The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have linked a lack of sleep to industrial tragedies, motor vehicle accidents, and medical mistakes, all caused by inattention or nodding off at inappropriate times. Beyond that, the CDC say a lack of sleep can cause or exacerbate such problems as diabetes, hypertension, depression and obesity. If you don’t sleep well, you’re likely to suffer from cancer, a higher risk of dying, and a greatly diminished quality of life.
In short, getting a good night’s sleep may be the most important thing you can do for your health next to diet and regular exercise. Yet so many of us aren’t getting enough rest, and even when circumstances permit, may be self-sabotaging the time we do have to sleep.
Granted, we live in a world where hyperactivity is the norm. Work, school, activities, family, technology, entertainment, daily chores, pets – all are important, and all are consuming. That makes it important to segment out the time you have to lay down and recharge, but few take the time to do so.
The CDC devised their own sleep-related study, called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included a section on sleep habits. The survey found that among 74,571 adults in 12 states, some 35.3 percent reported less than seven hours of sleep during a 24-hour period deemed a typical day.
Of those, 48 percent reported snoring, and 37.9 percent found themselves falling asleep during the day at least once in the month, with 4.7 percent reporting the even more dangerous incidence of falling asleep while driving. The Department of Transportation found that 1,550 annual road fatalities could be traced to drowsy driving in the United States.
How Much Is Enough?
Each person is unique, but it’s generally accepted that adults need about seven to eight hours per night for optimal function. School children need about 10 hours per night. But the National Health Interview Survey reports that 30 percent of adults get less than six hours per day, while only 31 percent of high school-age students get at least eight hours.
Clearly, our nation suffers from a lack of sleep. But the habits that inhibit your sleeping patterns can change. You can make sure the room temperature is slightly cool, darken the room if you have outside light coming in, and set a regular schedule. Make sure you have a mattress that won’t cause back pain or other issues, and certainly try to block out noise stimulus from the outside if you can.
But taking those steps may not be enough if your actions in the hours before bedtime are running counter to your desire for deeper and richer sleep. Here are eight things you can do that will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
EIGHT STEPS TO BETTER SLEEP:
1. Watch your medication: Some over-the-counter drugs, particularly decongestants and cold/flu medicines, contain stimulants. Be careful what you ingest before bedtime. If you must take medicine, look for those containing antihistamines or that are specifically recommended for nighttime use. If you have a regular schedule of medication that you need to take, ask your doctor what time of day they should be ingested. Some medications kick in hours after being taken, while others (including some blood pressure pills) are optimal if taken at bedtime. Some pain medications and aspirin can cause some stomach upset, which can interfere with sleep.
2. Technology is our friend, but not at bedtime: Whether it’s television, using a computer, reading from an electronic device or even texting on your smartphone, the artificial light generated by the screen homes in on your brain and stimulates it, making it that much harder to fall asleep immediately. If you must read before bed, it’s suggested you do it the old-fashioned way, by using a printed book.
3. Food, glorious food: Eating before bed is not recommended if you want a solid night’s sleep. A big meal before hitting the hay or even a late-night snack high in salt, fat or grease can mess with your brain and create a sleeping problem. Not to mention, eating a lot of calories before lying around for a long time is a sure-fire weight gainer.
4. Bathing is not cool – You may think you’re doing the right thing by relaxing with a good, warm soak in your bathtub. But night time is when the body temperature needs to cool down, and by warming it back up, you increase the time necessary to get back to a level where your natural sleep harmonics are back in line. If you need to clean off before bed, leave at least an hour in between cleansing and crawling into the sack.
5. The best part of waking up – You know the coffee commercial that indicates the best part of waking up is coffee in your cup? That’s because the 80 to 120 milligrams of caffeine in a cup of coffee are boosting the body’s wake-up signals. Even decaf coffee can be an issue. Studies have found certain brands can contain up to 20 milligrams of caffeine. By the way, many soft drinks, teas and chocolate contain caffeine, so if you’re quaffing or ingesting them after 6 p.m., you’re playing with fire when it comes to sleep.
6. Leave work alone – In our totally connected world, it’s always a temptation to be available 24/7 when it comes to work emails. But the stress induced by a problem at work can rarely be solved late at night, and it will only create hours of tossing and turning as you attempt to work out what you’ll do the next day. Best bet: Create a to-do list well before bed. That will help clear your mind and set a clear agenda for the next day’s tasks. You can rest comfortably knowing that you have everything you need to be ready to hit the ground running the next day.
7. Don’t drink – You may think that a drink before bedtime will help you sleep. It often makes the drinker drowsy, but what you’re forgetting is that alcohol must be metabolized, and the result of that stimulus may make it hard to get to sleep or fall back to sleep if you awaken in the middle of the night. Plus, keep in mind the diuretic properties of alcohol. Getting up in the middle of the night to relieve yourself is a sure-fire sleep killer.
8. Don’t smoke – We all know that smoking in bed is dangerous, but smoking before bed can cause sleep problems as well. Tobacco contains nicotine, which stimulates the body and makes it harder to fall asleep. It has the opposite effect as well for heavy smokers because nicotine withdrawal can stimulate the body into awakening far earlier than planned.
Although that may seem like a lot of advice to follow, keep in mind that sleep is a natural function of the body. By removing these roadblocks, you should be back on a normal schedule in short order. Have a great sleep and we’ll see you in the morning!