Well-planned strategies are
essential to deep, restorative sleep you can count on, night after night. By
learning to avoid common enemies of sleep and trying out a variety of healthy
sleep-promoting techniques, you can discover your personal prescription to a
good night’s rest.
The key, or secret, is to
experiment. What works for some might not work as well for others. It’s important
to find the sleep strategies that work best for you.
The first step to improving the
quality of your rest is finding out how much sleep you need. How much sleep is
enough? While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most
healthy adults need at least eight hours of sleep each night to function at
their best.
Getting in sync with your
body’s natural sleep–wake cycle—your circadian rhythm—is one of the most
important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep
schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you will feel
much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at
different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only
an hour or two. Consistency is vitally important.
§ Set a
regular bedtime. Go to
bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired,
so that you don’t toss and turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when
it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, help
your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments, such as 15
minutes earlier or later each day.
§ Wake up
at the same time every day. If
you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If
you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, you may need to set an earlier
bedtime. As with your bedtime, try to maintain your regular wake–time even on
weekends.
§ Nap to
make up for lost sleep. If you
need to make up for a few lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than
sleeping late. This strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt without
disturbing your natural sleep–wake rhythm, which often backfires in insomnia
and throws you off for days.
§ Be smart
about napping. While
taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it
can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating
napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty
minutes.
§ Fight
after–dinner drowsiness. If you
find yourself getting sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do
something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the
dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you
give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble
getting back to sleep.
Discovering
your optimal sleep schedule
Find a period of time (a week
or two should do) when you are free to experiment with different sleep and wake
times. Go to bed at the same time every night and allow yourself to sleep until
you wake up naturally. No alarm clocks! If you’re sleep deprived, it may take a
few weeks to fully recover. But as you go to bed and get up at the same time,
you’ll eventually land on the natural sleep schedule that works best for you.
Tip 2: Naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle
Melatonin is a naturally
occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your
sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production is controlled by light exposure. Your
brain should secrete more in the evening, when it’s dark, to make you sleepy,
and less during the day when it’s light and you want to stay awake and alert.
However, many aspects of modern life can disrupt your body’s natural production
of melatonin and with it your sleep-wake cycle.
Spending long days in an office
away from natural light, for example, can impact your daytime wakefulness and
make your brain sleepy. Then bright lights at night—especially from hours spent
in front of the TV or computer screen—can suppress your body’s production of
melatonin and make it harder to sleep. However, there are ways for you to
naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle, boost your body’s production of
melatonin, and keep your brain on a healthy schedule.
Increase light exposure
during the day
§ Remove
your sunglasses in the
morning and let light onto your face.
§ Spend
more time outside during daylight. Try to take your work breaks outside in sunlight, exercise
outside, or walk your dog during the day instead of at night.
§ Let as
much light into your home/workspace as possible. Keep curtains and blinds open during the day, and try to move your
desk closer to the window.
§ If
necessary, use a light therapy box. A light therapy box can simulate sunshine and can be especially
useful during short winter days when there’s limited daylight.
Boost melatonin production at
night
§ Turn off
your television and computer. Many
people use the television to fall asleep or relax at the end of the day, and
this is a mistake. Not only does the light suppress melatonin production, but
television can actually stimulate the mind, rather than relaxing it. Try
listening to music or audio books instead, or practicing relaxation exercises.
If your favorite TV show is on late at night, record it for viewing earlier in
the day.
§ Don’t
read from a backlit device at night (such as an iPad). If you use a portable electronic device to read, use an eReader
that is not backlit, i.e. one that requires an additional light source such as
a bedside lamp.
§ Change
your bright light bulbs. Avoid
bright lights before bed, use low-wattage bulbs instead.
§ When
it’s time to sleep, make sure the room is dark. The darker it is, the better you’ll sleep. Cover electrical
displays, use heavy curtains or shades to block light from windows, or try a
sleep mask to cover your eyes.
§ Use a
flashlight to go to the bathroom at night. If you wake up during the night to use the bathroom—as long as
it’s safe to do so—keep the light to a minimum so it will be easier to go back
to sleep.
If you make a consistent effort
to relax and unwind before bed, you will sleep easier and more deeply. A
peaceful bedtime routine sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time
to wind down and let go of the day’s stresses.
