Insomnia Can Lead To Future Hospitalization And Increased Health Service Use

Posted on May 14, 2013 by meganpmarsh

Having trouble falling or staying asleep? According to a new study led by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,insomnia may be an important indicator of future hospitalization among middle-aged and older adults. They examined the association between insomnia and use of home healthcare services, nursing homes and hospitalization and found that insomnia symptoms experienced by middle-aged and older adults were associated with greater future use of costly health services. The results are featured online in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

“In a large representative sample of US middle-aged and older adults, we found that individuals with a greater number of insomnia symptoms were more likely to be hospitalized, and to use home healthcare services,” said Adam Spira, PhD, senior author of the study and an assistant professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health. “Over 40 percent of our sample reported at least one insomnia symptom, consistent with previous studies that showed insomnia to be very common in this population. If the association between insomnia symptoms and health service utilization is causal, our findings would suggest that the prevention of insomnia could decrease health service use by 6-14 percent in this population.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, insomnia is the most common sleep complaint at any age and affects almost half of adults ages 60 and older. Insomnia symptoms include difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both, and individuals with insomnia often report getting too little sleep, having poor sleep quality and not feeling refreshed when they wake up.

Lead author, Christopher Kaufmann, MHS, and his colleagues examined the association between insomnia symptoms and reports of health service utilization using data from the Health and Retirement Study. Participants were asked how often they experienced trouble falling asleep; trouble with waking up during the night; trouble with waking up too early and not being able to fall asleep again, and how often they felt rested when they woke up. Researchers evaluated health care utilization in 2006 and respondents were asked questions about their use of several health services two years later, including whether they were hospitalized, used home health care services, or were placed in a nursing home. Participants’ demographic characteristics as well as current or previous medical conditions were also recorded.

“We found that there was a statistically significant relationship between the report of insomnia symptoms and the future use of costly health services. A relationship was even found between insomnia symptoms and hospitalization as well as use of any of the three health services after accounting for common medical conditions and elevated depressive symptoms,” said Kaufmann, a doctoral student with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health. “These results suggest that treating and carefully monitoring insomnia symptoms in middle-aged and older adults might somewhat reduce the use of health services and presumably the poor health outcomes that necessitate these services.”

Posted on May 8, 2013 by meganpmarsh

DIFFERENT STYLES TO REDECORATE A BEDROOM.

Bedroom Wall Decorating Ideas You May Not Have Considered

Posted on May 3, 2013 by meganpmarsh

Modern bedrooms are more than just a place to sleep. Nowadays, they often double as home offices, TV lounges, and even social centers. When the subject of wall decorations comes up, most people think of hanging a few paintings or framed photos and leaving it at that, but because of their multiple uses, bedroom design should support an environment that gets lots of use and should be stimulating. Bedroom wall decorating ideas to foster this type of environment are limited only by your imagination.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to experiment with new ideas over traditional home decor, then here are some suggestions to spark your imagination and give you some inspiration.

Idea # 1: Alternative Wall Art

There’s no law that says you can only hang pictures on your bedroom walls. In fact, the options are limited only by your budget and your creativity. Here are some of the many objects that people use to add a splash of color and design to their bedrooms:

1. Plates – These are available in an almost endless selection of colors, sizes, textures, and designs. You can find collectible plates that reflect almost any interest imaginable, including wildlife, sports, historical figures, US states, countries of the world, famous quotes, and hundreds of others. Surf the Internet or visit a local flea market or antiques stores to get some ideas.

2. Crafts – Some knitters display mittens, scarves, etc. Sculptors show off their small to mid-sized creations. Jewelry makers, stained glass artists, and metal foil workers have all found a place on their bedroom walls for their creations. One-of-a-kind or uncommon artwork is a great way to give your bedroom a unique identity. Home improvement centers sell display shelves that can support all kinds of objects. Just be sure you don’t go over the hardware’s weight rating, which is listed on the package it comes in.

3. Collections – Whether you’re into coins, stamps, comic books, figurines, beer mugs, seashells, or whatever, you may find that your bedroom walls are ideal for showing off your treasures. As with crafts, display shelves are available in all sorts of shapes and sizes to assist you with the project, or you can frame objects like coins and stamps and mount them just like you would photos or paintings.

Idea # 2: Wall murals

How does turning an entire wall into one giant piece of art sound to you? Floor-to-ceiling murals are hot right now. If you’re artistically inclined, then you can create your own with whatever media you prefer to work with, but if you’re one of the many of us who can’t even draw a decent smiley face, then don’t worry – both Internet and brick-and-mortar vendors sell murals with thousands of illustrations to choose from, including beach scenes, views of the forest, or even objects in outer space. They apply much like wallpaper does, and can give your bedroom an incredible new look for a relatively low price.

