Whether you get the flu vaccine or not, there is an important measure you absolutely need to consider to stay healthy during the flu season.

 Sleep!

 If you succumb to the seasonal flu or to H1N1, you will be spending a lot of time in bed, sleeping, because this is the way the body does its healing work.

 However, if you wish to prevent getting the flu in the first place, consider getting sufficient sleep during flu season. Sleep supports the body’s immune system and gives us the best chance of dealing with whatever viruses come our way. If you are getting 6 or less hours of sleep on a daily basis, it is important that you start getting between 7 – 8 hours of sleep daily.

 If you are getting vaccinated, remember that sleep on the day of the vaccination, and the day after, are critical for ensuring the effectiveness of the vaccine. This requires that you get sufficient sleep on these days. Without sufficient sleep, the vaccine will not be as effective. You could be wasting time and money if you think that you’ve gotten the vaccination and that’s all you need to do.

Strategies for Health and Well-Being

Get at least 7 – 8 hours of sleep on the day you receive your vaccination.

Avoid overtime that compromises the opportunity for sufficient sleep during flu season.

If you are having a company-wide vaccination day, promote a ‘sleep-in’ for the next day.

What would you do to get a good night’s sleep? If you were Micheal Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith and Heath Ledger, your answer would be “Anything and everything! Addictive! Dangerous! Bring it On!”

Micheal Jackson was like millions of others who experience sleep problems because of the stress and the demands of their work. And like the millions of others, he was desperate to get the sleep that was eluding him.

But unlike others, Micheal’s status and position allowed him to access strategies that go far and above anything that would normally be considered safe. Even Anna Nicole Smith and Heath Ledger didn’t go to the lengths Micheal Jackson did, but they were still consuming multiple drugs in hopes of a good night’s sleep.

Micheal Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith  and heath Ledger may be extreme examples, but they are only three of the millions of people all over the world who are desperate to get a good night’s sleep. Any doctor can attest to the number of daily office visits which centre on  ’sleep’ or ‘insomnia’. Anyone who has ever compiled workplace health data can attest to the high number of respondents indicating that they are tired and would like to sleep better.

Are you desperately seeking sleep? To what lengths would you go to get some sleep?

Hotels are recognizing that stressed and harried travelers appreciate nothing more than a good sleep. Unfortunately, this is often hard to get when one is in unfamiliar circumstances far from home.

Here’s what some hotels are doing to help travellers get a good sleep.

Radisson Hotels have rooms available with ’sleep number’ beds so that you can create the surface that is most comfortable for you, whether you like the mattress hard or soft.

The Hilton Garden Inn offers a ‘garden sleep system’  by Natural Form. This is a self-adjusting mattress that relieves pressure points for a more comfortable sleep.

Most hotels are happy to provide you with a choice of pillows, but you will need to ask.

Estimates suggest that 90% of those with sleep disorders are not diagnosed or treated. Some of the reasons for this include -

Most of us, do not know anything about the value of sleep and its implication for our health.

If we do have a sleep problem, we discount it (everybody’s busy, everybody’s tired).

Or you may be like the person who has been treating symptoms for 25 years, but has never been diagnosed to determine the root of the sleep problem.

More importantly, we don’t tell our physicians about our sleep problems.

If you don’t tell, it’s likely that your physician won’t ask either. The ‘sleep question’ has yet to become a regular part of a medical evaluation.

As a result, people remain undiagnosed and untreated.