| How to Sleep Better Feb 8th 2013, 00:00 Getting a good night's sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health and well-being. Adequate sleep gives your body time and energy to recover from the day's stresses, and helps you to stay sharp and focused throughout your day. If you've already figured out how to fall asleep, but you're having trouble getting good sleep through the night (i.e., you're tossing, turning, waking up more than once), this article will explain what you can do to ensure a peaceful night's slumber! Making the Bed Welcoming - Make your bedroom a haven. Keep the clutter and chaos of everyday life at a minimum in your bedroom. Keep the textures soothing and inviting, and the light warm and saturated. Get the best sheets you can afford, too: the more comfortable your bed and bedroom are, the more conducive they are to a restful sleep.
- Maintain your mattress. Replace it after five to seven years of regular use. If you feel springs or ridges beneath the surface when you're lying on the bed, or you and your partner tend roll to the middle of the bed (unintentionally), it's time to go mattress shopping.
- You may also find that the mattress is to blame if you find yourself sleeping better in another bed.
- Check out the new technology. The newer types of mattresses that allow for adjustment or that mold around you may help you get a better night's sleep.
- One type of mattress lets you adjust the firmness of your bed, individually, for both you and your partner. This is ideal if you can never agree on which mattress feels "right". You may both have different needs, and trying to find one you will both like generally means finding a mattress that neither of you will get a good night's sleep on.
- Another type of mattress uses "memory foam," which molds to the contours of your body as it warms up. This leaves no "pressure points" to cause numbness, irritation or other physical issues. This is especially useful for those with bad hips or other joints.
- Sleep in a different position. Changing your sleeping position can make a huge difference in the quality of your sleep. You may think that it's impossible to control what position you sleep in since you aren't fully aware of what you're doing, but it is possible to change. And it can make a considerable difference to how you sleep and feel upon waking. When you go to sleep, or if you wake up in the middle of the night, make a conscious effort to follow these guidelines until it becomes habitual:
- Keep your body in a "mid-line" position, where both your head and neck are kept roughly straight. Don't use a pillow that's too skinny, and causes your head to tilt down toward the mattress. Likewise, don't stack your pillows so that your head is propped at an angle.
- Place a pillow between your legs if you sleep on your side. This will support your hips and make this position more comfortable.
- Place a pillow under your legs if you sleep on your back.
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach. It's difficult to maintain the proper position, and it is more likely to cause aches and pains. If you wish to sleep on your stomach, put your pillow under your hips instead of under your head.
Moderating your Diet - Keep an eye on your evening diet. Allow at least three hours after you eat before bed time: digestion slows down at night, and a full stomach may interrupt sleep. The heavier the meal, the longer it takes for your stomach to settle.
- Avoid going to bed on an empty stomach. A completely empty stomach may interfere with your sleeping patterns just as much as going to bed stuffed.[1]
- If you find that your stomach is grumbling for food and is keeping you awake, have a light snack about an hour before bedtime. Avoid foods high in carbohydrates or sugar, but foods like turkey, yogurt, soy beans, tuna, and peanuts contain tryptophan, which can help the body produce serotonin in order to relax.[2]
- Switch to decaffeinated coffee. Avoid black teas, cocoa, and caffeinated soda, especially in the evenings. Caffeine can keep you awake even if you drank it earlier in the day, as its effects can last up to 12 hours. Avoid tobacco products in the evenings as well.
- Don't drink and sleep. Try to avoid drinking water or other fluids one hour before you go to sleep, but make sure you drink at least two liters of water during the day.
- A well-hydrated body will not wake you up thirsty in the middle of the night, but drink a big glass of water just before bed, and you will be up in the middle of the night to "de-hydrate."
- Skip that nightcap. While alcohol will make you feel sleepy, it will also reduce the quality of your sleep as your body processes the alcohol and sugars. Alcohol tends to produce broken, shallow sleep (even if you don't notice the periods of waking during the night), which does not refresh.[3]
Setting the Stage for Sleep - Lower the lights an hour before bedtime. As the evening works its way towards bed time, start lowering the overall light level in your home. Your body can't tell the difference between "bright light" and "daylight" for purposes of regulating your sleep.
- A darkening room tells your body that sleep time is near, and it will start producing the hormones that aid in falling asleep, and staying asleep.