Idea # 3: The Sky’s the Limit!

As we said before, your options for wall decorations are limited only by your budget and your creativity. Here are some other ideas you might find of interest.

• If your bedroom is small, then you can make it appear much larger by hanging a sizeable mirror on one or more of the walls. It’s amazing how much “space” this one simple trick can add.
• Glow-in-the-dark additives can be mixed in with any paint. Imagine painting a scene on your bedroom walls and seeing it light up as soon as you turn off your lamp!
• Anything that can be glued to your walls is a potential decoration. Let your thoughts go where they choose, and you’ll soon come up with all kinds of delightfully off-the-wall ideas for turning your bedroom walls into something truly one-of-a-kind.

With all this talk about decorating bedroom walls, we almost forget to mention the primary activity that bedrooms are intended for – sleep. A good night’s rest is the foundation for a successful day, and here at Parklane Mattresses, we can help you get the slumber you’re craving. Browse our product line and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Parklane Mattresses
The better sleep secret.

What is Insomnia and How Do You Treat it?

Posted on February 19, 2013 by meganpmarsh

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep. People with insomnia may have difficulty falling asleep, some wake up often during the night and find it challenging to fall back to sleep, they may wake up too early in the morning and most feel fatigued upon waking.

There are two types of insomnia: primary insomnia and secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia means that a persons sleep problems are not associated with any other health conditions. Secondary insomnia comes from something else, usually a health condition like asthma, depression, arthritis, or cancer. Secondary insomnia can also occur because of pain, medication, or a substance like alcohol.

Insomnia may last a long or short period of time and varies in how often it occurs. If your insomnia only occurs for a short time it is considered acute insomnia. Insomnia can last a long period of time in some individuals, which is chronic insomnia. People that suffer from chronic insomnia experience the symptoms at least three nights a week for a month or longer. Insomnia will come and go in certain individuals, with periods of time where a person experiences no symptoms.

Treating insomnia may require a visit to the physician for a sleeping medication or it may just call for a change in your sleep habits. For starters, you want to keep your bedroom free of clutter and distractions. Make sure you are sleeping on the correct mattress for you needs and sleep style. Use your bed only for sleeping; keep the computer out, leave the television off, and only read pleasure books.

Try to establish a regular sleep-wake cycle. Get up at the same time every morning (including weekends) and go to bed at the same time every night. Do not take naps during the day, as it will make it challenging to fall asleep at night. If you can’t get to sleep in the first half of an hour in bed, go do something else outside of the bedroom, then try again.

Limit your consumption of caffeine and alcoholic beverages. Remember, caffeine is in chocolate and tea, not just coffee and soda. Cigarette smoking can worsen insomnia. Do not work out right before bedtime; try to get your exercise in at least three hours before its time to go to bed, as you may be overly stimulated otherwise. Be sure to establish a wind down period in the evenings just before bed and we hope you begin to sleep better.

Parklane Mattresses
The better sleep secret.

Can a Quality Mattress Improve Memory?

Posted on February 1, 2013 by meganpmarsh

Can you improve your memory just by ‘sleeping on it’? In scientific terms, proper sleep will help improve memory, and when we say ‘sleep on it,’ we’re not just being theoretical: we are literally referring to what you sleep on. When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, nothing compares to a comfy mattress.

Just as athletes and trainers rely on an adequate sleep to keep their mind and body performing at their best, you too can strengthen many aspects of your mental health by ensuring you always get a good night’s sleep. Adequate sleep can actually help improve memory by ensuring that your body is well rested and able to properly process and recall information throughout the day.

Sleep deprivation hinders your brain from operating at its full capacity. That means that trying to remember small or even large details while you’re studying, working or managing daily tasks becomes much harder. Tasks or other important information are easily overlooked and forgotten. Making sure you always have a comfy mattress to sleep on can greatly increase the chances that your mental health is always at its peak, so you can perform at your best throughout the day.

Everyone is aware that sleep is a critical key to help improve memory; however, the link between a good night’s sleep and a comfy mattress is highly underestimated. Research shows that some of the most important memory-enhancing activities in your brain occur during the deepest stages of your sleep cycle. So if your mattress has you tossing and turning all night long, it’s time to start looking for a new mattress online.

Parklane Mattresses

The better sleep secret.

