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For most people falling asleep and staying asleep are parts of a natural process. Good sleepers are likely to have developed certain lifestyle and dietary habits that promote sound sleep. These habits or behaviors – known as sleep hygiene – can have positive effects on sleep before, during, and after time spent in bed. Sleep hygiene is mostly a matter of common sense, but the techniques suggested on this page may help you sleep better on a regular basis. How Does Stress Affect My Sleep? Many sleep problems are directly caused by stress. If you sometimes have trouble sleeping because of stress, you may start to develop certain strategies – such as regular napping, excessive use of caffeine, use of alcoholic beverages at bedtime, working at night, or sleeping at irregular times – to help you cope with a disturbed sleep schedule. Yet once you have eliminated that stress, your coping strategy may have already become a habit, sometimes causing sleep problems to continue. You may find yourself in a cycle of repeated difficulty falling asleep; tension and a fear of sleeplessness can result. Your bedroom, for instance, may become associated with unsuccessful attempts to sleep and with tension and anxiety. This may lead you to sleep on a sofa or in a chair because you are no longer able to sleep in your bedroom. This phenomenon, termed conditioning, may respond to the advice on this page. How Does Diet Affect My Sleep?
Nicotine. Nicotine is another stimulating drug that interferes with sleep, and nicotine withdrawal can also disrupt sleep throughout the night. Cigarettes and some drugs contain substantial quantities of nicotine. Smokers who break the habit, once they overcome the withdrawal effects of the drug, can expect to fall asleep faster and wake up less during the night. “A comfortable bed in a dark quiet room is the best setting for a good night’s sleep” Alcohol. One of the effects of alcohol is a slowing of brain activity. When taken at bedtime, alcohol may help induce sleep at first, but will disrupt sleep later in the night. If you have a “nightcap” before bed, you may have awakening s during the night, nightmares, and suffer early morning headaches. For more sound sleep, you should avoid alcoholic beverages within four to six hours of bedtime. Meals. Eating a full meal shortly before bedtime can interfere with the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, as can heavy meals eaten at any time of day or foods that cause stomach upset. A light snack at bedtime, however, can promote sleep. Milk and other dairy products consumed with carbohydrates like crackers, are especially good as bedtime snacks. “Eating a full meal shortly before bedtime can interfere with the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep” What Other Factors Effect My Sleep? Environment. A comfortable bed in a dark, quiet room is the best setting for a good night’s sleep. Some people seem to adjust easily to changes in sleep environment, but others (such as insomniacs and the elderly) can be easily disturbed by small changes in sleep surroundings. If you find light a problem, try using blackout curtains or spot lighting. If noise keeps you awake, try using background sound (“white noise”) or earplugs. Sometimes, even the bedroom clock can keep you from sleeping. The more you know what time it is and how much time you may have already lost or how much time you still have to sleep in the morning, the worse you’ll sleep. Many people have found it is better to set an alarm clock for when to get up, then hide the alarm clock in a dresser drawer across the room. Sleeping without time pressure is much easier than counting the minutes lost or those you have left.
What Can I Do To Sleep Better? Distract Your Mind. Lying in bed frustrated because you cannot fall asleep, and trying harder and harder to fall asleep, will never help you sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, try distracting your mind by reading, watching a videotape (not television, because that gives you the time), listening to a book on tape, etc. For some people, it is good to do this in bed; other people find a different room better. Curtail Time in Bed. Most insomniacs stay in bed longer than they should. This makes sleep more shallow and riddled with awakenings. Many people find that consistently cutting off time spent in bed helps them sleep more soundly and leads to a more refreshing sleep. Managing Stress. As mentioned earlier, the stress that stems from common life situations often contributes to sleep problems. A relaxing activity around bedtime can help relieve tension and encourage sleep. Taking some time to think clearly about your problems and propose a few solutions can have a positive effect on your sleep quality. Talking with a trusted friend or colleague to “air out” troubling issues also can be helpful. Relaxation exercises, meditation, biofeedback, and hypnosis are sometimes good methods for controlling sleep problems. These techniques should be learned from a psychologist, physician, or other healthcare professional. “If you have a tendency toward insomnia, exercise and other types of daytime activity may help you sleep better.” Designating “Worry Time”. Another technique that can be helpful to designate a particular time for worry. This time is dedicated to sorting out problems and coming up with possible solutions. Set aside 30 minutes in the evening to sit alone and undisturbed. Try writing down problems in a list. Write your more serious worries on 3 x 5 cards, where you write one worry as it comes to mind (one per card). When you have all of your worries written down, sort the cards into three to five piles, according to the priority of each worry. Next, look at each card and formulate a possible solution to that worry. While not all worries will have easy solutions, even small progress in remedying a worry can yield helpful results. The morning after recording your worries, review the worry cards and begin to work on resolving the worries you’ve identified. Good sleep hygiene can improve people’s sleep. Use the information provided above as well as the information [/Here/] to help improve your sleep. If you suffer from sleeplessness for four to six weeks, and you have tried modifying your sleep and daytime habits, as described earlier, it’s time to consider seeking help from a healthcare provider or an expert in sleep disorders. Courtesy of American Academy of Sleep Medicine (http://www.aasmnet.org) |  |
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