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Sleep tips and advice

Do you like to have a weekend lie-in or a nightcap before going to bed? These

habits could actually be harming your sleep.

Relax your mind

Simple breathing exercises can help. Breathe, using your abdomen not your

chest, through your nose for three seconds, then breathe out for three seconds.

Pause for three seconds before breathing in again. Practise this for ten

minutes at night (five minutes is better than nothing).

Some people find that lavender oil, valerian or other herbs help them to

sleep.

If you still have problems, you could try massage, aromatherapy, or even

acupuncture.

If you still find yourself tossing and turning, abandon the bedroom and find

something enjoyable and absorbing to do. Jigsaws are perfect. Don't go back to

bed until you begin to feel sleepy.

Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is a great way to improve your sleep. Just be careful not to

do it close to bed time as exercise produces stimulants that stop the brain

from relaxing quickly.

This being the case, exercising in the morning is an excellent way to wake up

the body. Going for a run or doing some aerobics releases stimulants into the

body, which perks you up.

If you are injured or disabled, you can still benefit from exercise. Check

out disability exercise tips.

Create a calm bedroom environment

Your bedroom should be for sleep only. Avoid turning it into an entertainment

centre with televisions, computers and stereos.

Two thirds of British children have a computer, games machine or TV in their

bedroom and could be losing out on sleep as a result.

Avoid alcohol

It's fine to have a nightcap, but too much alcohol can make you restless.

Alcohol is also a diuretic, which means it encourages you to urinate (never

welcomed during the night).

Drinking is also more likely to lead to snoring, which can restrict airflow

into the lungs. This reduces oxygen in your blood which disturbs your sleep and

contributes to your hangover.

Avoid caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant which can stay in your system for many hours. So

avoid sources of caffeine such as coffee, chocolate, cola drinks and non-herbal

teas.

Watch what you eat

Eating a large heavy meal too close to bedtime will interfere with your

sleep.

Spicy or fatty foods may cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty in

falling asleep and discomfort throughout the night.

Foods containing tyramine (bacon, cheese, ham, aubergines, pepperoni,

raspberries avocado, nuts, soy sauce, red wine) might keep you awake at night.

Tyramine causes the release of norepinephrine, a brain stimulant.

If you get the munchies close to bedtime, eat something that triggers the

hormone serotonin, which makes you sleepy. Carbohydrates such as bread or

cereal will do the trick.

Set a regular bedtime and wake up time

Create a habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, even

on weekends. This helps anchor your body clock to these times. Resisting the

urge for a lie-in can pay dividends in alertness.

If you feel you haven't slept well, resist the urge to sleep in longer than

normal; getting up on schedule keeps your body in its normal wake-up routine.

Remember, even after only four hours, the brain has gained many of the

important benefits of sleep.

It's only natural

Most of us have a natural dip in alertness between 2 - 4pm.
A 15 minute nap when you're tired can be a very effective way of staying

alert throughout the day. Avoid napping for longer than 20 minutes, after which

you will enter deep sleep and feel even worse when you wake up.

See a doctor if your problem continues

If you have trouble falling asleep night after night, or if you always feel

tired the next day, you might have a sleep disorder. It is advisable to seek

more advice from your doctor. Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively.

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stranger

Five Basic Strategies

1. Never oversleep

Never oversleep because of a poor night's sleep. This is the most crucial rule.

Get up at about the same time every day, especially on the morning after you've

lost sleep. Sleeping late for just a couple of days can reset your body clock

to a different cycle -- you'll be getting sleepy later and waking up later.

2. Set your body clock

Light helps restart your body clock to its active daytime phase. So when you

get up, go outside and get some sunlight. Or if that's difficult, turn on all

the lights in your room.

Then walk around for a few minutes. The calves of your legs act as pumps and

get blood circulating, carrying more oxygen to your brain to help get you

going.

3. Exercise

Keep physically active during the day. This is especially important the day

after a bad night's sleep. When you sleep less, you should be more active

during the day. Being less active is one of the worst things an insomniac can

do.

