Five Basic Strategies
1.
Never oversleep
Never oversleep because of a poor
night's sleep. This is the most crucial rule. Get up at about the same time
every day, especially on the morning after you've lost sleep. Sleeping late for
just a couple of days can reset your body clock to a different cycle -- you'll
be getting sleepy later and waking up later.
2.
Set your body clock
Light helps restart your body clock
to its active daytime phase. Get up, go
outside and get some sunlight. Or if that's difficult, turn on all the lights
in your room. Then walk around for a few
minutes. The calves of your legs act as pumps and get blood circulating,
carrying more oxygen to your brain to help get you going.
3.
Exercise
Keep physically active during the
day. This is especially important the day after a bad night's sleep. When you
sleep less, you should be more active during the day. Being less active is one
of the worst things an insomniac can do. Strenuous exercise (brisk walking,
swimming, jogging, squash, etc.) in late afternoon seems to promote more
restful sleep. Also, insomniacs tend to be too inactive a couple of hours
before bed. Engage in some gentle exercise. A stretching routine has helped many people.
4.
Don't nap
Do not take any naps the day after
you've loss sleep. When you feel sleepy, get up and do something. Walk, make
the bed, or do your errands. While
studying, get up regularly (every 30 minutes, or more often if necessary) to
walk around your room. Do a gentle stretch. That will increase the flow of
oxygen to your brain and help you to be more alert.
5.
Set a bedtime schedule using these two steps:
First, try to go to bed at about the
same time every night. Be regular. Most people get hungry at 7 a.m., noon, and
6 p.m. because they've eaten at those times for years. Going to bed at about
the same time every night can make sleep as regular as hunger.
Second, go to bed later when you are
having trouble sleeping. If you're only getting five hours of sleep a night
during your insomnia period, don't go to bed until just five hours before your
wake-up time. For instance, if you've been waking up at 7 a.m., don't go to bed
until 2 a.m. No naps! Make the time you spend in bed sleep time.
Still have a
case of insomnia? Go to bed proportionately later. Then, as your time in bed
becomes good sleep time, move your going-to-bed time back 15 to 30 minutes a
night and do that for a week or so. This is the opposite of what we want to do:
we want to go to bed earlier to make up the lost sleep. Learn to do what many sleep laboratories teach -- go to bed later the night after losing sleep.
Develop a Bedtime Routine
Stop studying and don't get into any
stimulating discussions or activities a half hour or hour before bed. Do
something that's relaxing -- read "light" material, play your guitar,
listen to music that is quiet, catch a mindless TV show. Some people sleep better
in a clean and neat environment, so they like to straighten and clean their
room just before going to bed. Find your own sleep-promoting routine.
Warm
bath, yes; shower, no
Take a long, hot bath before going
to bed. This helps relax and soothe your muscles. Showers, on the other hand,
tend to wake you up. Insomniacs should avoid showers in the evening.
List
"gotta do's"
Keep a pad and pencil handy. If you
think of something you want to remember, jot it down. Then let the thought go.
There will be no need to lie awake worrying about remembering it.
Stretch
and relaxation
Some people find that a gentle
stretching routine for several minutes just before getting into bed helps
induce sleep. Others practice relaxation techniques. Libraries or bookstores
have books on developing stretching or relaxation routines. The University
Counseling Services has some material on both: try
To
eat or not to eat
Some sleep centers recommend a light
breakfast and lunch to help you stay alert during the day. They advise you to
make the evening meal the major meal of the day. Schedule it at least four
hours before bedtime so your digestive system will be reasonably quiet by the
time you're ready to sleep.
Warm
milk?
It helps some people to have a glass
at bedtime. Milk has an essential amino acid, tryptophan, which stimulates the
brain chemical serotonin, believed to play a key role in inducing sleep. A
piece of whole wheat bread, or another carbohydrate, enhances the effect. Or
try taking tryptophan, beginning with about two grams about an hour before
bedtime. A piece of wheat bread will help the tryptophan to be absorbed.
Avoid caffeine and tyrosine-rich foods from late afternoon
on
Caffeine, a chemical in coffee,
colas, tea, chocolate, etc., causes hyperactivity and wakefulness. Some sleep laboratories
encourage people to avoid such tyrosine-laden foods as fermented cheeses
(cheddar is about the worst; cottage cheese and yogurt are OK), ripe avocados,
some imported beers, and fermented meats
(bologna, pepperoni, salami). Also
avoid red wines, especially chianti.
Cut down on alcohol
Alcohol might help you get to sleep,
but it results in shallow and disturbed sleep, abnormal dream periods, and
frequent early morning awakening.
Sleeping pills
Reasons to avoid sleeping pills
include disturbed sleep patterns, short-term amnesia, and impaired motor
skills. Research shows that benzodiazepine hypnotics, the most commonly
prescribed sleeping pills, impair short-term memory, reaction time, thinking,
and visual-motor coordination (such as driving).
