Rest Up and Stress-Proof Your Holiday Schedule

Marygrace Zetkulic, M.D.
Hackensack University Medical Center

Thanksgiving is behind us, and with just over a month until Christmas, the "most wonderful" (and "most nerve racking")  time of year is in full swing. 

Family. Finances. A tree in your house.

Our holiday to-do list can feel immense when it seems to hit us all at once, and it's commonplace to simply accept our anxieties keeping us awake at night. 

As routine 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. In addition to restoring the immune system, adequate sleep  is central to maintaining energy and focus, which are essential for keeping a cool head when confronting holiday stress.

In this time of giving, make sure to give yourself what you need to keep from feeling overwhelmed and stay well rested into the new year.

Here are some tips from Marygrace Zetkulic, M.D., director of Medical Education in the Department of Medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center, to cope with and avoid holiday stress:

• Discuss plans in advance. If you can’t be with one branch of the family for the holidays, breaking the news early can prevent hurt feelings. If you have a child returning from college, don’t focus entirely on his or her visit. This can help prevent the January letdown.
• Don’t feel you have to perform every holiday activity. Give yourself permission to let some things slide, like that seven-step holiday recipe. Feeling hassled by housework? Ask a friend to help you bake or decorate, then return the favor.
• Don’t budge on your budget. Small, thoughtful gifts can bring great delights and prevent post-holiday financial woes.
• Don’t do all your heavy lifting at the mall. Try to move your body every day. Give yourself the gift of a yoga class or exercise video.
• Have a strategy for handling family get-togethers. For example, plan your polite-but-firm response to that nosy relative with the knack for asking uncomfortable questions.
• Find a volunteer opportunity or reach out to a relative or neighbor who needs assistance.

“Even if only for a few hours, volunteering can take the focus off your own holiday tasks and remind you how good it feels to help others,” adds Dr. Zetkulic.

Feeling Sleepy? Here are 4 Tips for a Sound Night's Sleep

Adrian Pristas, M.D.
Corporate Medical Sleep Director
Hackensack Meridian Health

When your daily routine involves waking up early, putting in a full day at work, running errands, cooking dinner and tucking everyone in to sleep before finally hitting the pillow yourself, feeling fatigued seems unavoidable.

While a busy schedule may be a given, being exhausted shouldn’t be. You’ve probably heard the analogy about how you have to take care of yourself first before you can most effectively take care of anyone else. But how can you do that when you have so much going on? One word: sleep.

GETTING THOSE QUALITY Z’S
“Not getting consistent or enough sleep can affect your daytime functioning, including your ability to deal with unexpected, changing situations and distractions,” says Adrian Pristas, M.D., Corporate Medical Sleep Director, Hackensack Meridian Health. “It also impacts your capacity to evaluate risks. You want all of that in tip-top working order, which means you need restful sleep. These four small tips can have a big impact on making that happen.”

■ Keep your room like a cave. You want it to be quiet, dark and cool — somewhere between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for most people. Stay away from alarm clocks that give off a sleep-disrupting light.

■ Develop a sleep routine. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Yes, even on the weekends. That can be difficult, but it will help keep your internal body clock on schedule.

■ Set a sleep mood. Having a bedtime ritual can signal your brain and body that it’s time to unwind. Maybe it’s drinking a cup of herbal tea, practicing a breathing exercise or putting a hot water bottle at your feet, which dilates your blood vessels and pushes your body toward an optimal temperature.

■ Limit caffeine consumption. Caffeine even six hours before bedtime was found to significantly hurt sleep in a recent study. Similarly, alcohol is a stimulant; it’s recommended that women have no more than one drink a day, and not too late in the evening.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEING A LITTLE TIRED?
About a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep (at least seven hours per night), and the number has only been growing over the past 20 years. There’s no doubt that pressure to be a do-it-all mom exists, but make sure doing it all involves getting your 40 winks. Sleep deprivation can lead to an increased risk for:

■ Cardiovascular disease
■ Some cancers, such as breast and colorectal cancer
■ Car accidents
■ Work-related injuries

Dr. Pristas advises, “If you’re struggling with sleep, see your doctor, who might refer you to a sleep specialist. Everyone deserves a night of sweet dreams.”

