Prevention's Quick Fix: 15 Ways to beat insomnia every night
Insomnia ranks right below the common cold, stomach disorders, and headaches as the most common reasons people seek a doctor's help. The CDC reports that more than 25% of Americans say they don't get an adequate amount of sleep and 10% experience chronic insomnia.
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At one time, doctors might have automatically prescribed a pill or two to ease you into dreamland, but that isn't always the case today. Researchers and doctors are learning more about sleep each year, broadening their knowledge of how to deal with its related problems.
Indeed, behavioral treatments are often most effective. There are also quite a few commonsense approaches you can use to try to correct the problem yourself. It may take just one therapy, or it may take a combination. In any case, the key to success is discipline. As Michael Stevenson, PhD, says, "sleep is a natural physiological phenomenon, but it's also a learned behavior."
1) SET A RIGID SLEEP SCHEDULE 7 DAYS A WEEK. Sleep medicine experts insist on people trying to be as regular with their habits as possible. Be sure to wake up at the same time every morning. And don't sleep in, trying to make up for "lost" sleep, says Mortimer Mamelak, MD. This goes for the weekends as well: If you sleep late on Saturday and Sunday, you may have trouble falling asleep Sunday night, which can leave you feeling washed-out on Monday morning.
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2) DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME IN BED. Don't stay in bed if you can't sleep. Get out, relax, and sit quietly for a while before returning to the bedroom. By spending too much time in bed awake, you prolong the cycle of insomnia. You need to learn to associate your bedroom with sleep, not with lying awake for hours, says Dr. Stevenson.
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3) SET ASIDE SOME "QUIET TIME" BEFORE BED. "Some people are so busy that when they lie down to go to sleep, it's the first chance they've had to think about what happened that day," says David Neubauer, MD.
An hour or two before bedtime, sit down for at least 10 minutes. Reflect on the day's activities and try to put them into some perspective. Review your stresses and strains, as well as your problems. Try to work out solutions. Plan tomorrow's activities.
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That exercise may help clear your mind of the annoyances and problems that might keep you awake after you pull up the covers. With all the mental detritus out of the way, it's easier to fill your mind with pleasant thoughts and images as you try to drift off to sleep. If cold reality still begins to seep into your consciousness, shut it out by saying, "Oh, I've already dealt with that, and I know what I'm going to do about it."
4) DON'T TURN YOUR BED INTO AN OFFICE OR A DEN. If you want to go to bed, you should be prepared to sleep If your surroundings remind you of something else you need to do, you won't be able to concentrate on sleep, she says.
5) KEEP YOUR BEDROOM AS DARK AS POSSIBLE. "Darkness helps our brain understand that it's time to sleep," says Sonia Ancoli-Israel, PhD. Blackout curtains can help block the sunlight. Install a night-light to help guide you to the bathroom, she says.
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6) DON'T WATCH THE CLOCK. Looking at the clock puts a time pressure on you and, in the middle of the night, actually wakes you up more and makes it harder to fall back to sleep, says Dr. Ancoli-Israel. Turn the clock face away from you so you aren't tempted to look at it but can still hear the alarm, she says. Cover the clock on the TV too.
7) AVOID PICK-ME-UPS AFTER TWILIGHT. Coffee, colas, and even chocolate contain caffeine, the powerful stimulant that can keep you up, says Dr. Neubauer. Try not to consume them after 4:00 p.m. Don't smoke either; nicotine is a stimulant.
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Other foods can cause acid reflux or heartburn, which occurs when stomach acids back up into the esophagus. Avoid foods most likely to cause reflux when you lie down, such as citrus fruits, fatty and fried foods, garlic, onions, mint, and tomato-based foods.
8) SAY NO TO A NIGHTCAP. Avoid excessive alcohol at dinner and throughout the rest of the evening, suggests Dr. Stevenson. And don't fix a nightcap to relax you before bed. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it later disrupts your sleep by causing you to awaken.
9) QUESTION YOUR MEDICATION. Certain medications, such as asthma sprays, can disturb sleep. If you take prescription medication routinely, ask your doctor about its side effects. If the drug could be interfering with your sleep, he or she may change the time of day you take it or replace it with another medication.
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10) BYPASS SEDATIVES. If you're in pain before bedtime, resist the urge to take a sedative or hypnotic medication. Although they increase your sleep time, they also decrease its quality. You should take a nonnarcotic analgesic such as acetaminophen instead, says Dr. Soliman.
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11) EXAMINE YOUR WORK SCHEDULE. Research has shown that people who work "swing" shifts-irregular schedules that frequently alternate between day and night-have problems sleeping, says Dr. Mamelak. The stress of an up-and-down schedule may create jet lag-like tiredness all the time, and sleep mechanisms can break down altogether. The solution: Try to get consistent hours, even if it's a night shift.
12) USE MECHANICAL AIDS. Earplugs can help block out unwanted noise, especially if you live on a busy street or near an airport, says Dr. Ancoli-Israel. Eyeshades screen out unwanted light. An electric blanket warms you, especially if you always seems to be on the brink of a chill.
13) TAKE A WARM BATH. One theory suggests that normal body temperatures play off the body's circadian rhythm. Those temperatures are low during sleep and at their highest point during the day.
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Along these lines, it's thought that the body begins to get drowsy as temperature drops. So taking a warm bath just a few hours before bedtime raises that temperature, says Dr. Neubauer. Then, when it begins to drop, you'll feel more tired, making it easier for you to fall asleep.
14) MAKE SOME NOISE. White noise, that is. Listening to a TV or radio usually isn't helpful, but many people find that they sleep better with white noise from a sound-generating device or from a bedside fan. White noise can be soothing and help block out extraneous sounds, such as neighborhood noise and traffic, says Dr. Neubauer.
15) TAKE A HIKE. Get some exercise late in the afternoon or early in the evening, suggest Dr. Neubauer and Dr. Soliman. It shouldn't be too strenuous-a walk around the block is just fine. It will not only fatigue your muscles but also raise your body temperature, and it may help induce sleepiness as a warm bath would. Exercise may help trigger the deep, nourishing sleep your body craves most for replenishment. An evening stroll about 2 hours before bedtime also decreases and can even prevent restless legs syndrome, which is the reason many people, especially the elderly, lose sleep, says Dr. Soliman.
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