Is there a wrong way of sleeping

�

Q. Often when I wake I find my hands or shoulders numb, asks djtaz.

A. The numbness is usually�caused by pressure on the nerves which block the messages from the skin to the brain. It's usually accompanied by a burning sensation and pins and needles (paraesthesia) and is usually temporary. If it happens a lot, check with your GP to make sure everything's OK. Usually, however, it just means your sleep is disturbed.

�

Q. How much sleep do we need
A. It varies - some can manages on five hours a night, others need 12. Most of us have around seven hours, but up to a fifth of adults at any one time complain that they do not get enough sleep.

�

Q. Why do you sometimes have difficulty sleeping
A. Sleep specialist Professor Colin Espie of Glasgow University says that even small changes in people's moods can affect the way they sleep. New babies aside, the most common reasons for sleeplessness are:

• temporary problems - such as a strees�or a family crisis
• anxiety, when you worry about everything
• stimulants, such as tea, coffee, cola, nicotine and alcohol
• food - too much too late at night
• illness, especially depression but also anything which causes pain, itchiness, sweats and having to get up frequently to urinate

Q. ...and snoring bed partners
A. True. There's a condition called sleep apnoea, which usually affects middle-aged men - typically overweight. Sagging muscles in the palate and throat obstruct the air passages, causing snoring or even partial suffocation. It causes the snorer and sleeping partner to have a very disturbed night. The British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association claims that there are around 3.5 million sufferers and suffering partners in the UK alone.�

�

Q. What's the best way to ensure restful sleep
A. Don't doze off on the sofa - save it up until bedtime. Make your room as quiet and dark as you can. Air your room during the day, or have some ventilation at night. Have a warm, milky drink. Exercise during the day helps sleep come more easily, too.

�

Q. What happens when we don't get enough sleep
A. We get grouchy and anxious and have trouble concentrating and performing simple tasks. Lack of sleep is so serious that two or three days without it and we start hallucinating. However, one good sleep sorts everything out again.

�

If you have a question to ask Body & Soul, post it here.

�

By Sheena Miller