Reversing the Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation May Take Longer Than Once Thought

Posted on January 22, 2013 by meganpmarsh

If you make it through your workweek barely getting a wink of sleep, then you’re far from alone. Studies show that millions of Americans do the same thing, relying on energy drinks and adrenalin to stave off the symptoms of sleep deprivation. When you do this, you accumulate what doctors and scientists call a “sleep debt”, which is basically an IOU you write to yourself saying, “Let me keep going now, and I’ll pay you back with a really long slumber session later on.” The “payback” usually involves sleeping for 10-12 hours or even more on our days off.

Many of us go through years or even decades living like this. While we may be taxing our bodies throughout the week, we think it’s alright because our books balance in the end, mentally and physically speaking, but a number of recent studies casts doubt on this belief. Researchers are finding that a chronic sleep debt may take far longer to repay than once thought. In fact, a growing body of evidence shows that there is simply no substitute for getting enough rest on a daily basis.

Like a Half-Charged Battery

This situation is similar to that noticed by users of smart phones and other electronic devices. For example, many of these products can run for eight hours when they’re fully charged. Bring them down to 50% of capacity, however, and you’re likely to get only 2 to 3 hours of life out of them. While this may run counter to what your math teachers told you in school, it’s nonetheless true.

It seems that the human body works in much the same way. Researchers in one study allowed subjects only 5.6 hours of sleep per night for a three-week period, then permitted them to doze for 10 or more hours at a time. Upon awakening after their extended rest they were able to function as well as if they had been sleeping 7 to 8 hours for that three-week period, but within an hour of waking up, their coordination, memory, and other functions rapidly declined, just like an under-charged battery.

When carried on for extended periods, the subjects were only able to retain their physical and mental abilities by getting a minimum of 7 hours of sleep nightly. It seems that we’re like our gadgets – there’s no substitute for a fully charged battery if we want to function at our best.

A Regular Schedule is the Key

For centuries, almost all humans lived their lives in accordance with the rhythms of the day. They rose at dawn, worked until dusk, and then began a daily ritual of winding down that ended in sleep within a few hours after sundown.

Then Edison invented the light bulb, and night became as bright as day across most of the globe. We began staying up later and later, getting to bed at a different time each night or, in many cases, staying up throughout the evening and finally nodding off while the sun was high in the sky. This change in our lifestyles is the cause of much of our society’s insomnia crisis.

The good news is that there are ways to get better sleep that most of us can use to our benefit. One of the most important ones is to return to the ways of our ancestors and follow a daily schedule, with set times for waking and for going to bed. Of course, night shift workers can’t turn in soon after the sun falls, but they can still enjoy the benefits of a fixed routine by getting up and retiring to bed at the same times each day.

Of all the ways to get better sleep, the one that is imperative is to invest in quality sleeping products. Parklane Mattresses invites you to browse our online selection or visit us in person at one of our retail locations in Oregon or Washington State. Our mission is to help turn your dreams of restful, relaxing slumber into reality, at a price that won’t give you nightmares.

Parklane Mattresses
The better sleep secret.

Ways to Get Better Sleep: The Pros and Cons of Sleeping With Pets

Posted on January 3, 2013 by meganpmarsh

It seems that all of us are looking for ways to get better sleep. Part of the problem is that many of the things that help some of us doze off only keep others awake. Television is a perfect example, as are music and night-lights, but of all the things that affect people’s rest differently, the matter of sleeping with pets is perhaps the most frequently discussed. Here’s a look at some of the many issues that surround this practice.

Americans Love Dogs…

Indeed we do, and the following statistics reveal just how much we adore them.

1. There are approximately 80 million pet dogs in the United States.

2. 40% of American households have at least one dog; 28% have two; 12% have three or more.

3. 21% of pet dogs were adopted from animal shelters.

4. On average, dog owners spend $250 a year on veterinary care.

And Cats Too…

Our love for our four-legged friends isn’t limited to canine creatures. For example:

1. There are over 86 million pet cats in the U.S.

2. One out of three households have at least one cat.

3. Of the households that have pet cats, more than half include two or more.

4. 21% of pet cats were adopted from animal shelters.

5. 82% of feline pets are spayed or neutered.

In return for our care, our pets give us love, affection, amusement, companionship, and, oftentimes, even protection. So, it only makes sense that we want them around us as much as possible, even when we’re sleeping. According to statistics, more than 50% of pet dogs and 62% of household cats sleep with their owners.

Also, at least when it comes to canines, it appears that size does matter. For while 62% of small dogs share their owner’s bed, only 41% of medium-sized dogs and around 30% of large ones enjoy the same privilege.

The question is, “What does any of this have to do with ways of getting better sleep?” The answer is “plenty”. Depending on a number of factors, having pets in bed with us helps, hurts, or has no effect on the quality of our rest. Those who report that sleeping alongside their animal friends is a positive experience often mention the following benefits:

1. The pet helps to relax them. This can be due to the animal’s mere presence, or it can be caused by the sound of its breathing, its purring (in the case of cats), its body warmth, or the calming effect of petting the creature as the owner dozes off.

