- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." — Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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June 6, 2013
The gift of restorative sleep
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Centuries ago the Greeks understood the importance of the mind/body connection. They recognized that you can't separate spiritual well-being from physical well-being.
Today we know that taking care of your physical health helps you cope better with psychological stress. And a good night's sleep is a key part of the equation.
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If the stress in your life is more than you can cope with, get help right away.
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Overwhelming data demonstrate that when you don't get predictable and restorative sleep, you're more likely to suffer from irritability, anxiety, depression and a number of other health problems, including heart conditions.
So what can you do to get a good night's sleep? Experts recommend:
- Have a relaxing bedtime routine. You can't go full-speed all day and then expect to simply turn off the light and fall asleep. You need to set aside time, at least half an hour, to allow yourself to wind down from the events of the day.
- Maintain a consistent bedtime. Within reason, you should go to bed and wake up on a consistent schedule. If you don't have some major sleep disorder, you can sometimes catch up by sleeping an extra hour or two on a weekend, but don't use that as an excuse to chronically short-change yourself on sleep.
- Keep your sleeping area dark, cool and quiet. If you're in a place where you can't control the light, try this tip: Use padded eyeshades to block out light. If noise is an issue, consider noise-blocking earplugs or headsets.
- Prevent interruptions. Ask family members and roommates to respect your need for uninterrupted sleep. Remind them that sleep is not optional and explain that sleep deprivation can have serious consequences — as witnessed by the number of single car accidents in the early morning hours.
It's become a badge of honor in today's driven society to push the envelope and burn the candles at both ends, but you can only do this so long before you flame out. To protect your quality of life, give yourself the gift of restorative sleep.
Follow me on Twitter (@EdwardCreagan) and join the discussion at #Stress.
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