Between the uphill task of waking up to the sound of your alarm, that crammed ride from the subway to your workplace, mountains of paperwork for your boss and lecturers, very brief siesta-less breaks, traffic jammed (human or automobile) rush hours back home, carrying forward your briefcase to somewhere near your suitcase, and trying to catch some sound sleep on your high-density full-size mattress only to do so after your alarm – only God knoweth where thine comfort cometh from.
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It’s official, there’s no ignoring the minor complaints of sleep disturbance and chronic pains or conditions that have gone from occasional to regular to unbearably superficial. With your waking life and not-so-sleepy sleeping life spiraling to disaster, something’s got to give…
Sleep like the Dead
It’s been said that “sleep is analogous to death,”[1] but not necessarily sleeping like you’re dead, dead asleep, the sleep of death, or the sleeping dead… What makes the most vulnerable (babies) sleep so soundly and peacefully is a life lesson for all – the comforted, the
comfortable, the uncomfortable.
“I needn’t talk much in terms of tensions because I find the people in this part of the world are much more relaxed than I found in England and in other countries. A few months ago I was in America. People are so tense in that country. They began to meditate and they began to say this meditation is a non-medicinal tranquilizer. The best attributes that they could say of the meditation was that it helped them to sleep well in the night without tablets. I told them…
…Sleeping well is the result of keeping awake well in the wakeful stage. If the wakeful stage is better and fine, then sleep will have to be better and nice. So one has to take care of the wakeful state and all wakeful stages, dreaming stage, and deep sleep stage, all will follow.”~ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi [2]
More often than not, a conventional (medicinal) doctor’s diagnosis is preceded by two questions:
- Are you stressed?
- Have you been sleeping well?
…Because more often than not, therein lies the problem-and the solution.
Choose your Comfort Level with the Saatva Luxury Mattress
We may not have listed the Saatva Luxury Mattress in our list of best memory foam mattresses. That’s only because there are other comparable quality mattresses at cheaper prices. If it wasn’t for the expensive price tag, the Saatva mattress would definitely have won a top 5 placement in our list of best rated mattresses.
Many are the things that CAN’T be changed, you either live with it or die trying to change it-to no avail. Do yourself, your heallth and well-being a favour by changing that which you can for heaven’s sake and for all else, let divine intervention do just that. Like healing broken bones, recovery from traumatic experiences, coping with lifestyle diseases and chronic
health conditions takes focussed care if you’re going to derive any comfort.
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Call it personal care – custom or customized, or generalized care – with accessorized options, “unchangeables” and “irreversibles” are not necessarily death sentences.
“…You can indeed be “drugged by sleep,” but this is always because you have MISUSED it on behalf of sickness.” ~ ‘A Course In Miracles’[3]
It’s not enough getting a prescription to calm your nerves, help you sleep, and for every other medical condition in between, in addition to all your other prescriptions for pre-existing conditions… If truly rewarding, healthy, peaceful, sound sleep came in a pill (only), babies would be highly-drugged on prescription medicines.
The Buddhist Maharishi Mahesh Yogi practised and recommended Meditation. [2]
The Biblical King David meditated on God upon his bed. [4]
What are Your Special Needs?
Sleep Disruption due to Physical Injury
Lower back pain and upper back pain arising from the cervical spine is a major complaint of athletes, sportsmen, physical trainers, and labourers who particularly engage in heavy lifting and strenuous tasks. Usually, in such circumstances, these athletes tend to approach experts at Pursue PT or similar other organizations to get the right treatment and relief. Keep in mind that back pain is not limited to that demographic as the elderly, people with poor posture and those whose (albeit sedentary) lifestyles exact much pressure on the lumbar-thoracic-cervical-spine region also experience neck, shoulder, back aches, and pains.
Other focus groups with especially chronic back pain issues are those with rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, sciatica, spinal injury due to accidents, Unlike “Recovery Time” due to physical injuries, wholesome recovery is not seasonal but regular by way of sleep. Consistent inadequacies in this not only affect the sleeping phase (sleep quality, sleep onset, sleep disturbance, sleep deprivation/sleep loss) but further aggravate typical stressors and potentiate new stressors. The balancing act affects not only the physical and physiological but also psychological and socioeconomic aspects. Just like joint and muscle tension due to the build up of lactic acid from too much strenuous exercising without the balance of repair, it only follows that there will be:
- higher prevalence of injuries – in the field when working or playing
- slower recovery – the need for more recovery time between successive injuries
- increased vulnerability and damage – tendency of repeat injuries with worsening symptoms
- reduced athletic perfomance – sub-optimal to diminished athletic perfomance is associated with poor sleep quality[5]
- work absenteeism – retrogressive long-term effects
Optimal Physical work requires the able-bodied, and being just that requires a great deal of care and maintenance-failure to which, careers have stalled, regressed or altogether cut short. The full package goes deeper than the tough skin and muscle, given that deprived mental agility due to sleep loss could mean the difference between a severance package and
a job promotion.