Make your bedroom more sleep
friendly
§ Keep
noise down. If you
can’t avoid or eliminate noise from barking dogs, loud neighbors, city traffic,
or other people in your household, try masking it with a fan, recordings of
soothing sounds, or white noise. You can buy a special sound machine or
generate your own white noise by setting your radio between stations. Earplugs
may also help.
§ Keep
your room cool. The
temperature of your bedroom also affects sleep. Most people sleep best in a
slightly cool room (around 65° F or 18° C) with adequate ventilation. A bedroom
that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality sleep.
§ Make
sure your bed is comfortable. You
should have enough room to stretch and turn comfortably. If you often wake up
with a sore back or an aching neck, you may need to invest in a new mattress or
a try a different pillow. Experiment with different levels of mattress
firmness, foam or egg crate toppers, and pillows that provide more or less
support.
Reserve your bed for sleeping
and sex
If you associate your bed with
events like work or errands, it will be harder to wind down at night. Use your
bed only for sleep and sex. That way, when you go to bed, your body gets a
powerful cue: it’s time to either nod off or be romantic.
Relaxing
bedtime rituals to try
§ Read a
book or magazine by a soft light
§ Take a
warm bath
§ Listen
to soft music
§ Do
some easy stretches
§ Wind
down with a favorite hobby
§ Listen
to books on tape
§ Make
simple preparations for the next day
Your daytime eating and exercise
habits play a role in how well you sleep. It’s particularly important to watch
what you put in your body in the hours leading up to your bedtime.
§ Stay
away from big meals at night. Try to
make dinnertime earlier in the evening, and avoid heavy, rich foods within two
hours of bed. Fatty foods take a lot of work for your stomach to digest and may
keep you up. Also be cautious when it comes to spicy or acidic foods in the
evening, as they can cause stomach trouble and heartburn.
§ Avoid
alcohol before bed. Many
people think that a nightcap before bed will help them sleep, but it's
counterintuitive. While it may make you fall asleep faster, alcohol reduces
your sleep quality, waking you up later in the night. To avoid this effect,
stay away from alcohol in the hours before bed.
§ Cut down
on caffeine. You
might be surprised to know that caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten to
twelve hours after drinking it! Consider eliminating caffeine after lunch or
cutting back your overall intake.
§ Avoid
drinking too many liquids in the evening. Drinking lots of water, juice, tea, or other fluids may result in
frequent bathroom trips throughout the night. Caffeinated drinks, which act as
diuretics, only make things worse.
§ Quit
smoking. Smoking
causes sleep troubles in numerous ways. Nicotine is a stimulant, which disrupts
sleep, plus smokers experience nicotine withdrawal as the night progresses,
making it hard to sleep.
If
you’re hungry at bedtime
For some people, a light
snack before bed can help promote sleep. When you pair tryptophan–containing
foods with carbohydrates, it may help calm the brain and allow you to sleep
better. For others, eating before bed can lead to indigestion and make sleeping
more difficult. Experiment with your food habits to determine your optimum
evening meals and snacks.
If you need a bedtime snack,
try:
§ Half a
turkey sandwich
§ A
small bowl of whole–grain, low–sugar cereal
§ Granola
with low–fat milk or yogurt
§ A
banana
You’ll also sleep more deeply
if you exercise regularly. You don’t have to be a
star athlete to reap the benefits—as little as 20 to 30 minutes of daily
activity helps. And you don’t need to do all 30 minutes in one session. You can
break it up into five minutes here, 10 minutes there, and still get the
benefits. Try a brisk walk, a bicycle ride, or even gardening or housework.
Some people prefer to schedule
exercise in the morning or early afternoon as exercising too late in the day
can stimulate the body, raising its temperature. Even if you prefer not to
exercise vigorously at night, don’t feel glued to the couch, though. Relaxing
exercises such as yoga or gentle stretching can help promote sleep.
Do you find yourself unable to
sleep or waking up night after night? Residual stress, worry, and anger from
your day can make it very difficult to sleep well. When you wake up or can’t
get to sleep, take note of what seems to be the recurring theme. That will help
you figure out what you need to do to get your stress and anger under control
during the day.
If you can’t stop yourself from
worrying, especially about things outside your control, you need to learn how
to manage your thoughts. For example, you can
learn to evaluate your worries to see if they’re truly realistic and replace
irrational fears with more productive thoughts. Even counting sheep is more
productive than worrying at bedtime.
If the stress of managing work,
family, or school is keeping you awake, you may need help with stress
management. By learning how to manage your time effectively, handle stress in a
productive way, and maintain a calm, positive outlook, you’ll be able to sleep
better at night.
