If you
want to get a good night’s sleep, Do:
Get some exercise during the day. Walking to the mailbox doesn’t
count. You have to “earn” your sleep and one of the best ways to do this
is through 30 minutes or more of physical activity.
Go outside. From fresh air to sunlight, there are benefits to
being outdoors. Even in cloudy weather, the body is able to manufacture
Vitamin D from the available light. This helps to regulate the sleep
cycle and ward off depression.
Check with your doctor. There may be a physical cause for your
sleep difficulties. Also have your doctor or pharmacist review your
medications to see if any of them can contribute to
sleeplessness.
Keep the lights low in your home after 8 PM. Bright lights tell
the body that it should be waking up, not winding down. Use an
incandescent task light for reading, not an overhead light.
Keep a regular schedule. This means going to bed at a certain
time every night and waking up around the same time each day. Try not to
vary this by more than a half hour each way.
Prepare for bed with a routine. Just as we teach young children
to get ready for bed by putting on pajamas, brushing their teeth, etc.,
we need structure too to cue our bodies that it’s time to wind
down.
Take a warm shower or bath before bedtime. Studies show that
raising the body’s temperature slightly before bedtime helps to induce
sleep.
Have a conversation. Human beings are social. We crave contact
with others and if we don’t get it we tend to get lonely and depressed,
and this disrupts the sleep cycle.
Laugh. Have you ever noticed how relaxing it is to enjoy a deep
belly laugh? Laughing
releases endorphins which calm us and can help to promote sleep.
Can you think of
any ways to put more laughter in your life?
Dos
and Don’ts for Good Sleep Hygiene
(continued)
To Get Better Sleep,
Don’t:
Drink coffee or drinks with caffeine after noon. Lots of us
drink coffee or tea to get rid of the “fuzziness” of sleep in the
morning to be more alert. At night this same stimulating feeling can
keep us awake, tossing and turning with ideas and even anxiety that we
can’t shut off.
Exercise before bedtime. Exercise increases
the body’s metabolic rate, revving it up instead of sending the
message to calm down and let sleep take over.
Keep the alarm clock where you can see it. Keeping
track of the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep or until you
have to wake up only adds frustration.
Drink alcohol. Having a “nightcap” can help you fall
asleep faster but it will also disrupt the sleep cycle and make deep,
restful sleep impossible. You may also want to limit all fluids
several hours before bedtime to avoid waking up for bathroom trips in
the middle of the night.
Wear sunglasses when you’re outside. Absorbing light
through your eyes may help your body to make vitamin D and stabilize
your circadian rhythm.
If you get a poor night’s sleep, don’t try to “catch up” by
napping or going to bed
early the next night. This will only disrupt the sleep cycle
further.
Watch the news before bedtime (or ever). Beware of action or
violence-packed movies which can raise the blood pressure and make sleep
difficult.
Back
Peggy
Aronson
LICSW
Licensed Clinical
Social Worker
225 Lindvig Way #6 (thru doors of main building)
Poulsbo, WA 98370
peggy@evergreencounselingclinic.com
360.779.3125
©2005-2007 Evergreen
Counseling
