The $2 hack for the “best sleep ever”
It is no secret that many Aussies live their lives sufficiently sleep-deprived.
According to the Sleep Health Foundation’s 2016 Sleep Health Survey, up to 45 per cent of the country suffer from inadequate sleep.
However, one holistic health specialist Dr Ron Ehrlich has revealed the trick that could solve a major sleeping problem.
The author of A Life Less Stressed said that a $2 roll of tape could be the answer to getting the “best sleep of your life”.
He recommends using paper-thin micropore tape, which is sold at most chemists, to tape your mouth shut before going to sleep.
Dr Ehrlich says that this trick will “retrain” your body to breathe properly, causing sleep to dramatically improve.
“Noses are for breathing, and mouths are for feeding, talking and smiling,” he said.
“When you breathe through your nose, it warms, humidifies and filters the air before taking it into the lungs. When you breathe through your nose you also have five levels of filtration.
“If you breathe through your mouth you bypass the first four and put a lot more strain on your tonsils and respiratory system. Mouth breathers are predisposed to a whole range of allergies, asthma and infections.”
Dr Ehrlich also says the sleeping hack improves bladder health by encouraging the production of nitric oxide.
One of the benefits of nitric oxide is improving bladder function, improving sleep for those who have the tendency to wake in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
“There has been great research which has shown (the tape) has very positive affects on sleep so there’s no reason not to use it,” he said.
The $2 sleep hack also benefits other areas of life, including physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
“Without a doubt sleep is the most important part of everybody’s day — it is our own built-in life support system and it has been described as the Swiss Army knife of health care because it improves hormone balance, metabolism, emotional stability, libido, ageing, inflammation and your immune system,” he said.
“Better sleep also leads to better concentration, performance, memory, mood, productivity, enjoyment, engagement and it reduces absenteeism — you name it.
“The key is in getting consistent good sleep and prioritising it.”
Dr Ehrlich said Aussies should be getting between seven and nine hours of sleep every night.
“It’s not enough to have your head on a pillow for eight hours every night — you also have to sleep well,” he said.
Have you ever tried this sleeping trick before? If so, share your results in the comments below.