Sleep Disorders Health Center
This article is from the WebMD News Archive
You May Sleep Less Than You Think
Oct. 15, 2007 -- You may be sleeping for an hour less than you think.
That's according to a new sleep study of 2,113 adults aged 40 and older (average age: 67).
They reported sleeping for an average of seven hours on a typical night. But they actually slept for only six hours when they spent a night hooked up to a sleep-monitoring machine at home.
The morning after the sleep-monitoring experiment, participants still overestimated their previous night's sleep time by 16 minutes. But participants were correct in estimating that it took them 17 minutes to fall asleep, report Arizona State University's Graciela Silva, PhD, MPH, and colleagues.
Self-reported sleep time may not be accurate in other sleep studies, Silva's team concludes.
Their report appears in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Tips for Better Sleep
Want to improve your sleep? These sleep tips may help:
- Avoid caffeine four to six hours before bedtime.
- Don't use alcohol as a sleep aid.
- Relax before bedtime.
- Get regular exercise, but if it revs you up too much at night, exercise in the morning.
- Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and comfortable.
- Don't go to bed hungry or after a heavy meal.
- Don't smoke. Nicotine can hamper sleep.
- If you nap, keep it short.
- Keep pets off your bed.
- Avoid watching TV, eating, and discussing emotional issues in bed.
(How much sleep do you think you're getting each night? Talk about it on WebMD's Health Cafe message board.)
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Important Safety Information
- KAPIDEX may not be right for everyone. You should not take KAPIDEX if you are allergic to KAPIDEX or any of its ingredients. Severe allergic reactions have been reported.
- Symptom relief does not rule out other serious stomach conditions.
- The most common side effects of KAPIDEX were diarrhea (4.8%), stomach pain (4.0%), nausea (2.9%), common cold (1.9%), vomiting (1.6%), and gas (1.6%). KAPIDEX and certain other medicines can affect each other. Before taking KAPIDEX, tell your doctor if you are taking ampicillin, atazanavir, digoxin, iron, ketoconazole, or tacrolimus. If you are taking KAPIDEX with warfarin, you may need to be monitored because serious risks could occur.
Uses of KAPIDEX
- Persistent heartburn two or more days a week, despite treatment and diet changes, could be acid reflux disease (ARD). Prescription KAPIDEX capsules are used in adults to treat heartburn related to ARD, to heal acid-related damage to the lining of the esophagus (called erosive esophagitis or EE), and to stop EE from coming back. Individual results may vary. Most damage (erosions) heals in 4–8 weeks.
Talk to your doctor or healthcare professional. Please see full Prescribing Information for KAPIDEX.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
KAPIDEX™ is a trademark of Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., and is used under license by Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
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