I am sleepy. Currently, I am running on about 4-5 hours of sleep per night. It is extremely unhealthy and unfortunately, my body has learned to adapt. It is sad that I can still function throughout my day. So clinically, this would be called Insomnia. There can be several different causes for insomnia, but my insomnia started as a young child. My mom tells me stories of how she would find me up, late at night, wandering through the house or playing with my dolls. At one point, my sleep was so mixed up that I began to sleepwalk – terrifying my parents as they woke up to the home alarm blaring and frantically searching for me. At the age of 6, I had decided to take a stroll down our very long driveway at 2am, alerting the neighborhood by doing so. I’m sure at some point, my sleep straightened out, but then came college. Living in a college dorm on the campus of a large university meant late nights studying, noisy neighbors, or late night chats with friends at our 24 hour coffee shop on campus just because we could. This struggle has been ongoing for me for the over the past 15 years, and at sometimes, I just want to give up on trying. It is so frustrating to feel exhausted but unable to sleep.
We often underestimate how important sleep is for us. When we sleep, our body is restoring itself. Viruses are being fought off. Memory and brain function is being rebooted. Stress hormones are decreasing. Blood pressure is being regulated. Weight loss is being maintained. Furthermore, sleep impacts our mood, energy level, and quality of life. For many people, insomnia is a learned problem. Repeated nights spent worrying or tossing and turning in bed teaches the body to associate the bed with arousal and alertness, when instead we want the body to associate the bed with relaxation and drowsiness. In order to break this problem we need to help the body “relearn” to associate the bed with sleepiness. There are some rules we can follow to help us keep a healthy sleeping cycle. See if any of the suggestions below may be helpful for you?
STEP 1: DO NOT GO TO BED UNTIL YOU ARE VERY DROWSY (NO MATTER WHAT TIME IT IS!).
Do not go to bed according to the clock. Instead, go to bed only when you are so drowsy
you can barely stay awake. You might end up getting in bed long after your usual bed time if you do this, but that’s okay. With time, you will get drowsy earlier in the night.
STEP 2: IF YOU ARE AWAKE IN BED MORE THAN TWENTY MINUTES, GET OUT OF BED AND DO SOMETHING RELAXING.
This is very important! Remember that by lying in bed a long time awake, you are teaching your body to associate the bed with wakefulness. We want the opposite to happen, so you must leave the bed if you’re not sleeping. When you get out of bed, avoid doing activities that excite you or make you tense. Instead, do something relaxing.
STEP 3: WHEN YOU BEGIN TO FEEL DROWSY AGAIN, TRY GOING TO BED AGAIN.
If you again lie awake in bed for twenty minutes, it’s important to go back to Step 2 by getting
out of bed. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you eventually fall asleep. When you start this
program, you might need to repeat these steps several times until you fall asleep, but this
will improve after 1 week for most people.
STEP 4: GET OUT OF BED AT THE SAME TIME EACH DAY.
No matter what time you fall asleep during the night, make sure to get up at about the same time each day (even weekends). Do not stay in bed more than 1 hour later than your usual waking time.
STEP 5: DO NOT NAP DURING THE DAY.
If you absolutely must nap, limit the nap to twenty minutes. You might want to set a timer
to make sure you don’t sleep longer.
STEP 6: AVOID ALCOHOL WITHIN TWO HOURS OF BEDTIME.
Although alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, it will also lead to broken, lighter sleep. You don’t have to stop alcohol completely, but do not drink close to bedtime.
STEP 7: AVOID SMOKING WITHIN TWO HOURS OF BEDTIME.
Many people feel smoking/dipping is relaxing, but actually nicotine is a stimulant that may make it harder to sleep. If you must smoke/dip at night, be sure not to do so close to bedtime.
STEP 8: DO NOT EXERCISE OR TAKE A HOT BATH WITHIN TWO HOURS OF BEDTIME.
Either of these activities will help if done earlier in the day or evening, but
anything that raises your body temperature close to bedtime will hurt your sleep.
STEP 9: AVOID CAFFEINE IN THE EVENINGS.
Some people are very sensitive to caffeine, so be sure to avoid it at night. Remember that tea, chocolate and colas, as well as coffee have a lot of caffeine.
STEP 10: KEEP SNACKS LIGHT.
If you snack before bed, avoid heavy, greasy foods or anything you know might upset your stomach. If you wake during the night, try not to snack.
STEP 11: MAKE SURE YOUR BEDROOM HELPS YOUR SLEEP!
Make sure your mattress is comfortable, the temperature is right in the room, and there is not too much noise. Sometimes just adding another blanket, playing soft music, or wearing ear plugs can make a big difference.
STEP 12: USE YOUR BED FOR WHAT IT’S BEST FOR: SLEEPING (NOT WATCHING TV!).
Avoid worrying, arguing, watching TV, or reading in bed. If you do these activities,
try to do them outside the bedroom. Also, avoid tossing and turning for more than
twenty minutes. If you can’t sleep, leave the bed to do something relaxing until you
are tired again.
STEP 13: HAVE A PRE-BEDTIME ROUTINE.
Prepare your body for sleep by keeping the same routine each night close to bedtime. After a short time, your body will start to expect sleep when you start your routine.
If your sleep continues to be a problem after trying these suggestions, be sure to mention it to your primary care provider. He or she can refer you to the Behavioral Health Consultant, who may have additional suggestions.
MOST IMPORTANTLY: HAVE PATIENCE!
Chronic insomnia doesn’t develop overnight and it doesn’t go away overnight. In fact, most people who follow these steps find their sleep gets worse before it gets better. However, in one to two weeks, you should notice significant improvement in your sleep if you follow these steps closely.
If you’re interested in learning more about sleep, there is a great book, that’s also a New York Times bestseller called Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker, PhD. It talks more about how sleep in the most important yet most misunderstood aspect of our life. You don’t have to be a scientist to read it. It’s very reader friendly 🙂 📖
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