- Turn out the lights. When it's finally time to hit the sack, keep the room as dark as possible. Exposure to light during the time you're supposed to be sleeping can disrupt your body's internal clock. It's one of the primary clues to the body that it's either sleep time, or waking time. This has been documented in studies surrounding circadian rhythms.[4]
- If you must have light in the room—–for example, you're in an unfamiliar house and you don't want to use the braille method for finding your way to the bathroom at 3 a.m.—–use a very dim night light. Pull the blinds down or shut the shutters to prevent outdoor lights, or the full moon, occasionally, from shining in. If you wake up and see any kind of bright light, you'll have a much harder time falling back asleep.
- Try to eliminate all other sources of light. This includes windows, LED clocks, computer lights, cable boxes, and all those other devices with blinking, glowing lights and LEDs. You can cover them with heavy paper, cloth covers, masking tape, or just unplug them. Not only will you get a good night's sleep, you'll save electricity.
- If you must have a light at some point in the night, red lights will not affect your night vision. Pilots flying at night use flashlights with red lenses so that their night vision isn't destroyed by white light.[5]
- For a truly soothing evening, prepare for bed, then put on some ambient music, and instead of incandescent lights, light several candles in your living room and in your bedroom. For the last 15 minutes to half an hour, practice meditation, focusing on relaxing your body. When it's time, extinguish the candles as you make your way to the bedroom. Your home will get progressively darker until the last candle is extinguished.
- Add a splash of sound. Use a white noise generator that generates various soothing sounds—–surf, wind, steam—–these are sounds that have no shape, and they can help your brain to de-focus on right now.
- White noise has been shown to not only help people fall asleep more quickly, but also it can disguise other noises that may wake you during the night.[6]
- Repetitive or ambient music is very good for falling asleep. What's especially important is that there be no dramatic shifts in the dynamics of the music. Ambient music, such as that produced by Brian Eno, is ideal.[7] Just be sure that the music stops or fades out in about an hour, or it could keep you from experiencing really deep sleep.
Exercising Your Body to Relax Your Mind - Exercise regularly. If you have a sedentary job, a lack of physical exertion may contribute to reducing the quality of your sleep. The human body uses sleep to repair and recover. If there isn't much from which to recover, your body's sleep cycle could be disrupted.[8]
- The best time to prepare for a good night's sleep is the first thing in the morning.
- A day of physical exertion (such as taking a run or a swim) or better yet, regular exercise, can make for deeper and more restful sleep. To add in exercise where it doesn't feel like it, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk instead of catching the bus, and so forth.
- Don't exercise right before bed to help you get to sleep; while it tires out your muscles, it also boosts your heart rate and causes you to feel even wider awake. Give your body time to cool down, and for you to rehydrate, so consider about two hours before bedtime as an absolute cutoff for exercise.
- Take a deep breath. Many outside factors can contribute to overall sleep problems, including stress, certain illnesses, or short-term post-traumatic stress. Have there been any recent events or changes that have been troubling or otherwise preoccupying you? This issue may be following you subconsciously and interfering with your sleep.
- If the issue itself cannot be addressed or resolved directly, consider employing relaxation techniques such as meditation.
- Medical help is recommended for mental illness, post-traumatic stress, ongoing distress caused by insomnia, anxiety, etc.
- Get on schedule. Varying your sleeping times by more than an hour can severely disrupt your sleep quality by breaking your circadian rhythm, and advancing the sleep phase.
- For example, if you normally wake up at 6 a.m. on weekdays to get to work, you might get to bed around 10 p.m., because that's when you start to feel sleepy (and it's also a good time to ensure 8 hours of sleep. If, on the weekend, you sleep in until 9 a.m., your body will likely not be ready to sleep again until 1 a.m.
- Your body loves routine; erratic sleeping sessions will interfere with your internal biological clock, either leaving you tired during the day, or wide awake in the middle of the night.
- Take a nap. For some people, and depending on work and your daily routine, a very short rest in the afternoon (the Spanish call it a siesta) could help alleviate the drowsiness some people experience during the day. But make sure not to oversleep!
