SCOTTS VALLEY, SANTA CRUZ, CA
Summer is often a season of relaxation, thanks to vacations. However, time off work to rest and unwind is necessary to maintain a balance in life. A crucial aspect of resting is sleeping well. Unfortunately, when you don’t get enough sleep, it affects your body and can cause challenges during everyday activities. Therefore, today on the blog, our Scotts Valley sleep apnea dentists share ways to help you feel more rested this summer. Then, you can return from your trip feeling revived, well-rested, and ready to tackle your to-do list.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Food is a vital component for the health and energy your body needs to conquer the day. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole-wheat bread, steel-cut oats, and quinoa are excellent healthy food sources to provide energy without taxing your body with unhealthy ingredients. Additionally, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, nuts, and other unprocessed foods are staples in a healthy diet. When you consume healthy foods, you protect your oral health, your body functions better, and it can help you rest and sleep easier.
Drink Hot Tea
Hot tea comes in a variety of flavors and brands. However, when searching for tea to help you relax, look for decaffeinated or herbal teas to promote relaxation. Some varieties offer the benefits of stress relief and sleep-inducing mixes filled with antioxidants. However, Santa Cruz sleep apnea dentists caution that adding sugar can increase harmful oral bacteria, and drinking black tea too often can stain your smile. Therefore, enjoy a hot cup of tea before bed and make sure to brush your teeth afterward to keep them pearly white.
Exercise
Studies show the crucial role exercise plays in your body’s ability to sleep. Whether you have a complete exercise regimen every week-day or you walk for 30 minutes per day, physical exertion helps your body rest when it’s time to sleep. Therefore, carve out time from your daily schedule to work on some exercises like running in place, squats, push-ups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks. The more you move, the more tired your body and the easier it is to rest.
Meditation
Clearing your mind through meditation is a common choice for relieving stress and relaxing. Although mediation comes in various forms, beginning your day with focus and clarity can determine your productivity. Leading family dentists in Los Gatos explain that meditation can also help remove stress and calm yourself to a peaceful state. Whether you listen to meditation music, practice deep breathing, pray, or focus on an object in the room, meditation can help relax the tension and promote restful sleep.
Get More Sleep
Summer vacation is a great time to relax and sleep. A helpful tip from Scotts Valley sleep apnea dentists is to schedule a nap or resting period mid-day to rejuvenate your body and mind. Set a sleep schedule where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.
If you’re getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night, but you wake up feeling like you didn’t sleep, you could have a health condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleep-breathing disorder caused when your airway becomes blocked. Sleep specialists only can diagnose sleep apnea, but dentists offer airway screenings in Santa Cruz to determine your need for a sleep specialist diagnosis. However, your condition may be treatable with oral appliance therapy instead of a CPAP machine.
Sleep Apnea in Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, and Scotts Valley, California
Waiting for your summer vacation to recover from sleep deprivation is unnecessary. After a consultation with our Los Gatos board-certified dentists, we can provide treatment options or next steps to help you get more rest this summer. Call Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry at (831) 438-4411 or contact us online to schedule an appointment for your airway evaluation today!
