Chicagoist explains the virtues of Sleeptracker Pro to a reader that has trouble waking up during the cold winter months.

“Actually, if you like gadgets, we love this little gizmo called the Sleeptracker. It’s a watch you wear at night that tracks your sleep patterns. You input what time you want to be up by, and a window of time that you’ll permit the watch to wake you in (so 30 minutes before the alarm time, for example), and the watch will wake you anytime in that window that you enter into the lightest phase of your sleep cycle.”

Read the rest of the review as Chicagoist tells a sleepy reader how to wake up with the Sleeptracker Pro.

According to GadgetGrid the Sleeptracker Pro Wakes You Up Refreshed.

“Sleeptracker is ideal for anyone who wants to wake up alert and ready to start the day…”

Read more of what GadgetGrid has to say about Sleeptracker Pro.

Teens are often associated with moodiness, which parents typically associate with hormone changes in the body. While this could be a factor, there is also another reason that teens can exhibit erratic behavior – a poor sleep schedule.

It is recommended that teens to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. When teens don’t get enough sleep and are sleep deprived, there some major consequences:

     -Putting limitations on your ability to think, learn, comprehend, concentrate and solve problems. Being sleep deprived
      can cause you to forget important information, such as your homework, important dates, names and numbers.
     -Being at greater risk of getting acne. Not having enough sleep can contribute to face and other skin problems.
     -The tendency to snap and become more aggressive towards your peers, friends, and even parents and siblings.
      Having little sleep leaves many teens impatient with the people around them, including teachers.
     -Establishing an unhealthy diet. Usually when teens are sleep deprived, they not only eat more in general, they tend to
      eat more fried foods and sweets. All of which can lead to significant weight gain.
     -Becoming more reliant on stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, even alcohol.
     -More likely to be a contributing factor in an illness.

Naturally, teen bodies do not get physically tired before 11:00 p.m. Since teenagers require at least 8-9 hours of sleep each night in order to function properly, it is difficult for parents to force their teens to go to bed before 11:00 p.m. What some schools have done is establish a later starting time, which provides an extra hour of sleep each night. It has been shown that attendance rates and enrollment are higher when students have more sleep. Also, teens tend to perform better both in and out of the classroom when they have had a good night’s sleep. By having a sufficient amount of sleep each night, teens are likely to be more attentive, in better moods and be focused with better attitudes; they are less likely to feel drowsy, be depressed, or have to skip class to visit the school nurse.

Next time your teen seems exhibits the above, take a closer look at their sleep schedule – it could the culprit.

About the Expert:
Lee Loree is the inventor and developer of SLEEPTRACKER, an innovative watch device that monitors your sleep patterns throughout the night and continuously looks for the optimum moment to wake you up – waking you refreshed from a light sleep stage. www.sleeptracker.com

We often see it as something that is funny and harmless, but snoring is no laughing matter. Snoring, which is defined as “breathing during sleep with hoarse or harsh sounds as caused by the vibrating of the soft palate,” can actually be a marker of sleep apnea or a risk factor for vascular complications such as hypertension. It may lead to daytime dysfunction due to the fragmented sleep that can result from snoring. Headaches, difficulty in concentration, fatigue and reduced work performance may result from snoring. Snoring can also annoy one’s bed partner, whose sleep quality may suffer due to their mate’s snoring.

Why do we snore?

When you inhale during sleep, your soft palate, uvula, or both, may vibrate against the back of the throat or the base of your tongue, producing the vibration noise we refer to as snoring. The vibration is caused by the fluttering of loose tissue as you breathe, making inhalation more difficult. If you snore, it is a clear sign that your breathing passage is partially blocked, resulting in abnormal breathing. Snoring may be extremely loud or very quiet depending on the amount of air that is passing through the breathing passage and the speed at which the throat is vibrating.

Who snores?

37 percent of adults report they had snored at least a few nights a week during the previous year, according to the National Sleep Foundation’s (NSF) 2002 Sleep in America Poll. In fact, 27 percent said that they snore every night or almost every night. There is also a difference between sexes, with males being more likely than females to report snoring at least a few nights a week (42 percent vs. 31 percent).

What causes snoring?

Snoring may occur due to any of a variety of causes, from the common cold to sleep apnea. Although snoring is often a sign of sleep apnea, most snorers do not, in fact, suffer from the disorder. Obesity and a large neck can contribute to snoring. Drinking alcohol before bedtime may cause people to snore more than usual. Snoring also can be caused by an illness or a sleep disorder.

How can we reduce our likelihood of snoring?

There are several different ways to reduce snoring. Here are some tips for reducing your likelihood of snoring.
     •  One of the most effective ways is by weight loss. Reducing your weight reduces the amount of fat deposits
        in the throat, creating a more spacious airway and usually less snoring.
     •  Using nasal strips to gently open your nostrils during sleep, allowing better nasal breathing.
     •  Sleeping on your side with a pillow under your head is the preferable position to alleviate snoring.
     •  Abstaining from alcohol, which relaxes muscles in the airway, at least four hours before bedtime.
     •  Abstaining completely from smoking, which is associated with nasal congestion.
     •  Ask your doctor for recommendations, so he or she can address your specific snoring situation.

About the Expert:
Lee Loree is the inventor and developer of SLEEPTRACKER, an innovative watch device that monitors your sleep patterns throughout the night and continuously looks for the optimum moment to wake you up – waking you refreshed from a light sleep stage. www.sleeptracker.com

Hello! This month, SLEEPTRACKER wants to provide you some simple tips to help you maximize your quality Zzz’s. Do you live a fairly normal lifestyle, but still find that you have difficulty getting a good night sleep? There are minor adjustments you can make to your daily and evening routine to increase your chances of falling asleep more quickly and sleeping well throughout the night. Once you utilize these tips, use SLEEPTRACKER to track your moments of restlessness throughout the night to pinpoint exactly which lifestyle factors were impacting your sleep the most.

Work It Out
If you are in the habit of regular exercise, good for you! If you save your workouts for the evening, be sure to get your workouts in at least two hours before bedtime. If you exercise too close to bedtime, your body may still be screaming with endorphins, making it difficult to fall asleep.

Eat Early
Our bodies work hard to digest what we put in our stomachs. Try to eat dinner at least three hours before you go to bed, allowing enough time for your body and digestive system to mellow out.

Turn Down the Temperature
While you should experiment with your own comfort level, your room should be on the cooler side, with room temperature at 65 to 70 degrees F. Also important is proper ventilation. If at all possible, try to sleep with the window slightly open. Breathing in circulating air will help your body to breathe deeply and correctly.

Turn Off the Tube
Your brain needs time to wind down from all of the day’s activity. Turn off your TV in the bedroom. Whatever program you have on, your brain with be paying attention to the stimulus of the sound, sight and emotion. It is much easier to fall asleep with calming silence.

Slip Into Something More Comfortable
To get the best night’s sleep, it is recommended that you wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes to bed. Tight and heavy clothing can not only make you hot (waking you up in the middle of the night), but it can also contribute to constricting blood flow to your extremities, waking you with “pins and needles.”

Get a Good Mattress
Since the average person spends nearly one-third of their life in bed, a good mattress is key. A mattress that does not offer enough support for your spine can lead to muscle fatigue and a poor night’s sleep. A good mattress will allow you to maintain the same natural spinal alignment that you have when standing. It is important to turn your mattress frequently to maintain even wear and to give you the best support.