Why the Saatva Luxury Mattress is good for you…
It proffers comfort that’s deeper than skin deep. You’ll know that you’re not just lying down to spread your wearied body-only to pick it up when you wake up (if you do catch some sleep)… Yes traditional spring mattresses and spring coil beds have been around for a long time; but a 120-day free trial and an endorsement from Forbes as the “Top
100 Most Promising Companies” could only mean that Saatva (manufacturer of Loom & Leaf memory foam mattresses) may just have the ideal mattress you’re looking for.
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Sleep Disturbance due to Hormonal Changes and Menopause
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, insomnia, night sweats, nocturnal awakenings not only point to sleep disruption, but are indicators symptomatic of hormonal changes in the female reproductive system.
From a ticking biological clock leading to menopause, hormonal imbalances due to endocrine disruption, and hormonal changes due to pregnancy, the sleep-cycle is no less determined by the endocrine system.
The ebb and flow of the menstrual cycle and the sleep-wake cycle is interlinked so as to cause Insomnia or Hypersomnia.[6]
The ICSD Sleep Code defines the sleep disorder Insomnia as the difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep (sleep loss); while Hypersomnia is the excessively prolonged sleep phase, or deep sleep with difficulty awakening (Excessive Somnolence).
Insomnia and Hypersomnia due to menopause
The loss of menses (ovarian function) that typically elicits the onset of menopause has physiological effects that affect the quality of life and the sleep quality. Symptoms associated with menopause include not just hormonal changes, but also psychological effects which
include:
- anxiety
- depression
- endocrine changes: (lower estradiol production, higher cortisol)
- vasomotor disruption inflammation, slower healing and repair from injuries
- night sweats
- Sleep Disorders: Insomnia, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), Menstrual-Associated Sleep Disorder
While HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) is a popular option to resolve the menopausal symptoms, and Serotonin enhancing drugs to alleviate sleep loss and sleep deprivation, it is not without side effects which further disrupt the sleep-cycle in what could be a very vicious cycle. These symptoms include:
- Cardiovascular effects (Cardiac ischemia during sleep, Myocardial infarction, Cardiac arrhythmias,)
- Osteoporosis (menopausal, post-menopausal)
- DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis), constricted blood flow, low blood pressure, high blood pressure
Other preferred solutions include Homeopathy and non-hormonal therapy, and scientific studies have shown the benefits of massage therapy in alleviating menopausal symptoms.
It goes without saying, your menopause and post-menopause therapy would not be complete without a good mattress.
Indulge in the Saatva Luxury Mattress
When Saatva’s manufacturer was named the Most Promising Company, it was for product guarantees such as these…
- You won’t sleep too hot – The breathable memory foam keeps the Saatva Luxury mattress airy and cool, be it on a hot summer night or another one of those irksome cold sweaty nights.
- Say ‘Hello’ to mattress massage therapy – You’ll have a whole network of spring coils whose meshwork makes for body support and massage as you lie down.
- Your spine is comforted – Consider going from comfort to comfort with the coil-on-coil springs which wrap around your body’s contouring while offering full spinal support and alignment.
You’ll be forgiven for going from menopause with complaints to sleep-no-pause with no complaints courtesy of Saatva Luxury you can indulge in.
REFERENCES
[1] ‘A Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms, or Synonyms and Words of Opposite Meaning.’ The Rt. Rev. Samuel Fallows, A.M., D.D. Fleming H. Revell Company London and Edinburgh.
[2] ‘The Meditations of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.’ By his holiness, Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi. A Bantam Book / published May 1968
[3] ‘A Course In Miracles’. Scribed by Helen Schucman.
[4] The KJV Bible. Book of Psalms. Psa. 63:6.
[5] ‘Sleep, Recovery, and Athletic Performance: A Brief Review and Recommendations. ‘Stephen P. Bird, PhD, CSCS, University of Wollongong. Article in Strength and Conditioning
Journal, October 2013. | www.nsca-scj.com. National Strength and Conditioning Association.
[6] Forbes Names Saatva Top 100 Most Promising Companies
[7] A menstruation-linked periodic hypersomnia. Kleine-Levin syndrome or new clinical entity? Billiard M, Guilleminault C, Dement WC. Neurology 1975; 25: 436–443.