» I Need to Sleep Better...
There are many causes for trouble sleeping. Many problems arise simply from poor sleep hygiene. Try these simple solutions. These will often work.
- Go to bed at the same time each night. Our bodies work on a cycle of rhythms. You need to establish a rhythm for sleep. Our bodies have their own internal clock and you need to set that clock for "bed time".
- Get up consistently at the same time every day. Again the sleep - wake cycle needs to be established.
- About 20 to 30 minutes before going to bed, do something relaxing. Also dim the lights. Bright lights and over stimulating the brain with a suspenseful or fast action TV show, or video can be very counter productive to sleep.
- If you have been in bed for 30 minutes and you are still wide awake, get out of bed and do something relaxing. Don't lay in bed and toss and turn, it will only make the problem worse. The mind needs to see the bed as a place for sleep and comfort, not frustration with trying to get to sleep.
- Avoid caffeine - rule of thumb is no coffee, chocolate, caffeinated tea or soda after lunch.
- Limit alcohol - having a drink in order to help you go to sleep is actually counter productive. Alcohol causes fragmented sleep and shallow non-restful sleep.
- Don't use tobacco - nicotine will keep you awake. It increases the heart rate, stimulates brain wave activity and causes a rise in blood pressure.
- Be sure your room is not "too hot". It is more difficult to fall asleep in an excessively hot room. Our body temperature actually needs to drop in the "falling asleep" process.
- No naps during the day until you get your night-time sleep pattern back to normal. Napping can throw the cycle off and make it hard to reestablish a normal sleep-wake cycle.
