A good night’s
sleep and I are often strangers. I do
not sleep well.
I have spent
countless hours tossing and turning and as in the children’s book “Peace at
Last”, just like Mr. Bear I have sought sleep in every room in the house
(although I drew the line at the car!) only to finally drop off at dawn only to
be woken moments later by a shrieking alarm clock.
So why do I
not slip into the arms of Morpheus as readily as other family members? Or, if I
do find myself falling asleep, why do I wake up in the wee small hours only for
further sleep to elude me successfully? It
appears the answer may lie in my poor “sleep hygiene” - the habits that promote
sleep.
Apparently a
good night’s sleep is more under my control than I thought. Following healthy sleep habits can make all
the difference. Researchers have identified
a variety of practices that can help anyone maximise the hours they spend
sleeping.
Let’s do the
obvious one first – avoid stimulants.
That’s caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.
We all know that caffeine and nicotine give folk a “buzz”, which
obviously isn’t inducive to a good snooze but few of us are aware that a good
old fashioned night cap, which may make us feel drowsy, will actually act as a
stimulant and have you wide awake a few hours later.
Secondly,
make like a bat. I’m not suggesting for
a moment that hanging upside down from the wardrobe door is a good idea, but
heading to a cool dark cave every night is a great thing. Block out as much light and noise as possible
and keep your bedroom temperature between 15 and 23°C.
Have a
regular pre-sleep routine. And here I’ve
been getting something right, as my love of a bath and a good book is a good
way to prepare yourself for sleep - reading relaxes the mind and a warm bath
raises and the reduces your body temperature, promoting drowsiness. Equally
good is relaxing exercise such as gentle yoga or even watching television. Maybe not action movies though, as you should
avoid stimulating or stressful activities.
Try to avoid doing work or discussing emotional issues too close to
bedtime. Physically and psychologically stressful activities can cause the body
to secrete the stress hormone, cortisol, which is associated with increasing
alertness. If you tend to take your problems to bed, try writing them down—and
then putting them aside. Keep your
exercise routine to those times at least
3 hours before bedtime to ensure the cortisol has left your system.
Be
consistent. Going to bed and waking up
at the same time each day sets the body’s "internal clock" to expect
sleep at a certain time every night. Try to stick as closely as possible to
your routine on weekends to avoid a Monday morning sleep “hangover”. Waking up
at the same time each day is the very best way to set your clock, and even if
you did not sleep well the night before.
Even if you are tired, avoid long naps.
If you’re desperate for 40 winks, take a short nap and make sure it’s
before 5pm.
No one likes
to be working whilst everyone else is having a rest and your stomach is no
different. Don’t eat too late and if you
are hungry in the evening, the perfect snack is a milky drink and a handful of
nuts. The milk is rich in tryptophan, which the body converts into serotonin -
a natural hormone in the body that can make you sleepy. The nuts contain melatonin the hormone in the
sleep-wake cycle that causes drowsiness and lowers the body temperature. You should also drink the right amount of
fluid – enough to keep dehydration at bay but not so much that you’re stumbling
to the loo at 3am.
This one seems obvious but don’t try and sleep unless you’re really tired. Ever lay there struggling to fall asleep and
then got more and more frustrated? I expect many of you are nodding to this! If
you’re not asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed, go to another room, and do
something relaxing, like reading or listening to gentle music until you are
tired enough to sleep. The same applies
if you wake up in the middle of the night – don’t keep staring at the clock marvelling
out how seven little straight lines can make up all the numbers 0-9 as you
digital clock keeps changing. 20 minutes
passed? Get up, go into a dim room (light fools your body clock into thinking
it’s day time) and read or listen to music until your eyelids are drooping and
you’re ready to sleep again.
In summary –
don’t go to the gym, watch a Schwarzenegger movie, eat pizza or enjoy a glass
of Shiraz too close to bedtime. Keep
these activities to earlier in your schedule - but do have a warm bath, read a book and go to bed at a similar time every
day. Sounds easy. Stick with these points and your chance of
achieving restful sleep will improve.
Perhaps the
most sensible tip of all is to have a comfy bed with a welcoming mattress and
pillows and - for me – the best thing in
the world is slipping into a bed with freshly washed and pressed laundry. Bliss!
Find that a chore? You know who
to call……….
