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Sleep Aid Suggestions for Sleep Troubles |
6 more strategies for winning the "outer game" of better sleep:
Continue to the "Inner Game" of Better Sleep
7. Keep your sleep cycles in tune with nature: We are not nocturnal animals.
Humans have evolved over millions of years with our physiological rhythms synchronizing
with the sun. It has only been within a relatively short historic period that
the invention of electric light has enabled us to easily ignore that natural
rhythm. But you will find it easier to attain restful sleep if you resynchronize
with the natural cycles of nature that the human body has become accustomed
to. Taking into consideration the number of daylight hours in your location,
try to make your bedtime sometime after sundown, and your rising time shortly
after sunrise.
8. Get at least some natural sunlight exposure everyday, preferably in the morning
for about half and hour: Bright light is a signal that the mind uses to
decide when to initiate the physiological processes associated with wakefulness,
triggering changes involving body temperature, hormonal secretion, and more.
Sunlight helps your body to stay on a proper circadian schedule, and studies
show that it can even help improve mood (both of which will contribute to better
sleep). Sit outside or take a walk in the morning if possible. If you work in
an office or at home with minimal sunlight, get out during lunch or consider
outfitting your workspace with bright lighting, preferably with lamps that produce
artificial sunlight or perhaps a mix of fluorescent bulbs.
9. Expand your bladder tolerance: This may sound like a slightly bizarre
topic, but many people will find it helpful. If you are a person that wakes
up frequently at night for the bathroom trips, there is a good chance that the
reason for this is a small bladder or low bladder tolerance. People who are
in the habit of making frequent trips to the bathroom during the day are the
most likely to have the reduced bladder capacity or tolerance that causes this.
The good news is that increasing your capacity is not difficult. Try drinking
several glasses of water in the morning and then hold off as long as you can
before using the bathroom. At other times during the day, sip water regularly
and when you feel the need to relieve yourself, also try waiting longer than
usual. This exercise expands the size of your urinary bladder, strengthens the
muscles used for holding it in, and increases your mental tolerance for the
discomfort. Furthermore, sipping water regularly will help purify your system
and prevent the fatigue caused by dehydration. However, minimize fluid intake
within the hour or two before bedtime.
10. Choose physically and mentally relaxing evening activities: Avoid stressful
or thought intensive activities within one or two hours before bedtime. This
will vary from person to person. For example, calling a relative may relax some
people, but may stress others. Reading a book or watching TV might help some
of us wind down, or it could have a stimulating effect for others. Paying bills
might be fine, but probably isn't a good idea if you're having financial problems.
Obviously, the nature of the conversation, reading material, TV show, or other
activity makes a big difference, and varies from person to person. I tend to
watch TV or read in the evening, but try to avoid anything too exciting, disturbing,
or intellectually stimulating. And while watching (or any other pre-bed activity),
I try to hold a somewhat thought-free mind, perhaps simultaneously practicing
one of the mental exercises we'll be covering in the second section of this
program. Sometimes it's hard to know which TV shows are stimulating our minds.
I used to watch Seinfeld at night before going to sleep, which I consider a
pretty relaxing show. But the fact is it was getting my mind actively involved
in a plot, and just that little bit of thinking was interfering with sleep.
So regardless of what you're watching at night, try eliminating it for at least
a few nights to see if that makes a difference in helping you to fall asleep.
You may be surprised. You can perhaps record your favorite shows and just watch
them earlier in the evening.
Aside from television, take a look at what your other pre-sleep activities are and determine whether they are sleep conducive or not. For quite a while I was in the habit of checking email and surfing the Internet at night. But after taking a minute to reflect on this I quickly determined that the mental demands of this activity made it a definite sleep killer for me.
Listening to relaxing music, reading, meditating, engaging in monotonous activities or enjoyable hobbies may help you wind down at night. Just experiment with different activities, determine which ones get you into a calm and tranquil mood, and eliminate the ones that don't. Furthermore, as I mentioned with television, try to cultivate a somewhat carefree, thought-free mindset in whatever you do before bedtime. We'll work on this more later.
Some people find that a warm shower or bath before bedtime aids relaxation. This can definitely be effective, but be aware that there is an optimal body temperature for sleep. So avoid hot baths immediately before bedtime unless you or your environment feels very cold. If you're living in a hot climate, you may actually find a cool shower or slow swim to be more conducive to sleep as it will help lower your body temperature a bit.
As a final note, start preparing for sleep about 20 to 30 minutes before bedtime so that you don't create a feeling of rush right before lying down.
11. Nap with care: As a general rule, listen to your body and take a nap
if you feel excessively fatigued, but avoid napping regularly. Habitual napping
can easily carve a physiological pattern that will automatically induce fatigue
during the day, and can also deprive us of the feeling of fatigue that helps
us to fall asleep at night. On the other hand, some evidence suggests that napping
is a naturally evolved activity for some cultures. So use your best judgment.
Since napping is usually not convenient in our modern culture, try a brief 5-10
minute meditation instead, or use the conscious dreaming technique that we'll
discuss in the second section to simply relax your mind.
And while there is some disagreement about whether daytime naps are a good idea, definitely avoid napping or even dosing at all in the evening. It is very easy to drift off while reading or watching TV at night, but be aware that such a dip into unconsciousness, however brief, can provide your body with an energy boost that will make it much more difficult to fall asleep later on.
12. Prepare your room for sleep and use it only for sleep: Some sleep experts
say that it is not a good idea to study, read, watch TV, or eat on your bed
regularly. Use your bed exclusively for sleep and sleep related activity in
order to reinforce the mental association with sleeping and not with waking
activities.
The following suggestions for your sleep environment may be obvious, but are worth mentioning in case you haven't considered them:
Are you ready for the next step?
Before moving onto the next section, take a little time to consider all the possible behaviors, activities, and environmental variables that might possibly be interfering with your sleep. Sometimes the reasons are so obvious that they're hard to see. Taking just a minute to do this helped me realize how much caffeine I was consuming during the day, as well as how irregular my sleep schedule was.
Remember that sleep problems, in most cases, are a result of bad habits. You may have felt fine going without sleep at one time in your life, but ignoring your body's needs will sooner or later catch up with you. If you want to return to that rested body that you remember so dearly, you must first reverse those bad habits. Your sleep is only as strong as its weakest link.
NEXT PAGE: Cure Insomnia with "Inner" Sleep Aids