Why Can’t I Sleep?

Babies do it; Kindergartners’ do it at school even!  Cats do it for over 18 hours a day.  Teenagers can’t get enough.  It can’t be that hard.  Sleep, “if I could just get some sleep I know I would feel better.”   I personally have been there quite a few times.  Sometimes the slightest thing can upset that delicate balance of sleep.  How do I get it back? 

The goal is to re-establish our natural sleep patterns.  First, let’s look at our personal habits.

Do you have a fixed bedtime and awakening time?  Avoid letting those times drift.  Our bodies get use to falling asleep at a certain time, only if it is a fixed time.

Avoid naps, if you nap throughout the day you will not sleep at night.  A late afternoon nap is fine, if it is only 30-45 minutes and you’re able to sleep at night.

Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours prior to bedtime.

Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours prior to bedtime (coffee, tea, soda and chocolate.)

Avoid heavy, spicy or sugary foods 4-6 hours prior to bed.

Exercise regularly either morning or afternoon.  This will help deepen your sleep.  Don’t exercise 2 hours prior to bedtime because it will decrease the ability to fall asleep.

Next, how’s your sleep environment?

Is you bedding comfortable?  What a great way to get that comfy new bedding you’ve been wanting!

Is your room to hot or cold?  A cool room is conducive to sleep.

Is your room full of light and noise at night?  Keep it dark and quiet for great sleep.

Reserve the bed for sleep or sex.  It’s not the office or recreational room.  Creating your sleep environment will let your body “know” that the bed is associated with sleep.

How to get ready for bedtime, my favorite part!  The pre-sleep ritual and let everyone in the house know, “I’m getting ready for my beauty sleep.”

Start with a warm bath or shower, followed by a light snack of milk or a banana.  Do something relaxing, light reading for few minutes or deep breathing.

Get into your comfortable sleep position and fall off to sleep.  If you don’t fall asleep within 15-30 minutes, get up, go to another room, and read until sleepy.

 Barriers to restful sleep happen, for instance taking worries to bed; it’s the recipe for a sleepless night.  One suggestion is to schedule a worry time during the late afternoon or evening.  Writing them down can be a helpful way of letting it go for the rest of the day.

What if I wake up in the middle of the night?  After 15-20 minutes if you are not back to sleep, get up and go to another room.  Try a light snack, reading or quiet activity.  Do not do housework, job related work, or watch TV.  Keep it light and not to engaging, usually within 20 minutes you will want to go back to bed.

What’s so bad about television? (I tell my kids it shrinks your brain! We can’t afford shrinking brains at our house!) Television is such an engaging activity for the brain; you just can’t start that shut down process we need for sleep.  Keep the television out of bedrooms and avoid using it as a tool to fall asleep to.  A radio is a better choice if you need something to help you get to sleep.

Physical problems can cause us to not sleep well.  Arthritis, menstruation, pain, heartburn, or headaches can be physical reason to lose sleep over.  Consult your physician for help.

Psychological problems can disturb our sleep.  Depression, stress and anxiety are big culprits of creating havoc in our sleep.  A sign of depression is not being able to stay asleep for a period of time.  Seeking a physician’s help is recommended and best course of action.

Sometimes medications we take regularly can have side effects like sleeplessness.  Consult your physician or pharmacist about medication side effects.

Sleeping medications are sometimes used to help improve sleep patterns.  It’s usually prescribed on a short term basis to see if it can help you re-establish your natural pattern of sleep. 

I hope this overview of sleep health will help you catch some ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!  Good night.