2. Having the pet nearby reassures owners that it isn’t running about the house getting into mischief. As one cat owner put it, “as long as he’s lying next to me, I don’t have to worry about him getting up on counters and knocking stuff over.”

3. The pet insists on sleeping with them, and attempts to keep it away only cause it to whine, meow, or scratch at the door, all of which keeps the owners awake when they could be sleeping.

Problems Caused by Sleeping With Pets

While having an animal resting next to them helps many to enjoy blissful rest, for others, it only adds to their troubles. Here are some of the problems that occur when owners sleep with their pets:

1. The animal aggravates asthma or allergies, causing uncomfortable issues ranging from sneezing to breathing difficulties.

2. The pet prevents the owners from dozing off, by batting at them, insisting on attention, or disturbing them in other ways. Sometimes, cats insist on sleeping on top of, not next to, humans. Dogs occasionally snore or even take away pillow or cover space.

3. Sleepers are awakened by the animal’s nocturnal activities, sometimes multiple times during the evening. Cats may compete for prime spots on the mattress, as may dogs. Or they may engage in play, hop off and on the bed throughout the night, or do other things that rouse their owners from their rest.

The Bottom Line

As with so many other things in life, the answer to the question, “should you let your pets sleep with you?’’ is “it depends.” For some animal lovers, being apart from their furry friends would be disturbing or even traumatic for both pet and owner. For others, getting four-legged creatures out of their lives, at least during bedtime, would go a long way towards helping them get the rest they need. Whichever is the case with you, here are some tips you might find helpful:

1. If you want your pets to sleep with you but they aggravate your allergies, then consider getting an air cleaner with a HEPA filter approved for homes with animals. This can often eliminate, or at least reduce, the associated issues.

2. If you want your pets nearby, but not on the mattress with you, then you might want to get them pet beds of their own. For many animal owners, this is the perfect solution. Such beds are widely available in retail stores as well as the Internet. Quality and price vary widely, so shop around and check reviews to get the best deal. Even bite-resistant ones are available, for those with dogs who think that everything around them is a chew toy.

3. If you’re determined to keep your pet from sleeping with you, then most experts recommend not allowing them access to the bedroom, even during waking hours. They will come to understand that the room is outside of their territory. On the other hand, if you let them stay there until bedtime then chase them out, they will feel that you are taking away space that rightfully belongs to them. This can cause them emotional harm or even lead to behavior problems such as scratching, biting, and crying.

4. If the animal insists on getting in bed with you when you don’t want them there, then you might need to use behavior modification techniques to break them of the habit. One gentle but firm way to do so is to keep a spray bottle filled with water on your nightstand, and then squirt them with it when they hop up, or you might use positive reinforcement instead. One dog owner trained her three canine companions by encouraging them to get in their pet beds, then rewarding them with treats or praise when they did so. They came to associate getting off the mattress with receiving good things, and this solved the issue for all members of the household.

Balancing your pet’s desires with your need for restful, quality slumber can sometimes be challenging. None of us want to experience the symptoms of sleep deprivation, but it can be achieved with a little planning and effort, and by being kind while reminding your four-legged companions who’s in charge. Is the trouble involved worth it? For most animal lovers, the answer is a firm “yes!”

An Adjustable Bed Mattress Might Be the Perfect Solution

Pets aren’t the only things that can keep us awake at night. People with circulatory ailments, back pain, acid reflux, or a host of other conditions often find that they just can’t get the sleep they need on a conventional flat surface. For these people, we offer our Reverie Deluxe adjustable bed mattress frame. It works with many of our mattresses (springless ones only), and it may be just the solution you’re looking for. Check it out while you’re browsing our online selection of great products, or come see us in one of our retail stores in Oregon or Washington State. Our mission is to help you get the best sleep of your life.

Parklane Mattresses
The better sleep secret.

Ways to Get Better Sleep: the Benefits of a Daily Wind-Down Time

Posted on December 27, 2012 by meganpmarsh

Many of us who have been around for a while can recall the old spring-wound wristwatches that were once quite popular. While the more expensive ones kept excellent time, the cheaper makes had a common problem. They would run fast for a while after being wound up, and then gradually fall behind as the tension in the spring lessened. They were annoying, to say the least, but looking back on them, they offer an important insight for those looking for ways to get better sleep;namely this: it’s only natural to wind down for a while before coming to a full stop.

