Staying up too late, getting up too early, and tossing and turning all night can wreck your health. Sleeping is as critical to good health as diet and exercise. If you don’t get enough, you may develop serious health conditions over time.
At Viva Wellness Medical Group in San Diego, California, we take restorative sleep seriously and encourage all of our patients to get at least seven hours of solid sleep every night. If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, don’t turn to medication. We have a drug-free solution that can help you slumber peacefully without the risk of side effects or dependency.
Here, Dr. Michael Tachuk and our team review the benefits of sleep, the consequences of sleep deprivation, and a quick and safe solution in the form of vitamin injections.
The science of sleeping
When your head finally hits the pillow at the end of the day, your body goes through a complete overhaul. From the time you switch from wake to sleep mode to the time you get up in the morning, you go through several cycles of sleep, and each cycle has two distinct types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement.
Non-REM sleep
The first stage of non-REM sleep is when you doze off. You enter Stage 2 when your mind settles and slows down. During these stages, you may awaken easily.
Finally, you enter Stage 3, a deep sleep that occurs when your brain activity slows significantly and your body begins to recover and repair. It’s more difficult to awaken a person in this stage of sleep.
REM sleep
In Stage 4 of sleep, your brain activity increases and nearly matches the same level as when you’re awake. This is the stage where dreams occur. Your heart rate and breathing also increase. After this stage, you repeat the process starting with Stage 1.
Most people complete 4-5 sleep cycles per night. If you don’t sleep long enough to complete these cycles, it short-circuits your body’s restorative process and affects your cardiovascular and endocrine systems, leading to physical and mental performance issues.
Sleep disorders
Various conditions can lead to sleep problems, including excess stress and chronic pain, and several sleep disorders known for preventing or disrupting sleep. Although there are about 80 types of sleep disorders, the most common are:
- Insomnia: trouble going to sleep or staying asleep
- Obstructive sleep apnea: blockage of the airway that stops your breathing and causes your body to partially wake up to gasp for air
- Central sleep apnea: brain disorder that temporarily stops breathing
- Restless legs syndrome: an irresistible urge to move the legs, which disrupts sleep
- Narcolepsy: uncontrollable sleep and wakefulness throughout the day
Whatever is ruining your sleep, whether it’s a health condition or a choice, it can lead to learning disabilities, memory impairment, depression and anxiety, personality changes, heightened risk for accidents, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
How to get better sleep
If you have trouble sleeping, you can give yourself an advantage by practicing a few practical tips:
- Establish a regular sleep schedule
- Exercise every day
- Make sure you get plenty of natural light
- Avoid artificial light and electronic devices a few hours before bedtime
- Wear blue light glasses if you spend a lot of time in front of a computer
- Don’t go to bed right after eating or drinking
- Keep your bedroom calm, quiet, cool, and dark
Getting plenty of vitamins and minerals in your diet can also help you sleep better. It may surprise you to learn that about one-third of the US population is deficient in at least one essential vitamin, and many people are lacking up to five nutrients, including iron. These deficiencies lead to several health issues, including and exacerbated by sleep problems.
However, the answer isn’t in a supplement you find on the shelf at your local drugstore. It’s a vitamin injection you get here at Viva Wellness Medical Group.
Dr. Tachuk customizes a formula to address your specific deficiencies. He may recommend a quick vitamin injection to introduce the much-needed nutrients directly into your bloodstream, rather than going through your digestive tract first where they may not be absorbed efficiently. This is especially important because our digestive function decreases as we age.
Specifically, vitamin D, the B vitamins, and iron can address some causes of sleeplessness. Our vitamin injections can also boost your energy during the day so you have what it takes to get enough exercise. Correcting nutrient imbalances can also reduce chronic pain and help you lose weight, two more factors that can make it difficult to sleep.
To find out if you’re a good candidate for vitamin injections, call us or book an appointment online to meet with Dr. Tachuk. Getting a good night’s sleep may be only a shot away.