Is Your Environment Conducive
To Sleep?
Room
temperature
Sleep in
a cool room (60 degrees or so). Pile on another blanket or add one under the
mattress pad rather than turn up the heat. A physician I know used this
principle while in medical school; he kept an air conditioner on in his room all
year. He said it helped him sleep better so that he needed less sleep. You
don't need to go to such extremes, but do keep it cool.
Humidity
Even a little thing like a dry
throat may make sleeping more difficult. Most heating systems dry the air in
your bedroom, so borrow a humidifier to see if it will help. Keeping heat down
and having a window open can also keep humidity up.
Noise
Some people seem to sleep better if
there is a white noise -- a fan running, for example -- in the background. For
others, noise can interrupt sleep. In addition to the fan strategy, try
particular kinds of music to blot out the noise. Play a recording of music that
has no words, no definite melody, and not a lot of change in the volume.
Baroque music is a good choice. There are many tapes of sounds that aid sleep by
quieting the mind, emotions, and body. Check at the counseling center, at a
mental health center, or holistic health center.
If desperate, you might try ear
plugs that workers use on noisy jobs. If you use cotton, be sure to use balls
large enough that they won't work down into your ear canal and have to be
removed by a physician.
Worrying About Insomnia?
Focusing on insomnia might make it
worse. After all, you won't die from it! It is frequently a symptom of
something else excessive worry or anxiety about grades, money, relationships,
etc. If you think a particular worry might be keeping you awake, get up, find
paper and a pencil, and jot down something you can do about that worry
tomorrow. Put the note where you'll see it when you wake up. You can set aside
your worry and use the remainder of the night for restful sleep. If necessary,
use the strategies already described to get back into a regular sleep pattern.
In bed and unable to sleep
If you are in bed and unable to
sleep, many experts suggest getting completely out of bed, sitting in a chair,
and reading, writing letters, or doing some quiet activity. As you get sleepy,
go back to bed and use a relaxation technique to fall asleep. Make your bed a
place to sleep, not a place to get other things done.
Don't get mad at yourself! Try not to worry about not sleeping. Your body's wisdom will take over and you'll begin sleeping regularly as long as you use the five basic strategies described earlier.
Don't get mad at yourself! Try not to worry about not sleeping. Your body's wisdom will take over and you'll begin sleeping regularly as long as you use the five basic strategies described earlier.
Exercising?
The role of exercise cannot be
stressed enough! Adding regular exercise -- brisk walking, riding an exercycle
(perhaps while watching TV), swimming -- has helped many people sleep better.
The more active your body is during the day, the more likely it is that you'll
be able to go to sleep when it's time for your body to be quiet. Quiet time for
sleep needs to be a contrast to a more active day.
Waking Up at Night?
What should you do when you're awake
after just two, three, or four hours of sleep? Do not drink, eat, or smoke when
you wake up. If you do, you'll find yourself waking up for them after just
three or four nights of such treats. Do get out of bed, read, write letters, or
do some quiet activity. Reactions to the stresses of everyday life can result
in a level of sleep that is easily interrupted. A good stress-management
program can help. Contact your counseling service for such a program.
Awake 4 or 5 a.m? Now what?
Get up and begin the day. If you're
rested, you've probably had enough sleep and have a head start on most people.
If you're still tired, get up anyway and go through the day, avoiding naps.
Start the routines suggested in the basic strategies. Build an exercise program
and stress-management training into your life. By learning to be less stressed
during the day, you also learn to sleep better at night.
Not managing stress very well?
Difficulty in effectively managing
normal, everyday stress in life is a common problem. A frequent reaction to
daily stresses is insomnia, either sleep-onset insomnia or sleep-interrupting
insomnia. A good stress-management program helps you learn how to manage those
frequent stressors and go more easily through each day. Find about
stress-management programs from your local guidance and mental health centers,
extension agencies, and family physicians. More and more hospitals are offering
such programs to help people develop healthier lifestyles.
Sleep needs vary from person to person.
Some need only four hours per night, but others seem to need 10. Some people
complain because they sleep "only" five or six hours each night. Yet
many of these people awake rested in the morning and function well during the
day. Five or six hours of sleep is all they need most of the time. They don't
have insomnia. Other people feel tired after eight hours of sleep. They need
more than the "normal" seven to eight hour average. Just one more
hour of sleep often gives these people the rest they need.
Experiment to find the amount of
sleep you need.
Remember, too, that the amount of
sleep you need will vary. Your need for sleep may decrease and your ability to
go to sleep may improve when you are exercising regularly and doing things you
enjoy and do easily. You may need more sleep and experience more sleeplessness
if you are under more stress or as you become less active (e.g., move from an
active to a sedentary job, return to the more sedentary role of student after
an active summer).