Relaxation techniques for
better sleep
Relaxation is beneficial for
everyone, but especially for those struggling with sleep. Practicing relaxation techniques before bed is a great way to wind
down, calm the mind, and prepare for sleep. Some simple relaxation techniques
include:
§ Deep
breathing. Close
your eyes, and try taking deep, slow breaths, making each breath even deeper
than the last.
§ Progressive
muscle relaxation. Starting
with your toes, tense all the muscles as tightly as you can, then completely
relax. Work your way up from your feet to the top of your head.
§ Visualizing
a peaceful, restful place. Close
your eyes and imagine a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for you.
Concentrate on how relaxed this place or activity makes you feel.
It’s normal to wake briefly
during the night. In fact, a good sleeper won’t even remember it. But if you’re
waking up during the night and having trouble falling back asleep, the
following tips may help.
§ Stay out
of your head. The key
to getting back to sleep is continuing to cue your body for sleep, so remain in
bed in a relaxed position. Hard as it may be, try not to stress over the fact
that you’re awake or your inability to fall asleep again, because that very
stress and anxiety encourages your body to stay awake. A good way to stay out
of your head is to focus on the feelings and sensations in your body.
§ Make
relaxation your goal, not sleep. If you find it hard to fall back asleep, try a relaxation
technique such as visualization, deep breathing, or meditation, which can be
done without even getting out of bed. Remind yourself that although they’re not
a replacement for sleep, rest and relaxation still help rejuvenate your body.
§ Do a
quiet, non-stimulating activity. If you’ve been awake for more than 15 minutes, try getting out of
bed and doing a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book. Keep
the lights dim so as not to cue your body clock that it’s time to wake up. Also
avoid screens of any kind—computers, TV, cell phones, iPads—as the type of
light they emit is stimulating to the brain. A light snack or herbal tea might
help relax you, but be careful not to eat so much that your body begins to
expect a meal at that time of the day.
§ Postpone
worrying and brainstorming. If you
wake during the night feeling anxious about something, make a brief note of it
on paper and postpone worrying about it until the next day when you are fresh
and it will be easier to resolve. Similarly, if a brainstorm or great idea is
keeping you awake, make a note of it on paper and fall back to sleep knowing
you’ll be much more productive and creative after a good night’s rest.
A disrupted sleep schedule
caused by working nights or irregular shifts can lead to sleepiness in the work
place, affect your mood, energy, and concentration, and increase your risk of
accidents, injuries, and work-related mistakes. Shift workers tend to suffer
from two problems: sleeping at home during the day and staying awake at work
during the night. To avoid or limit these problems:
§ Limit
the number of night or irregular shifts you work in a row to prevent sleep deprivation from mounting up.
If that’s not possible, avoid rotating shifts frequently so you can maintain
the same sleep schedule.
§ Avoid a
long commute that
reduces sleep time. Also, the more time you spend traveling home in daylight,
the more awake you’ll become and the harder you’ll find it to get to sleep.
§ Drink
caffeinated drinks early in your shift, but avoid them close to bedtime.
§ Take
frequent breaks and use them to move around as much as possible—take a walk, stretch, or even exercise if
possible.
§ Adjust
your sleep-wake schedule and your
body’s natural production of melatonin. Expose yourself to bright light when
you wake up at night, use bright lamps or daylight-simulation bulbs in your
workplace, and then wear dark glasses on your journey home to block out
sunlight and encourage sleepiness.
§ Eliminate
noise and light from your bedroom during the day. Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask, turn off the phone, and use
ear plugs or a soothing sound machine to block out daytime noise.
§ Make
sleep a priority at the weekends or on your nonworking days so you can pay off your sleep debt.
If you’ve tried the tips above
and are still struggling with sleep problems, you may have a sleep disorder
that requires professional treatment. Consider scheduling a visit with a sleep
doctor if, despite your best efforts at self–help, you are still troubled by
any of the following symptoms:
§ Persistent
daytime sleepiness or fatigue
§ Loud
snoring accompanied by pauses in breathing
§ Difficulty
falling asleep or staying asleep
§ Unrefreshing
sleep
§ Frequent
morning headaches
§ Crawling
sensations in your legs or arms at night
§ Inability
to move while falling asleep or waking up
§ Physically
acting out dreams during sleep
§ Falling
asleep at inappropriate times
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