Formula for good health: Sleep well

MANILA, Philippines - With the semestral break and the forthcoming commemoration of undas upon us, a lot will take to the road and have out of town vacations. Sadly, it is widely known that fatigue and sleep deprivation have long been the cause of many unfortunate deaths including those of celebrities.

In 2011, 18-year-old actor AJ Perez was the victim of a road accident in Moncada, Tarlac when a passenger bus rammed the vehicle he was riding on the way home from the Bangus Festival. He was sleeping on the side of the van that was directly hit by the bus. Reports say that the bus driver was drowsy and fatigued. In 2002, youthful superstar Rico Yan suffered acute hemorrhagic pancretitis (more commonly known in the Philippines as bangungot). He was only 27 and at the height of his career. Kapuso star Marky Cielo also reportedly died of bangungot on Dec. 7, 2008. Even actor Heath Ledger had long complained about his difficulty sleeping after his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight, part of the Batman series. He complained of sleeping an average of only two hours a night to the New York Times a few months before he died. Heath’s housekeeper, Teresa Solomon said that before the actor died, she saw Ledger on the bed face down with a sheet pulled around his shoulders and heard him snoring.

However, among the sleep-related tragedies, reports show that over 250,000 of these occur on the road annually. Twenty percent of these accidents were reportedly sleep related and 1,500 were fatal.

Sleep deprivation is certainly taking a toll on this generation. Several go on 24 hours without sleep or sleep less than six hours a night. A great chunk of these people complain about the quality of their sleep because of their (or their partner’s) incessant snoring. The reality is clear. The less you sleep, the greater the risk to your life. Here are some ways to sleep well and stay alive.

 Get enough sleep. Part of getting enough sleep is to address your snoring of that of your sleep partner. Snoring disturbs your slumber and also disrupts that of your bedmate.

Data from the National Sleep Foundation show that about 168 million people say that they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy and more than 30 percent have actually fallen asleep on the wheel.

About 11 million drivers actually admit that they figured in accident because they dozed off at the wheel. Using the Antisnor Acupressure Ring the night before your long drive greatly helps. 

The effectiveness of the Antisnor Acupressure Ring, available in selected Watsons stores, is based on the ancient technique of Chinese Acupressure and works by applying pressure to the acupressure point located on the small finger of the left or right hand. Applied only half an hour before bed, the Antisnor Acupressure Ring, which comes in three sizes, puts you into a calmer relaxed state, resulting in a more peaceful night sleep. Simply wear the Antisnor Acupressure Ring to the small finger on the left hand (the left hand is the heart arm) and adjust the ring to a firm but gentle pressure, with the pressure balls on the underside of your hand.

Take short breaks. Fuelling up is not the only reason for those pit stop breaks. Stretch your legs, go to the toilet and have a cup of coffee or a drink that will perk you up. Just go easy on the heavy snacks because a full stomach might make you sleepy.

Take turns at the wheel. Long boring highway drives make you drowsy. The landscape you see is like an unchanging chroma board of a movie and this gives a hypnotizing effect. Make sure that there is more than one able driver among you so that you can take turns.

Pull over. Sometimes the only safe thing to do when you feel drowsy while driving is to pull over and sleep for 10 to 15 minutes.

A memorable vacation or family reunion can start with a good night’s sleep. Antisnor Acupressure is available at selected Watsons Stores nationwide.