A Good Night's Sleep
by Haven Logan PH.D
“She used to say she could taste sleep and that it
was as delicious as a BLT on fresh French bread.”
Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
“The last refuge of the insomniac is a
sense of superiority to the sleeping world.”
Leonard Cohen, songwriter
Are you some one who looks forward to sleep with the same relish you anticipate a favorite food as does the character in Rebecca Wells’ book? Or perhaps you are one of the insomniacs with “a sense of superiority.” Most of us fall some where in between. We have our nights of uninterrupted sleep and our nights when we lay tossing and turning until the first rays of morning tell us it’s time to give up and to get up. A good night’s sleep is one of those things we take for granted until we miss one. Since sleep occupies at least a third of our lives, is essential for good health and enables us to feel our best, it makes sense to look seriously at how we can improve the quantity and quality of our sleep.
How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?
Probably the two most frequently asked questions about sleep are: how much
do we need and how does this need change as we age? The amount of sleep needed for us to function best varies across age groups and among individuals. There are two factors. The first is a person’s “basal sleep need” which is the amount required on a regular basis for optimal functioning. While most healthy adults have a basal sleep need of seven or eight hours, that can be impacted by the second factor which is “sleep debt” or an accumulated sleep loss due to poor sleep habits, illness, being awakened repeatedly or other causes. Unresolved sleep debt can make you feel drowsy and less alert at times even when you have met your basal sleep need for several nights in a row.
Experts advocate the following as age-related hours of basal sleep need: newborns 10.5 to 18 hours, infants 9 to 12 hours, toddlers 12 to 14 hours, preschoolers 11 to 13 hours, school-aged children 10 to 11 hours, teens 8.5 to 9.25 hours, and all adults 7 to 9 hours. Some research indicates a small decrease in the amount of sleep needed by seniors. However, disturbed sleep and waking up tired are not a normal part of aging. Rather these issues can result from medical problems, medications, untreated sleep disorders and poor sleep habits. To assess your own sleep need, look at both where you fall on the age spectrum and the lifestyle factors, such as your work schedule, that affect the quality and quantity of your sleep. It can be very helpful to keep a sleep diary to study your sleep habits to determine how they affect your daytime functioning.
Sleep Habits
The best way to increase your chances of falling asleep quickly and of staying asleep so that you wake refreshed is to adopt healthy sleep habits. See if any of the following ten habits may improve your quality of sleep.
1. Exercise daily - It is best to exercise early in the day. The stimulation of exercising within three hours of going to bed can make it hard to fall asleep.
2. Get some sunlight - We need exposure to sunlight every day. Morning sunlight is especially helpful so open your drapes every morning to let the sunlight in. Sunlight helps to regulate your circadian clock and makes you sleepy at night by producing melatonin, which is a hormone that regulates your sleep cycle.
3. If you nap, take only a short 15 to 20 minute nap - Napping is a wonderful way to improve productivity and energy. Just make sure your naps are short and in the early afternoon, so that they won’t interfere with your nighttime sleep.
4. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon - While there are some people who can drink caffeine right before bedtime, for most of us it’s best to avoid it in the afternoon and evening.
5. Don’t smoke - One of the many reasons to quit smoking is that the nicotine in cigarettes is a stimulant that will interfere with your sleep.
Avoid food and alcohol before bedtime - Finish eating 2 to 3 hours before going to bed to give your body time to digest your meal. A glass of alcohol may help you feel sleepy but it can also cause you to wake in the middle of the night due to a rebound in blood sugar and withdrawal from the alcohol after it is metabolized.
6. Keep a sleep schedule - It is best to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day because this trains your body to sleep on schedule. It’s certainly tempting to sleep in on weekends but this can throw your sleep off because your body adjusts to changes in your sleep schedule at a rate of one hour per day. Therefore, if you sleep two hours later on weekends it will take you two days to readjust to your weekday sleeping schedule. No wonder Mondays are so hard!
7. Create a calming bedtime ritual and atmosphere - Start the ritual at least 30 to 60 minutes before you lie down. Avoid watching TV, working at the computer or reading an exciting book because they all stimulate the mind. This is a time to let go of stressful thoughts about the day and what you have to do tomorrow. Try making a list of tomorrow’s tasks to signal your mind that they will be handled. A warm bath, listening to soothing music or quiet reading can also be helpful as you wind down.
8. Create an environment in your bedroom which is conducive to sleep - It should be dark, quiet and cool. Your bed should have a mattress and pillow that are comfortable for you.
9. If you do not fall asleep within fifteen minutes of lying down, get up -Do one of the relaxing activities listed above until you are sleepy and then go back to bed.
Sleep Problems and Disorders
• Insomnia refers to difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and affects 30 to 40 percent of American adults each year. Insomnia is attributed to poor sleep habits, medications, medical conditions and a variety of other causes.
• Jet Lag can seriously affect sleep as the body tries to adjust to a new time zone. It is advised that you prepare for travel by adjusting your sleep hours to the new time zone before you leave.
• Night Shift Work alters your sleep habits. It is very important to make sure that you get quality sleep by establishing adequate uninterrupted day-time sleeping hours.
• Restless Legs Syndrome is a disorder that causes tingling or prickling feelings in the legs that is temporarily relieved by moving the legs. This problem interferes with both falling and staying asleep.
• Sleep Apnea is a common disorder in which breathing is interrupted 5 to 100 times an hour. The interruptions may not be enough to wake the person but the result is often a feeling of tiredness.
• Snoring is often a signal of a medical problem such as heart disease or diabetes. Snoring can be treated which will help overall health and improve sleep for both those who snore and those who share a bedroom with them.
• Nocturia refers to waking up to urinate one or more times each night. Treatment can include drinking liquids and taking medications earlier.
• Narcolepsy is a serious sleep disorder that is marked by excessive daytime sleepiness with attacks lasting from a few seconds to 30 minutes.
In the busy and often stressful lives we live, it can be very difficult to get the quantity and quality of sleep we need. Yet getting adequate rest is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. Just like exercise and healthy nutrition, good sleep requires some discipline. Sleep can make all the difference in being able to fully enjoy your life rather than just surviving each day.
May you sleep well!