May: Better Sleep Awareness Month

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Story Published: May 1, 2008 at 5:33 PM MST

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 7:15 PM MST

By Rick Montañez

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If you're having trouble falling asleep lately, you're not alone, thousands of Americans survive the day on very little sleep. But that can be unhealthy and even dangerous.

For a lot of people sleep remains at the bottom of the priority list, but a local sleep doctor tells me that can limit your productivity at work and if you're like me, you'll be happy to hear, naps are a good thing.

John Knilann has had trouble sleeping for years now.

"I always wake up tired, out of energy, very quickly," says John Knilann.

He doesn't know what's causing it.

"It effects your cognitive ability, thinking, memory, and all kinds of things," says Knilann.

Dr. Daron Scherr, from the Sleep Institute in Idaho Falls tells me, a lot of people in America are having the same problem.

He says 40 percent of people have some sort of sleep disorder that severely effects their lives. Those sleep issues include, Insomnia, Fatigue, Jet Lag, Shift work, and obstructive sleep apnea.

"Each of these issues have severe ramifications, both on peoples feelings of well being and their actual well being," says Dr. Daron Scherr.

Dr. Scherr says the 3 keys to health are diet, exercise and you've guessed it, sleep, at night or during the day.

"I recommend taking a nap during that time that you feel sleepy, around 2 in the afternoon. Because that's what the body is designed to do," says Dr. Scherr.

Between 12 and 3 in the afternoon our bodies begin to prepare for sleep.

"Our body temperatures drop, our alertness drops, everything drops."

So if you can, squeeze a nap in, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, but take it before 3. And before you head off to count sheep at night. Make sure you spend about a half hour relaxing.

Another way to maximize your sleep is to make sure, even if you're sleeping for only 5 hours a night, go to bed relaxed to get the best quality sleep to compensate for the quantity of sleep.

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