Don't Let Holiday Stress Keep You Awake at Night

With Thanksgiving less than a day away, and just a month until Christmas, we're once again reminded how quickly "the most wonderful time of the year" can also become the most stressful.

Family. Finances. A tree in your house. Holiday stressors can feel immense when they all seem to hit at once, and in today's society, it's almost commonplace to simply "give in" to our anxieties keeping us awake at night.

According to a recent article in the New York Times,  Why Sleep Matters, nearly a quarter of Americans don't get enough shut-eye because they're too busy “concentrating on things."

 As commonplace as it may seem, however, losing sleep to stress is unhealthy and counterproductive.

"Lack of sleep can contribute to numerous health issues, including higher prevalence of chronic pain, high blood pressure, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and premature aging," says Carol Ash, D.O., Director of Sleep Medicine for Meridian Health.

In addition to restoring the immune system, sleep is vital to the energy and focus necessary to handling the life's most stressful situations head on. To break the stress-insomnia-stress cycle and get to sleep when your mind is in overdrive, Dr. Ash recommends a few different techniques.

"Find a cause. Studies show volunteering and pro bono work helps create external focus and connects us to others," Dr. Ash says. "These types of commitments help people find purpose and meaning in life, which can help eliminate racing thoughts at night."

"For a more immediate solution, try deep breaths," she adds. "Mindful breathing helps you relax and clear your mind prior to bedtime."

Advice For The Sleep Deprived With Dr. Carol Ash - Power of An Hour Event

"Carol Ash, director of sleep medicine for Meridian Health and a national sleep expert, was the keynote speaker for the event. Ash said sleep deprivation is the cause of many chronic diseases, impairs the immune system, lowers metabolism and leads to stress. She told attendees that people need seven to nine hours of sleep each day to function. "It's important to get the information out to the community about why you need to be getting the sleep you need because we are really dealing with a crisis right now," Ash said. "Sleep is the backbone of your health."Read more from this informative event -- http://www.app.com/story/news/health/sleep/2015/11/07/event-offers-advice-sleep-deprived/75364846/

Power of An Hour Event with Dr. Carol Ash

“Fall back” without falling back

It’s the gift that comes once a year—an extra hour of precious sleep.

You’ll hear few complaints when that biannual agrarian ritual known as daylight savings time comes to a close at 2 a.m., Sunday, November 1.

But if you are truly looking to wake up refreshed with more energy to face the day, you might want to rethink spending that extra hour in bed once the sun comes up.

"There is a clock in your brain. That clock keeps your internal environment in sync with your eternal environment, and the most important signal for that clock is the light," says Carol Ash, D.O., Director of Sleep Medicine for Meridian Health. “That internal clock isn't flexible enough to adjust quickly to the time jump,” she said.

If you truly want to maximize the benefits of that extra hour, the tried and true rules of healthy sleep still apply: Go to bed at a reasonable hour, get the best sleep you can, and get up when the sun comes up.

When it comes to "resetting" that internal clock, Dr. Ash recommends natural, cost effective alternatives to over-the-counter sleep medications, which she calls "short term solutions to recurring problems."

One potential remedy Dr. Ash lists is mindful breathing, an elegant solution for alleviating stress and achieving deep rest.

Dr. Ash adds that by making just a few changes to adapt the right sleep habits, you can create the feeling of having an extra hour not just once a year—but every day.  

On November 7 at The Oyster Point Hotel in Red Bank, Dr. Ash and a team of Meridian Health experts will present “The Power of an Hour,” a morning devoted to helping you sleep better, eat better, stress less, and develop lifelong habits to create a healthier, better-rested you!

Learn more and register for our Power of an Hour event here.

Decoding Your Dreams

Carol Ash, D.O., director of Sleep Medicine for Meridian Health, recently stopped by the Fox & Friends studio to discuss the meaning behind some of our most common dream-time scenarios, including being chased, being cheated on by a partner, and more.

So what do they all mean? Watch Dr. Carol Ash on Fox & Friends below and find out! Be sure to visit MeridianHealth.com/Sleep to learn more about the Meridian Centers for Sleep Medicine.

Test Your Sleep IQ

A healthy night's sleep — we all know we need it, but not all of us get it. When we're under pressure and time is of the essence, it's the first thing we're willing to sacrifice to get the job done. 

Few of us would think twice about burning the midnight oil for the sake of productivity. But at what cost?

How much does a healthy night's sleep really matter? Take the quiz below and find out!

1. Rapid eye movement (REM) is the deepest stage of sleep, when most dreaming occurs. On average, how frequently does REM occur throughout the night? a.)  4 times
   b.)  3 times
   c.)  2 times
   d.)  1 time

Take the rest of the quiz here!

Top Truths from Our Most Trusted Sleep Celebrity

When pearls of lifestyle advice are dropped by pop culture's most elite, whether that be Gwyneth Paltrow or Beyonce, people take notice. (Did you know Emmy Rossum is "a huge napper?" Think about it.)

We thought we'd follow up this Huffington Post collection of nine celebrity sleep quotes with a few of our own, courtesy of Meridian Health Director of Sleep Medicine, Carol Ash, D.O.

• "Stay hydrated. And Al,  I know you ride your bike to work, be careful going home. Don't run anybody over."
  - to Al Roker, before his record setting "Roker-thon" 
  attempt for the longest uninterrupted weather forecast
  
  


• "Lack of sleep can contribute to numerous health issues, including higher prevalence of chronic pain, high blood pressure, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and premature aging."



• "The number-one mistake people who can't sleep make is turning to over-the-counter medications. These pills don't target the problem - and can even make it worse." 


•  "Whatever you do, don't ignore the snore."


•  "Can't sleep? Find a cause. Studies show volunteering and pro bono work helps create external focus and connects us to others. These types of commitments help people find purpose and meaning in life, which can help eliminate racing thoughts at night."


•  "Sleeping Beauty had it right. Get enough sleep, and you'll be amazed by the effects it'll have on your appearance."


•  "Take a deep breath. Mindful breathing helps you relax and clear your mind prior to bedtime."