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Good Sleep Habits Necessary
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Improve your sleep habits Americans live in a 24-hour world, and to do all the things we want to do, we tend to skimp on sleep. Having poor sleep habits can lead to impairment in the immune system to fight infection, problems with blood sugar control, poor work performance and changes in blood pressure and heart function. There are a number of ways to improve your sleep habits and increase your chances of getting an optimal night’s sleep. Some are things you may already do in the evening before bed, and others you may have never considered but are just as important. Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Allot seven to eight hours to sleep each night and have a regular bedtime and wake time, even on the weekend. Disrupting regular bedtime schedules can lead to insomnia, and sleeping in on the weekend will disrupt your sleep pattern, making it harder to wake up early on Monday morning. If you are getting an adequate quantity and quality of sleep, you should feel refreshed and ready to perform mental tasks. If you are still tired, you may need to get more sleep, change your sleeping environment, or consider talking to your physician. Have a pleasant sleep environment. The temperature of your room should be comfortable for sleeping. A room too warm or too cold can disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep. Your room should also be dark, quiet and comfortable. If you live in an area that has a lot of ambient noise, having a fan turned on (but not pointed at you) can drown out the noise and help you sleep. Some people fall asleep with a radio or television on, which is a bad habit that can be hard to break. The light and varying volume from the television can disrupt your sleep by causing micro-arousals throughout the night and may lead to full awakenings. If you wake up and see something interesting on, you might stay awake to watch it, losing valuable hours of sleep time. Have a relaxing bedtime ritual. It can be hard to get to sleep at an appropriate hour if you have a lot of different things running through your mind. Having a nightly ritual before you go to sleep can help clear your mind and relax you. For instance, you might take a warm bath or read something easy to put down such as a magazine. You can train your body to associate these things with sleep as you perform your nightly pre-bed ritual. Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. Some people believe that alcohol helps you sleep when in reality, it reduces the quality of sleep. It may help you fall asleep, but alcohol will also cause you to have more fragmented and less restful sleep. Caffeinated beverages can also cause you to have problems falling asleep. Caffeine can stay in your system from six to 10 hours after you consume it. If you depend on caffeinated beverages to keep you going during the day, you should stop drinking them in the mid-afternoon to prevent sleep issues. Smokers can also have problems sleeping. Nicotine is a stimulant and disrupts sleep, and smokers can suffer from nicotine withdrawals during the night, which will lead to a disrupted sleep. Be careful what you eat before bedtime. It is OK to have a snack before bed, but make sure you eat something that will not interfere with your sleep. Foods containing calcium and the amino acid tryptophan (dairy or soy products) can actually help promote sleep. Avoid eating a heavy meal within two to three hours of bedtime, because it can cause acid reflux and interfere with sleep. Stay away from fatty, rich foods and too much liquid. Instead, have granola with yogurt or a banana as a bedtime snack. Never underestimate the importance of sleep. People who are well-rested perform tasks better at work. Tired people are less productive and less patient, which can also cause personal relationships to suffer. If you try these strategies and still have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, contact your doctor.
Published: February 2010
Source: Dr. Robert Schriner, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville  Top of Page |
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