Idaho in good shape with sleep health

Obesity and other chronic conditions can be traced back to a lack of sleep or sleep disorders.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we’re supposed to get 7 hours of sleep.

It’s as simple as not watching too much t-v, staying off your cell phones before you sleep, and drinking less caffeine.

According to an article from the CDC, Idaho comes in at 69 percent of people getting 7 hours of sleep or more

Nurse practitioner Gus Blad of the Portneuf Medical Center, says these are the things to keep that number on the rise.

“Dim the lights, don’t watch tv, don’t read a book, it’ll help out with that good sleep hygiene,” said Blad.

But some states are not as lucky when it comes to catching z’s at night.
Blad says it can because some states can be more in the fast lane with activities. Perhaps an active night life, stress, or being a college student.

“If you’re cramming, pulling an all-nighter every once in a while – that’s fine. Every night though, is going to affect you. Some stuff that has been shown with poor sleep is, slower cognitive function, not being able to think as clearly, high blood pressure, blood sugars, restless legs…”

And the list goes on. But at PMC, Blad deals with many people who have sleep disorders because of similar health problems.
One problem can lead to another and vise-versa without having enough sleep.

“In my practice, i see a lot of people with sleep disorders is, that they’re sleeping fine. But they’re not recognizing hey maybe my blood pressure is out of control because i’m not sleeping enough. Or another words, maybe they’re not getting good oxygen. And that to me is always surprising at how much that can make a difference,” said Blad.

He recommends evaluating your daily routine and see what the problems may be that causes sleep deprivation.

On average, about 65 percent of adults nationwide reported a healthy night’s sleep.