- When you feel the need for a nap (should your job allow), set your timer for 15 minutes. If you're ready for a nap, you'll be asleep in a minute or two. When the timer goes off, don't snooze! Have a glass of water, and jump back into work. You will feel much more refreshed—–even more so than if you had slept for an hour.
Medication for Better Sleep - Try melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in your brain. The pineal actively converts serotonin to melatonin when it is dark, but when light is present it does not do so, and the melatonin oxidizes back into serotonin.
- Artificial lighting—including computer or television monitors, and the ubiquitous tablet—can interfere with the synthesis of melatonin.[9]
- Supplementing with melatonin pills is a natural way to induce sleep, especially if you are physically tired at night but are still unable to fall asleep.
- Try plain antihistamine products that cause drowsiness. These are safe when taken "without extra ingredients"—–i.e. no pain relievers, decongestant, expectorant, etc., but only for a night or two, as tolerance to them quickly builds.[10] They are not recommended as a long-term, ongoing solution––merely as a way to "kick start" you back into a good routine of regular bedtimes, relaxation techniques and managing stress.
- Read the labels to know what you're getting into. Try half or less of the usual dose so that you don't end up with a "sleeping pill hangover," which will only make your sleep situation worse.
- Be lying down in bed when your drowsiness kicks in.
- If you use prescription drugs, check with your doctor before taking anything else. Never blindly mix medications: with the wrong combination, you could end up mixing medications blindly.
- Tell your doctor if you are concerned that you might have a sleep disorder. Some of the most common sleep disorders are insomnia, narcolepsy, parasomnias, and heartburn (acid reflux). If you are indeed suffering from and are diagnosed with any of these conditions, your doctor will recommend treatment accordingly.
Loving Sleep - Enjoy your sleep. Being in good physical condition, with the right nutrition, and regular meditation will not only help you get a good night's sleep, it will help you in all walks of life. When you regularly get a good night's sleep, those walks will be many!
- Don't sleep too long. Shoot for 8-9 hours of sleep, because if you get too much or too little, you will be grouchy and tired the next day. Listen to your body too––each person's perfect length of sleep varies, so pay attention to what amount of sleep leaves you feeling your best and stick to it.
- Wear appropriate clothing that reflects the weather. Don't forget your feet—–cold feet can keep you awake! Keep a sweatshirt or an extra blanket right next to the bed, just in case you get too cold at night. Feeling too hot? Learn how to sleep comfortably on a hot night. Feeling too cold? Learn how to sleep when it's cold.
- If you have an electronic alarm clock, dim it if you can, turn it around, or, even better, cover it over with a blanket or a book. This will stop the light from the clock from keeping you awake, or from wanting to check the time.
- As distressing as not being able to fall asleep may be, bear in mind that it is perfectly normal to experience a period of sleeping difficulties for a whole host of reasons, some perhaps unknown to the person unable to sleep, and that many people overcome insomnia naturally after a short period of time.
- Get off the computer. The stimulation of new information from the Internet keeps your brain awake and buzzing. Being off the computer for an hour before going to sleep will reduce this effect.
- A cup of chamomile tea before you go to bed may help you sleep well.[11]
- A pet in the room can wake you because of its weight, movement, demands for food or being let out. Choose sleep over pet comfort!
- Take a drink with you in case you get thirsty in the night.
- Lovely low music also can help to relax your brain.
- If nothing else works, try listening to peaceful classical music,or the soothing sound of rain.
- Just close your eyes and don't open them under any circumstances and you will wake up the next morning and don't remember falling asleep.
Edit Warnings - Try not to fall asleep with the TV on, as it trains your body to need the noise in order to fall asleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night and find that it's unbearably quiet, you may have difficulty getting back to sleep.
- If you choose to cover sources of light in your room, make sure you don't create a fire hazard. For example, do not cover a source of heat like a light bulb with paper or cloth. If using candles, always blow them out before sleep and never leave them unattended. If you can't be certain you'll remain awake to blow out candles, do not use them at all in your bedroom space!
- Monitor your use of sleep medication (over the counter or not), as such medication can become addictive, leaving you unable to fall asleep without its use. Additionally, the medication's side effects may interfere with your daily routine, as well as reduce your overall sleep quality at night.
- Don't use chamomile tea if you are allergic to ragweed, or are on blood thinners.
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