[SOUND] Sleep hygiene.
Are you having trouble sleeping?
Do not feel alone.
Almost 20% of Americans report difficulty falling asleep, and
or staying asleep.
Of those, about 10% describe it as a serious problem.
Often sleep can be improved by simple changes to sleep wake
patterns and practices.
We call these changes, Improving your sleep hygiene.
Although the basic rules of sleep hygiene may seem like
common sense, they are often overlooked.
Important issues for good sleep hygiene.
Sleep schedule.
Our bodies are designed to be synchronized to the daily cycles
of sunlight and darkness.
If our bodies get out of tune, the peaks and
valleys of body temperature, hormone production and
digestion, occur at the wrong times of the day.
This lack of synchrony interferes with sleep and
lessens daytime alertness.
It is important to get up about the same time each day,
even on the weekends, to help your body maintain a daily
rhythm that is tune with the 24 hour light-dark cycle.
Because exposure to light in the morning is so important for
synchronization, sleeping in too long on your
days off can cause your internal body rhythms to drift.
Sleep efficiency.
An efficient sleeper is someone who is asleep most of the time
they are in bed with the lights out.
If you are awake for a large part of the night,
perhaps you're spending too much time in bed.
Try going to bed a little later, or getting up a little earlier.
Sleep environment.
Light reading and relaxing music can set the stage for
a restful sleep.
Watching upsetting or stimulating programs on
television can have the opposite effect.
Only use the bedroom for sleep and sex.
Try to keep stressful activities such as paying bills and
having serious discussions out of the bedroom, if possible.
Frequently, pets will interrupt normal sleep patterns.
They often have their own schedule that might not match
with yours.
Some couples find that they sleep better if they
have separate bedrooms.
A sleep partner can affect the quality of your sleep,
by keeping you awake or
interrupting your normal sleep cycle.
For example, does your bed partner snore?
Most people who snore are not aware of it.
So it is up you to let them know.
If possible, bed partners should keep the same sleep schedule.
This may require some give an take, since work schedules and
natural preferences can be different.
Occasionally couples that have schedules that do not overlap,
choose to sleep separately for
the sake of a good night's sleep.
Caffeine, Alcohol and Tobacco.
If you are having trouble with insomnia or difficulty sleeping,
it may be related to caffeine, alcohol, or tobacco use.
Try limiting your total caffeine use to no more than two
caffeinated beverages per day.
Remember, in addition to coffee,
many soft drinks have large quantities of caffeine.
Do not drink beverages with caffeine after 12 noon.
For some, the caffeine effects from a morning cup of coffee
are not out of the body until nightfall.
Switch to decaffeinated beverages, good quality
decaf coffees are hard to tell from caffeinated ones.
Alcohol can also affect a good night's sleep.
A drink close to bedtime can make you sleepy, but
as it wears off, there's a rebound alerting effect
that can prevent good sleep.
Be cautious and on the low-side in your alcohol intake,
especially in the evening.
There are many reasons not to smoke, and
your sleep is one of them.
Nicotine has a stimulating effect and prevents sleep.
Some smokers have to wake up during the night
for a cigarette.
Exercise.
There is good evidence that regular exercise improves
restful sleep.
Although exercise is great,
avoid working out too close to bed time.
Exercise gets your adrenaline going, and
makes it hard to sleep.
Napping during the day.
Most adults can not sleep more than seven or
eight hours per 24 hour period.
If you nap during the day,
it is subtracted from your nighttime sleep.
A short nap is harmless for most people, and may be refreshing.
However, naps lasting longer than 30 minutes may cause
you to wake up feeling groggy.
And you might have trouble sleeping at night.
Anxiety over insomnia.
It is normal for some nights to be better for sleep than others.
And to have an occasional night with insomnia.
Lying in bed worrying about whether or
not you're getting enough sleep will only make matters worse.
If you are unable to fall asleep, get out of bed and
do some quiet activity, such as reading until you are sleepy.
Then go back to bed, eventually sleep will overtake.
You are probably getting enough sleep
if you are alert during the day.
Things to remember.
Making simple changes to your sleep wake patterns may be all
that is necessary to improve the quality of your sleep.
What we have learned.
Keeping a regular sleep schedule may help you sleep better.
True or false?
The answer is true.
Caffeinated beverages after noon can cause difficulty sleeping.
True or false?
The answer is true.
Rigorous exercise at bedtime can improve sleep patterns.
True or false?
The answer is false.