Things you need to know to have that good night sleep

According to the National Institutes of Health, insomnia affects more than 70 million Americans.

While hours of sleep per night have become the standard recommendation, everyone is different. Some people truly do not need that much sleep, whereas some people need more than 8 hours. You can determine for yourself if you’re well rested if the following apply to you:

• You wake up without an alarm clock;

• You usually do not sleep late on weekends;

• You’re not falling asleep during boring or sedentary activities (i.e. watching television, boring meetings or lectures)

Many things contribute to being sleep-deprived, including your dietary habits, your daily routine/schedule, and your sleeping environment. If you’ve determined that you are not well-rested, it’s time to start developing good sleeping habits for yourself.

During the Day:

• Get regular exercise. Be cautious of exercising within 2-3 hours of going to bed; this can make it harder for you to fall asleep.

• Say no to caffeine. Your sleep can be particularly affected when you have caffeine later in the day.

• Avoid naps. Napping later in the afternoon or evening can disrupt your body’s sleeping pattern and make it more difficult to fall asleep when bedtime arrives. If you do need to nap, opt for a short 10-20 minute nap; longer than 45 minutes can make you feel drowsy.

• Turn off the TV. Research has found that children and teenagers who watch more television have greater difficulties falling and staying asleep.

At Night:

• Establish a regular bedtime. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time each day. Your body works well when it has a set routine.

• Relax! Often our brains are racing with things that happened during the day or our to-do lists for the following day. Try building in relaxation rituals such as a warm bath, massage, hot tea (decaffeinated), or reading a book.

• Don’t spend too much time in bed. Only spend as
much time in bed as you’d actually spend sleeping. You can’t force your body to sleep more by staying in bed longer and can actually make the bed turn into a source of wakefulness and frustration.

• Avoid alcohol and nicotine. Although you may initially feel drowsy from consuming alcohol, when your blood alcohol level drops, your sympathetic nervous system is activated. Therefore, if you don’t avoid alcohol completely, make sure you wait at least one hour per drink before gong to bed. In addition, nicotine stimulates your bodily systems like caffeine, so it should be avoided.

Natural Sleep Aids

There are some herbal remedies that can help if you aren’t eager to use prescription or over-the-counter medications (most experts do not advocate long-term use of sleep aids of any kind).

• Hops – a British plant used to flavor beer that can cause sleepiness. The recommendations are to take this herb 1-2 hours before bed as a pill or in a cup of tea.

• Valerian – an herb commonly used in traditional medicine as a sedative. It appears that it is more effective in alleviating mild anxiety or stress (often triggers for sleeping difficulties) than treating insomnia itself.

• Melatonin – a hormone produced by the body during times of darkness and causes sleepiness. This process is interrupted by travel, time zone changes, stress, working night shifts, age, or increased light exposure. It is not recommended to take melatonin long-term; short-term use should be no more frequently than every other night (ideally every third night) at the lowest dose possible (0.3 mg a few hours prior to bed); higher doses of 2 to 5 mg can cause nightmares.

Even “natural” herbal remedies are merely providing a band-aid fix for sleep problems. If you’re finding that you are using sleep aids regularly, it’s time to seek professional help from a qualified healthcare provider.

Sources: Better Sleep Council; National Sleep Foundation; Kelly Rice, “Insomnia”, Today’s Health & Wellness (September/October 2005), National Health & Wellness Club.