Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Need Sleep Better?
National Sleep Awareness Week was March 28 through April 4
Surveys conducted by the National Sleep Foundation indicate that 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems at least a few nights a week if not more. In addition, more than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days out of each month - with 20 percent reporting problem sleepiness a few days a week or more.
Poor sleep has a price. Millions of individuals struggle to stay alert at home, in school, on the job - and on the road. Tragically, fatigue contributes to more than 100,000 police-reported highway crashes, causing 71,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths each year in the United States alone.
About 12% of people say they have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. If you cut down on caffeine and alcohol, you may sleep better. More on Insomnia...
If it’s loud snoring that’s your problem, you may have sleep apnea. Losing weight and sleeping on your side might help with this. See Sleep Apnea for more information.
Need Sleep Better?
- If you do not fall asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing - like reading.
- Avoid housework, bills, work or any stimulating activities within two hours of bedtime or during a nighttime awakening.
- Although some people's insomnia is helped by a midday nap, for most, it will interfere with falling asleep at night.
- Avoid alcohol within 5 hours of bedtime. Alcohol is a poor hypnotic and causes nighttime awakenings.
- Avoid caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate, soda) after noon. It can cause shallow sleep or nighttime awakenings.
- Make your bedroom quiet, safe and relaxing. Face clocks away from the bed to avoid counting down the minutes until morning.
- Keep consistent bed times and wake times 7 days a week.
- Schedule worry time earlier in the day. Use this time to resolve problems prior to bedtime.
- Daily exercise improves insomnia, although the effects may not be immediate. Do not exercise within 4 hours of bedtime.
- Avoid going to bed on either an empty or full stomach. A light snack might be of value.
Reference:
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, 2003.
