on your next order of Good Morning Snore Solution mouthpieces. This offer expires February 15, 2019.

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1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X07000262

2 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1948550613488952

3 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732315583270

4 https://news.berkeley.edu/2013/01/19/sleep-couples

5 http://dx.doi.org/10.15446/revfacmed.v65n2.58396

source https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/blogs/news/the-relationship-between-love-and-sleep

Is Sleeping Without a Pillow Safe?

A pillow - an item most have in their bed which they use to rest their head on every night. But does its popularity suggest best practice, or is the alternative of sleeping without a pillow a safe choice that should be considered? Well, pillows offer great support to ensure our head, neck and spine remain in ideal alignment throughout the may hours of the night, but some may find it fine to sleep without it. Read on to find out why.

Different positions, different support  

The way you sleep plays a significant role in the type of support your head needs. If you do choose a pillow, it’s ideal thickness will change depending on your sleep position. Either way, the best type of pillow is that one you find most comfortable and keeps your spine aligned.

• Side sleepers:

You want your pillow to keep your spine in a straight line. Since your head can fall quite a bit when you sleep on your side, a thicker pillow may be ideal.

• Back sleepers:

When sleeping on your back, your head does not need a lot of support to keep your spine aligned. A thin pillow will probably do the trick just fine!

• Stomach sleepers:

Although not the ideal sleeping position, stomach sleepers can help their alignment by using a very thin pillow, or no pillow at all.

Who would benefit most from sleeping without a pillow:

• Those who deal with acne: pillows can spread the infection and cause even more breakouts. Since changing your pillowcase very regularly can get tiring, skipping out on a pillow overall may be a helpful option.
• Those with back pain: although the goal of a pillow is to realign the spine and provide support, sometimes this readjustment of position hurts more than it helps. Sleeping without a pillow will help the back relax in its natural position, which may be better for your body.

Who should probably use a pillow:

• Those who sleep on their side: pillows are definitely beneficial when it comes to side sleepers. The support a pillow offers will help avoid a sore neck by giving it support and letting the muscles relax.
• Those who snore: finding the perfect pillow will help keep the airways open, which sometimes aids snoring. If you find changing your pillow does not impact your snoring, there are other solutions, such as a nightly mouthpiece that is simple to use and makes the ZZZ’s disappear.

Although these tend to be the norms, everyone’s is different and may react to the support of a pillow in different ways. But to answer the question on safety - it is safe to sleep without a pillow. By trying this method out, there is the possibility of muscle tension or pain, so you should stick to whatever sleeping method is comfortable for you.

Pillow or no pillow, we hope your head is well supported and you are well rested!

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References

https://justhealthlifestyle.com/sleeping-without-pillow/

https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/sleep-issues/do-you-need-a-pillow-for-sound-sleep/

https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/sleep/pillows-different-sleeping-positions

https://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-we-use-pillows.htm#didyouknowout

source https://goodmorningsnoresolution.com/blogs/news/is-sleeping-without-a-pillow-safe