How Modern Life Keeps Us Constantly Wound Up

Does this sound like you? You’re roused from slumber by loud music or an annoying electronic sound. You hop out of bed, rush about your home getting ready for work, wolf down some food, and leave just in time to get to your job before your shift begins. During the day, you run around like a chicken on caffeine pills, trying to stay on top of your daily responsibilities.

Then, when you finally leave, you have plenty of other things that keep you busy for hours more – maybe kids, classes, a second job, or chores and errands. You run full speed ahead till you finally collapse in bed, only to find that you toss and turn until you finally doze off. You get a few hours of fitful rest, and then it all begins again.

If this sounds even remotely familiar, then you’re in very good company. Studies show that tens of millions of Americans live their lives non-stop until bedtime, allowing no time to wind down from the pressures of the day. It’s no wonder that so many of us have to use pills or other methods to knock ourselves out when bedtime finally arrives.

The High Cost of Higher Productivity

We get a lot of things done by following this hectic pace day in and day out. American workers are among the most productive on earth, according to countless studies, but all of those accomplishments come at a heavy price. Here are some sobering facts about our collective state of health:

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 68 million Americans, or 1/3 of the national population, have high blood pressure. This condition is a major cause of chronic ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, which together kill over 800,000 of us every year.
The above statistics paint an even grimmer picture when we include other effects of our national lifestyle. For example, sleep deprivation and prolonged stress have been linked to many forms of cancer, which takes almost 600,000 lives annually. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia end the lives of 80,000 people a year in the US alone. They are made worse by a high-tension, high-adrenalin, low-sleep lifestyle, according to a growing number of medical researchers.
A study done by the National Sleep Foundation and Harvard University found that half of all drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel at least once. Every day, 250,000 motorists nod off at some point while driving. This is a direct cause of over 1,500 vehicular deaths and 40,000 traffic injuries annually. These facts don’t include many thousands of other accidents caused by the symptoms of sleep deprivation, including those caused by drowsy or inattentive persons operating machinery or performing other tasks.

The purpose of sharing these facts with you isn’t to keep you awake or raise your stress level even more. It’s to alert you to just how important it is to get as much quality sleep as possible. Now that you know the facts, here’s a look at one of the most effective ways to get better sleep each night.

Give Yourself Time to Wind Down

Like those old-fashioned watches mentioned earlier, we each have an internal “spring” that governs how fast we run. As long as it’s tightly wound, our rest will do us little good, but we can change things by coaxing it into winding down a bit, reducing our stress levels, and helping sleep to come gently, naturally, and sooner than it otherwise would. Here are some tips for how to do this:

Set a time at the end of your day to sit or lie down. Ideally, it should last an hour or two, and you should do whatever you can to allow yourself that much time. Alter your schedule, readjust your priorities, or even let go of some commitments if you can; find a way to make it part of your daily life, if at all possible.
If you can’t afford that much time no matter what you try, then still have a winding down period at day’s end, even if it’s only a few minutes.
Use the time to do something that’s both pleasurable and relaxing. Country folks used to sit on the front porch and sip lemonade after the daily chores were over. You might choose to do so yourself. Or you might opt for a cup of herbal tea and some light jazz on your music player. All that matters is that it slows you down and calms any tensions you might feel.
To enhance the calming effect, try some relaxation exercises. Tense your muscles then let go, paying attention to the way they feel as they go loose and limp. Take several long, deep, very slow breaths, keeping your eyes closed at the same time.
A special note about watching TV: it might go along great with your wind-down time. Then again, it might not. Do what works for you, but avoid the news and shows with fast-paced or violent content. Otherwise, your adrenalin response might kick in, and you’ll defeat the purpose you’re trying to achieve.
Give your daily winding down ritual enough time to take effect and become a habit. It might be weeks before your body responds, but eventually, it will pick up on the signals you’re sending it and start relaxing on cue.

These ways to get better sleep may be hard to follow at first, but the results will be worth the effort. People who make purposeful relaxation a part of their lifestyles enjoy greater levels of physical and mental health, and as a whole, they also enjoy longer lives. Also, despite what you might think, they actually get more done during their working hours than those who don’t relax as much as they do. Their bodies and minds work faster, with enhanced concentration, emotional stability, and other qualities that can assist you, no matter how you earn your pay.

Having the Right Sleep Environment is Very Important

If you’re having trouble getting the sleep you need, then part of the problem might be the surface you lie down on every night. An uncomfortable regular or adjustable bed mattress can turn what should be blissful slumber into a painful or frustrating experience. So take a few minutes to browse our line of affordable, top-quality products. Read the reviews, compare prices, and contact us with any questions you might have. Then place your order using our secure online form, and get ready for the rest of your life with Parklane products.