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ADVERTISING: Advertorial — JONATHON M. SASSER: Sleep: Quality over quantity

| February 26, 2020 1:00 AM

Imagine this: every night when you go to bed you lie awake for hours as your mind races and you even wake throughout the night once you do get to sleep. You may have been exhausted before, but no matter what you do, you can’t seem to get to sleep. Chances are, you don’t even have to try hard to imagine this. And if you don’t have sleep challenges it is all but guaranteed that someone in your immediate circle struggles to get quality sleep. It is estimated that about 30% of adults have difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep.

Although there is a degree of reverence to those who can just power through their lack of sleep, it is well established that our cognitive function suffers in ways that diminish our performance and can even cause us to be unwitting threats to our own and others’ safety. It is also important to understand that even though it is possible to coffee-up and power through, our long-term health suffers when this becomes our norm. Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, obesity and even cognitive decline like Alzheimer’s disease.

The most common response to sleep disorders is simply to take a sleep aid, which in most cases will help you get to sleep. But how many times have you heard someone say they feel great after taking a sleep aid? I usually hear people tell stories of being horribly groggy or even feeling like they have the hangover of a lifetime, but why? It is critical to differentiate quality of sleep from the actual time we spend asleep. Sleep aids go beyond just pills and Nyquil. Other common sleep aids include having a drink, smoking marijuana, or even leaving the TV on for white noise. While these things may help people get to sleep, the real test-piece is to wake up the next morning and ask, “How do I feel?” If you feel groggy and out of it, then chances are the sleep you did get was poor quality, and nearly every one of these common sleep aids actually impairs your ability to get quality sleep.

There are many other ways to promote sleep that will actually increase the quality. The question to ask yourself is, do you just want to sleep, or do you want to learn how to get quality sleep that will help you feel better and be a greater version of yourself?

Sleep problems have a variety of underlying causes. In an upcoming class, 7 Secrets to Getting to Sleep, Staying Asleep & Waking Refreshed, learn the 7 top reasons WHY sleep problems occur, and how to resolve your sleep problems naturally, without drugs. The class is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 11 at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: 208-765-1994 or register here: http://bit.ly/VHSleep2020. It is truly possible to sleep all night and wake refreshed and ready to take on the day. Attend this essential class to learn how.

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Jonathan M. Sasser holds a Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine, is a Licensed Acupuncturist and is board certified in Oriental Medicine by the NCCAOM. He has more than 3,000 hours of training in acupuncture, classical Oriental Medicine, herbal medicine and nutrition.

Additionally, Jon also holds a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine. Jon is a “Health Detective.” He looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Jonathan is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene.

Visit our website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Jonathan, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Jonathan can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.