Strenuous exercise (brisk walking, swimming, jogging, squash, etc.) in late

afternoon seems to promote more restful sleep. Also, insomniacs tend to be too

inactive a couple of hours before bed. Do some gentle exercise. A stretching

routine has helped many people.

4. Don't nap

Do not take any naps the day after you've lost sleep. When you feel sleepy, get

up and do something. Walk, make the bed, or do your errands.

While studying, get up regularly (every 30 minutes, or more often if necessary)

to walk around your room. Do a gentle stretch. That will increase the flow of

oxygen to your brain and help you to be more alert.

5. Set a bedtime schedule using these two steps:

First, try to go to bed at about the same time every night. Be regular. Most

people get hungry at 7 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. because they've eaten at those

times for years. Going to bed at about the same time every night can make sleep

as regular as hunger.

Second, go to bed later when you are having trouble sleeping. If you're only

getting five hours of sleep a night during your insomnia period, don't go to

bed until just five hours before your wake-up time. For instance, if you've

been waking up at 7 a.m., don't go to bed until 2 a.m. No naps! Make the time

you spend in bed sleep time. Still some insomnia? Go to bed proportionately

later. Then, as your time in bed becomes good sleep time, move your

going-to-bed time back 15 to 30 minutes a night and do that for a week or so.

This is the opposite of what we want to do: we want to go to bed earlier to

make up the lost sleep. Learn to do what many sleep laboratories teach -- go to

bed later the night after losing sleep.

Additional Strategies

Develop a bedtime routine

Stop studying and don't get into any stimulating discussions or activities a

half hour or hour before bed. Do something that's relaxing -- read "light"

material, play your guitar, listen to music that is quiet, catch a mindless TV

show. Some people sleep better in a clean and neat environment, so they like to

straighten and clean their room just before going to bed. Find your own

sleep-promoting routine.

Warm bath, yes; shower, no

Take a long, hot bath before going to bed. This helps relax and soothe your

muscles. Showers, on the other hand, tend to wake you up. Insomniacs should

avoid showers in the evening.

List "gotta do's"

Keep a pad and pencil handy. If you think of something you want to remember,

jot it down. Then let the thought go. There will be no need to lie awake

worrying about remembering it.

Stretch and relaxation

Some people find that a gentle stretching routine for several minutes just

before getting into bed helps induce sleep. Others practice relaxation

techniques. Libraries or bookstores have books on developing stretching or

relaxation routines. The University Counseling Services has some material on

both: try

Stressed Out Over Studying?

"The Doctor told me that stress caused my..."

To eat or not to eat

Some sleep centers recommend a light breakfast and lunch to help you stay alert

during the day. They advise you to make the evening meal the major meal of the

day. Schedule it at least four hours before bedtime so your digestive system

will be reasonably quiet by the time you're ready to sleep.

Warm milk?

It helps some people to have a glass at bedtime. Milk has an essential amino

acid, tryptophan, which stimulates the brain chemical serotonin, believed to

play a key role in inducing sleep. A piece of whole wheat bread, or another

carbohydrate, enhances the effect. Or try taking tryptophan, beginning with

about two grams about an hour before bedtime. A piece of wheat bread will help

the tryptophan to be absorbed.

Avoid caffeine and tyrosine-rich foods from late afternoon on

Caffeine, a chemical in coffee, colas, tea, chocolate, etc., causes

hyperactivity and wakefulness. Some sleep laboratories encourage people to

avoid such tyrosine-laden foods as fermented cheeses (cheddar is about the

worst; cottage cheese and yogurt are OK), ripe avocados, some imported beers,

and fermented meats (bologna, pepperoni, salami). Also avoid red wines,

especially chianti.

Cut down on alcohol

Alcohol might help you get to sleep, but it results in shallow and disturbed

sleep, abnormal dream periods, and frequent early morning awakening.

Sleeping pills

Reasons to avoid sleeping pills include disturbed sleep patterns, short-term

amnesia, and impaired motor skills. Research shows that benzodiazepine

hypnotics, the most commonly prescribed sleeping pills, impair short-term

memory, reaction time, thinking, and visual-motor coordination (such as

driving).