Sleep hygiene advice by top sleep specialists in Singapore
From sleep positions to insomnia, experts reveal how to get the best quality of sleep. Time to hit the sack!
Text: Tiff H
Sleep is one of the most important things we do for our health, yet despite it involving the simple task of just closing your eyes and dosing off, the act of snoozing comes with myriad problems. A 2019 study found that Singapore was the third most sleep-deprived nation in the world behind Japan and India, with a dire lack in both quantity and quality of sleep.
In the same study, a massive 81% of respondents from Singapore stated that they wanted to improve their sleep hygiene. In order to do so, we’ve become a nation packed with people experimenting with a variety of methods including regulating their bedtime and wake up time, turning off electronics an hour before bed, and reducing their intake of caffeine. Indeed, there’s a wealth of good reasons to want to improve your sleep —according to neuroscientist Matthew Walker, it can even save your life.
So, for the sake of our mental health, happiness and eye bags The Soothe spoke to the city’s top sleep specialists including Dr. Paul Mok and Dr Lau Hung Tuan from My ENT Specialist, Dr Lee Yeow Hian from Lee Respiratory and Sleep and Evelyn Woo-Becker from SleepKraft Sleep Consulting for their advice on getting good shut-eye. Here’s their advice.
What easy lifestyle changes can we all make to improve sleep hygiene?
Dr. Lee: Allow sufficient time to wind down and relax prior to going to bed; if the mind is active from recent stimulation it is difficult to ‘down gear’ and initiate sleep. Avoid using gadgets prior to bedtime; the blue light as well as the stimulation makes it difficult to drop off. Lastly, have a fixed wake up time to help regulate your sleep schedule.
What are the most common myths about sleep?
Dr. Lau: Snoring is just a social nuisance but it isn’t harmful’. Whilst most of us have snored at some point in our lives, frequent or regular snoring may not be as harmless as it’s commonly perceived. It can be a tell-tale sign of a sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), especially if it’s associated with excessive daytime sleepiness or gasping/choking episodes at night. Do consult your GP if you are worried.
We usually associate snoring with deep sleep. Is this correct?
Dr. Lau: It’s true to some extent. Snoring can be more pronounced during the deeper stages of sleep as our body’s muscles are more relaxed. However, snoring can exist in any stage of sleep, not just deep sleep. It’s a sound generated due to increased resistance in your upper airway, resulting in vibrations of the soft tissue.
How can you reduce snoring?
Dr. Lau: In my practice as a sleep surgeon, we have various devices and surgical options to help those with severe sleep apnea. Devices include a sleep position pillow, jaw advancement night guard, and a positive airway pressure machine. Upper airway surgery can be minimally invasive or more extensive, depending on our goals of treatment. It’s important that treatment is well-selected, individualised and well-explained so that the goals and expectations of all parties are aligned.
Why do we wake up tired if we sleep late, even if we sleep for a solid amount of time?
Dr. Lau: Our drive to sleep is regulated by two systems — sleep/wake homeostasis and our body’s internal clock, known as our circadian rhythm. Sleep/wake homeostasis is the body’s restorative way of balancing how long we need to stay awake or asleep. The longer we stay awake, the sleepier we feel. When we sleep later than usual, we can disrupt our natural circadian rhythm and this shift can lead to us waking up tired, in spite of sufficient hours of rest.
Is it possible to induce more REM (deep) sleep?
Evelyn: Yes, it is. Get more exercise, sleep at regular times, drink small amounts of calming and soothing tea prior to bedtime that contain valerian root and chamomile. Reduce the intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
Dr. Lee: Whilst alcohol can make you sleepy, it reduces your amount of REM sleep and causes frequent awakenings in the night.
Does your sleeping position affect your sleep?
Dr. Lau: Yes. Firstly, position can affect how well we breathe. In numerous studies on patients with OSA, we realised that about 30% of sufferers have position-related sleep apnea where their breathing is better when lying on their sides or face down, compared to lying on their backs. Secondly, comfort during sleep is very important. Someone with shoulder or neck pain may experience discomfort and hence receive poorer sleep quality when laying on their affected side.
Credit: EASMED
Are sleep trackers actually helpful?
Evelyn: A good sleep tracker can help to provide statistical data which you would not otherwise have known. You can find out what’s your optimal time to sleep and achieve the best quality of sleep to harness the full restorative power of your body and wake up refreshed.
Dr. Lau: They’re helpful in providing some insights. Most sleep trackers work by using technology which tracks rest/activity cycles via movement. To me they provide a ‘guesstimate’ of general sleep information such as sleep pattern, total sleep time and time taken to fall asleep in a non-invasive manner. Hardware and software have advanced so rapidly, some trackers can now even record heart rate, snoring events and loudness level.
Is it better to sleep with the air conditioning on or off?
Evelyn: The ideal temperature to sleep is between 22 to 24 degrees Celsius for adults and 24 to 26 degrees for babies and children. Sleeping with continuous air conditioning may induce the onset of certain sinus issues in the morning, as air-conditioning alters the natural state you should be sleeping in. Ideally, cool the room down before bed and use a fan.
Dr. Lee: It’s important that the sleeping environment is comfortable. This includes the temperature of the bedroom as well as the amount of ambient light and sound. Sleeping with or without air-conditioning would depend on the temperature that you’re comfortable with.
Led by ENT specialists Dr Paul Mok and Dr Lau Hung Tuan, My ENT Specialist is a ENT and sinusitis clinic in Singapore. Dr Paul Mok is an accredited and internationally recognised ENT Head & Neck Surgeon in Singapore with vast clinical experience spanning over 20 years. Apart from general ENT conditions, Dr Mok also has a special interest in the sub-specialty fields of Voice, Swallowing and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Dr Lau Hung Tuan is an accredited, international fellowship-trained Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist in Singapore. Dr Lau has special interest in the sub-specialty field of Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA).
The Lee Respiratory and Sleep Clinic is a specialist clinic located in Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, providing comprehensive diagnosis, assessment and treatment for various respiratory, medical and sleep conditions. Dr. Lee Yeow Hian is a Consultant Chest and Sleep Physician and a Specialist in Intensive Care Medicine currently practicing in the Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre.
SleepKraft Sleep Consulting was founded in 2019 by Evelyn Woo-Becker, with the aim to help families believe in sleep again. She obtained a Certification in Maternity & Child Sleep Consulting, offered by the International Parenting & Health Institute, based in California, USA.
The Air Station is Singapore’s leading and largest distributor of world-class continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) technology, and a one-stop solution for all Sleep Health needs, from diagnostic to therapy. They provide ground-breaking innovations in sleep therapy at affordable prices to help you have a restful night.
