When we hear the word technology, we immediately think of its negative effects on our health including our sleep. It is easy to get lost for hours on end when we are engaged on our tech gadgets, whether it is a handy smartphone, a multifunctional laptop or PC, or an equally addictive game such as Xbox or PlayStation. However, has it ever occurred to you that you can use technology to your advantage? It might seem incredulous to you especially if you have only seen the dark side of technology that has enslaved the human race but there are actually good technologies that help promote good health and uphold normal and healthy living for one and all.

Have you heard of sleep technology? Well, it simply means the way it is, a technology used to enhance sleep and promote sleep health. They range from small high-tech devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers that monitor and regulate sleep to amazing bed and pillow technologies that can transform the entire sleeping experience. It is high time we do our body good and limit our exposure to dangerous blue light by supporting technologies that help us enjoy sleeping once more and enable us a higher awareness of ourselves so we don’t just easily fall prey to more common tech distractions that are …

Parents of toddlers often encounter this scenario where, out of the blue, their little one just stops taking naps. They’ll lie in their crib, play with their fingers, babble away to themselves, but just refuse to go to sleep.

So what gives? They’re obviously tired and still in need of a daytime nap, so why won’t they close their eyes and get some rest?

I’m happy to tell you that this situation is almost always temporary and fairly easy to get through with the right information, which I’ll provide for you in this week’s video.

Rather read than watch? Click here.

from http://twitter.com/doctorpark…

from http://twitter.com/doctorpark…

We may have achieved so much in terms of innovation and advancements but we are still clueless on how to completely eradicate many maladies that make life hard for all of us at one point or another. We have a lot of things going in that 24 hours each day is no longer enough for us to finish everything every single day. While we celebrate at the seeming non-existence of boredom anymore, there are things that pose a new threat, one that is far bigger and more deadly than getting bored of our wits for hours on end. Our addiction to technology has opened up a whole new world of possibilities and helped keep us entertained 24/7 but it has also deprived us of precious sleep. As a result, we get on with our days with only the minimum number of hours of sleep and it is seriously messing up with our health and well-being.

Chronic lack of sleep and several other sleep-related disorders and issues have prompted the popularity of sleep clinics. Of course, there is a demand for their services, a big one at that. People really have difficulty falling and staying asleep. And even if they do, it isn’t as fitful or as rejuvenating as it should be.

Now, with the demand for sleep clinics continuing …

I remind people all the time, the easiest way to improve the quality of your sleep is physical exercise. But what type, how much etc. are all questions that need some better answers. This past week the journal of the Sleep Research Society (Sleep) published a study looking at how exercise impacts sleep in middle age and older adults (yup, that’s now me!). Here is what we learned. Physical activity across an entire day that falls into the 500-1500 MET is best for sleep.

What is a MET? I am glad you asked: It stands for Metabolic Equivalent. Every type of physical activity has a MET, which is a measure of how much energy it takes to complete. The MET is based on how many milliliters of oxygen a person consumes per kilogram of body weight while doing any specific activity. One MET is roughly equal to the amount of energy it takes to sit still. You can find the MET of over 800 different activities in The Compendium of Physical Activities, a resource provided by The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

As an example, sitting and reading this article equals 1 MET, stationary bike riding is 7 METS/ Min so you use 7x the amount of oxygen when riding a bike as you do sitting and reading.…

Sleep is not just a luxury but a necessity for us to be healthy and live a long life. You can’t keep on abusing your body by depriving of precious sleep that does a lot of wonders in rejuvenating the body and expect yourself to be of optimal health all the time. There are many curative properties that only sleep can offer. If you are in doubt, go argue with science because they make the rules. Unfortunately, sleep quality and quantity has been deteriorating in recent years because of our obsession with technology. Instead of calling it a day and tucking yourself to bed and doze of the dreamland, you are still up and about going over nonsense things that you never thought mattered to you before until smart technology and social media happened.

It is not nice to constantly lose sleep. If it is your own choice to give up this divine gift, then it is time to change your ways now while you still can but if not, then don’t hesitate in getting yourself checked. There are certain medical conditions that make sleep impossible, not only for yourself but to the person next to you. Sleep apnea is the first thing to come to mind because apparently, many people complain about it, which does not come as …