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eLearning Series:
Please Help Me Sleep Better At Night!
Sleep Disorders
No
Sleep For You:
Responsibilities, Pressures and Worries
In today's fast paced world, full of responsibilities,
pressures, and worries there seems to always be a demand on
our time. Running at this pace for prolonged periods
of time eventually catches up and causes emotional, physical,
and mental
stress. Over scheduling takes place when we have our children
in every sports activity, every theatrical production, every
art class, etc…Being busy and never slowing down has become
the equivalent of being happy, or a good mom, or whatever it
is that we achieve to be. We have deadlines to meet, bills
to pay, and our daily life responsibilities end up higher on
the priority list. We need to take time to sleep and rest.
Sleep is a great healer of physical and emotional stress. Naps
are okay. Humans need sleep.
Being
overly tired makes us irritable, clumsy, and slow. Studies
have shown that people who sleep less than six hours a night
are at a higher risk of sleep-related motor vehicle crashes.
Sleep loss amplifies the effects of chronic illness as well
as mood disorders. Insomnia leads to depression and vice versa.
Conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes
are harder to control when sleep is insufficient.
If
you are a workaholic, you are affecting the lives of your
friends, family, and possibly the quality of your work.
If you find yourself trying to do too much at once, it is
time to reprioritize. Write down what you need to the next
day before bedtime. This might help you go to sleep faster.
A plan for your day may also rid you of anxiety about the multiple
demands on your time. First, prioritize your goals, plan your
day, and try to stay focused on the key tasks you need to do
for that day.
What is important is making sure that the number of hours
of sleep you get is the right amount for you as well as making
the most of your waking hours. If you are productive and getting
things done during the day, that will help you get the sleep
you need and you will sleep better without the guilt and anxiety.
Getting
enough sleep is important not only for your physical
and mental well-being, but also is helpful to keep your creative
juices flowing. Not enough sleep can make you stressed, sad,
angry and tired during the day. Health experts agree that sleep
is as essential to your health as food and water. The lack
of sleep makes it harder to remember, learn, concentrate, and
make good decisions. It also lowers your productivity and your
ability to deal with stress. Safety issues are also of concern
when drivers are not operating at maximum potential. Drowsy
drivers significantly contribute to car accident statistics
and need to take breaks at least every two hours.
Here are some tips on reducing your sleep debt:
Lower
your bedroom temperature. A cooler environment means
better sleep. Darken your bedroom with shades and curtains.
Avoid caffeine less than five hours before bedtime. Don't activate
your brain by doing stressful activities like watching a scary
movie, reading a thriller, or balancing your checkbook.
Make
time for sleep. Get an adequate amount of sleep each
night. Identify the amount of sleep needed to be fully alert
all day, and get that amount every night. Establish a regular
sleep schedule. This involves going to bed at the same time
every night, and waking up at the same time every morning,
including weekends, without an alarm clock. Get continuous
sleep. For sleep to be rejuvenating, it needs to be the required
amount in one continuous block of time. Make up for lost sleep.
One should pay back their sleep debt in a timely fashion by
making up for any lost sleep as soon as possible.
To
restore a regular sleep-wake schedule and increase the
likelihood of falling asleep soon after going to bed, do the
following:
Set
a consistent wake up time that does not change, not even
on weekends or holidays. Resist the urge to stay in bed longer
to catch up on sleep. A consistent wake-up time will eventually
reset your internal sleep-wake cycle and improve your sleep.
Do
not nap. Napping during the day increases the chances that
you will have difficulty falling asleep.
Restrict
your time spent in bed to the amount of time that
you actually sleep. This is the most difficult advice for people
with insomnia to follow, but delaying your time to bed until
you are experiencing mild sleep deprivation promotes falling
asleep faster. You are getting the same amount of sleep as
before, just consolidated into one period of sleep. For example,
if you find that you generally get only about 6 hours of sleep
a night, then don't go to bed until 6 hours before your wake
up time (always give yourself at least 5 hours in bed each
night). After a few nights of sleeping well on this schedule,
gradually make your time to bed earlier until you are getting
a full nights sleep. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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