Did You Know?
About one-third of the population has trouble sleeping. To find a location where you can seek treatment from our board-certified sleep medicine physicians, visit HackensackMeridianHealth.org/Sleep.

Adrian Pristas, M.D., Medical Director of Meridian's Sleep Medicine Program, hits the WOBM airwaves

Adrian Pristas, M.D., Medical Director of Meridian's Sleep Medicine Program, now part of the Hackensack Meridian Health family, hit the WOBM airwaves recently to talk about how a good night’s sleep is important for maintaining overall health and well-being.

During the interview, Dr. Pristas was asked how someone might distinguish the occasional poor night's sleep from a potentially serious sleep issue posing legitimate health concerns.

"Everyone is allowed about 15 minutes after waking up in the morning to feel a little grumpy, groggy. But in general, you should wake up in the morning feeling pretty good," Dr. Pristas says. "You should be waking up most days feeling alert and well rested. If you're not; if you're consistently tired throughout the day or find yourself nodding off in the afternoon, that could be a red flag."

To learn more about Meridian Centers for Sleep Medicine, please visit MeridianWellRested.com or call 844-GetURZZ.

From A to ZZZZZ: Dr. Ash Visits TODAY to Launch Sleep Awareness Week

In honor of the National Sleep Foundation's annual Sleep Awareness Week, a seven-day celebration of sleep health kicking off for 2016 on March 6, Carol Ash, D.O., Director of Sleep Medicine for Meridian Health, dropped by TODAY to help answer the question, "What's keeping you awake?"

According to Dr. Ash, upwards of 60 to 80 percent of Americans aren't getting the essential seven hours of sleep per night - the minimum needed to avoid long-term health consequences.

So what is keeping us awake at night? According to Dr. Ash, the answer could be right outside your window.

"There was a study recently done at Stamford, which looked at 16,000 people over eight years," says Dr. Ash. "They found that those living in communities of 500,000 people or more found it much more difficult to get the sleep they need."

So... what's the solution? Watch Dr. Ash's TODAY segment below to find out.

Dr. Ash on Steve Harvey Show: Biggest Mistake Made by People Seeking Sound Sleep

What is the NUMBER ONE mistake made by people in their efforts to get a better night's sleep? On a recent visit to The Steve Harvey Show, Meridian Health Director of Sleep Medicine Dr. Carol Ash answers this question - and helps a woman who hasn't had a full night's rest in more than five years!

Dr. Carol Ash on Fox's Shepard Smith Show discussing long-term affects of sleep loss

Dr. Ash Visits Dr. Oz

Does caffeine really keep you up at night? Will going to bed earlier really help you sleep better? Watch as Dr. Ash visits with Dr. Oz to set the record straight.

Improve Mind, Body and Relationship By Sleeping Separately

He likes it cold; she likes it hot. She's a mover and a shaker; he's down for the count.

Opposites may attract, but when it's time to call it a night, some differences come at a cost.

It sounds extreme, but on an episode of "The Doctors," Dr. Carol Ash discussed how sleeping separately from your partner could provide a healthier night's sleep all around.

Dr. Ash discussed findings from a study that found people who sleep alone tend to get a better night's sleep - as over 50% of those surveyed blamed their mates for their sleep disturbances.

Researchers add that relationships and overall health can improve dramatically when couples opt to sleep separately.

So what does Dr. Ash have to say? Is "divide and conquer" an option worth considering for couples not getting adequate sleep?
 

 "We think of sleeping apart as taboo and something we should never do," Ash says. "But the truth of the matter is, sleep is so important,  if that is what you have to do to get a good night's sleep, then, yes, it is."

Watch the full segment below and decide for yourself.