BROKEN SLEEP UPS RISK OF HEART ATTACK, STROKE
Using Bathroom at Night Could Signal Trouble

CONTACT:  Dora Mekouar 
(703) 447-9705

Are you having trouble sleeping at night?  If so, you could be one of millions of Americans suffering from a sleep condition that not only makes you feel tired and grumpy, it could also be taking a damaging toll on your health. Researchers find people who do not sleep well run a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and other diseases. 

Leading national sleep specialist Dr. Barry Krakow explains why.

“When you sleep at night, your blood pressure is supposed to drop,” says Dr. Krakow, author of “Sound Sleep, Sound Mind 7 Keys to Sleeping through the Night”.  “When you have a sleep disruption at night, you wake up on some level. It's like speeding up your nervous system all night long, when it should be slowing down. This causes your blood pressure not drop like it normally would.” Elevated blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke and other illnesses.  

Dr. Krakow says sleep breathing or movement conditions, insomnia, poor sleep quality, nightmares, sleep walking and other inappropriate sleep behaviors could be the underlying problem.  And most of the people suffering from these disorders  are oblivious to it. But there is a key clue many people overlook: getting up to use the bathroom even just once a night.

“A sleep breathing condition makes the kidneys work too hard because it causes the heart to release a natural diuretic into the body's blood stream,” says Dr. Krakow. “That diuretic stimulates the kidneys to make more urine, so you wake up to use the bathroom.” Dr. Krakow says millions of people mistakenly blame  bladder or prostrate problems, drinking too much water or their medications for the problem when – in reality – a sleep breathing condition is often the culprit.

Dr. Krakow has been studying people's sleep patterns for 20 years and has developed a unique do-it-yourself seven-step program that targets the mental, emotional and physical causes of sleep problems. He outlines this drug-free, natural, mind-body approach in his book, “Sound Sleep, Sound Mind: 7 Keys to Sleeping through the Night”.  

“Our patients tell us they have been set free by it,”  says Krakow. “It's incredibly empowering for them  mentally and physically and helps put them on the road to better health.”
 
“Sound Sleep, Sound Mind 7 Keys to Sleeping through the Night” explains that people who suffer from insomnia or poor sleep must address both psychological and physical factors to solves their sleep problems. It will show you how to fall asleep faster, wake up fewer times at night and how to fall back asleep more quickly if you do wake. Your reward will be enhanced physical and mental health as well as better concentration and an improved mood.

For more information on identifying and treating sleep disorders and their effects on physical health, Dr. Krakow is available for in-person interviews Sunday, May 4 through Thursday, May 8. He is also available for phone interviews.

Dr. Barry Krakow is a Silver Spring native. He is Medical Director for Maimonides Sleep Arts & Sciences and founder of both the Nightmare Treatment Center (www.nightmaretreatment.com) and www.sleeptreatment.com. In addition, Dr. Krakow's works have been published in numerous medical, psychiatric and sleep journals. Dr. Krakow has also appeared on ABC's 20/20, CBS's Sunday Morning and CBS's Early Morning shows.

CONTACT:  Dora Mekouar:  (703) 447-9705
  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ring Group & Associates
6870 Elm Street, Suite 100   McLean, VA 22101