A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

 Even minimum loss of sleep can affect mood, energy and the ability to deal with stress situations. Ignoring sleep deprivation can lead to road traffic accidents, poor health, impaired concentration, and stress in relationships. There are various different types of sleeping disorders ranging from insomnia, one of the most common types, to sleep apnoea a potentially life-threatening condition. Regardless of which type of sleeping disorder one has, it is possible to break the vicious circle in a gentle way …

Male pharmacy customer: Hello.
PTA: Hello.

Do you speak English?
Yes, a little. How may I help you?

I’ve been having problems sleeping and a friend of mine recommended that I go to a pharmacy for advice.
Good idea! When you said sleeping problems what did you mean exactly?

I wake up in the middle of the night and it takes me ages to get back to sleep. Because of this I get tired and irritable during the day.
That could be a sign that you have a sleeping disorder. It might also indicate that your normal sleeping pattern has been disturbed in some way.

Such as?
Such as jet lag, working shift, and having the wrong bedroom climate. Things like your laptop, or Smartphone or having a TV or radio in the bedroom don’t help either.

Well I certainly don’t have jet lag! And I don’t work shifts. What about bedroom climate?
The temperature should be between 16 and 18 °Celsius, there should be fresh air, but not cold air. And the room should be dark.

I see. What about TV, Smartphone and co.?
Studies have shown that having any type of electronic device in the bedroom can lead to sleeping problems. People who have a TV in the bedroom tend to watch TV longer than they would in the living-room. There’s also the danger of “just checking” my mails, or sending a few messages on my phone before going to sleep. There’s the additional problem of falling asleep with the TV on.

Why? What’s so bad about that?
Sleep is regulated by light. If you have an additional light source in the bedroom, such as a TV that’s left on, or the leds on your laptop, they are going to interfere with your sleep. You see, at night when there is less light, the brain triggers the release of melatonin, which is a hormone that makes you sleepy.

What do you recommend?
I can recommend these valerian tablets.

How often do I need to take them?
Just take one every evening half an hour before going to bed. It really helps if you try to go to bed at the same time every evening, as it helps to get you back into a sleeping rhythm. If your sleeping disorder continues longer than two weeks, I would recommend that you consult a doctor. Here you are.

Thank you very much for your advice. Goodbye.
Bye, bye!

VOCABULARY

lack of Mangel an
affect beeinflussen
mood Gemütslage, Stimmung
sleep deprivation Schlafentzug
impaired beeinträchtigt
relationships (zwischenmenschliche) Beziehungen
life-threatening lebensbedrohlich
regardless of ungeachtet
vicious circle Teufelskreis
advice Rat, Ratschlag
tired müde, ermattet
irritable gereizt, reizbar
pattern Muster
disturbed gestört
working shift Schichtarbeit
device Gerät
leds Leuchtdioden
release frei setzen
valerian Baldrian

Den Artikel finden Sie auch in Die PTA IN DER APOTHEKE 05/13 auf Seite 56.

Catherine Croghan, Lecturer in English and native speaker