Hi all, as most of you know I am a registered sleep tech. I have been working in the field of sleep for 6 years, with both adults and pediatrics, a lot of you have emailed me directly, or posted questions on my page about sleep, and I am always happy to answer what I can. Many people have asked me about insomnia, trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep. Insomnia can be a sign of a serious sleep disorder, due to health problems, or medication use, or can be due to poor sleep hygiene. I know sleep hygiene? Yes just like we know about dental hygiene, we need to watch our sleep hygiene too. :0) Before going for a sleep study, you may want to try improving your sleep hygiene. If you follow the following tips ad still have difficulty with insomnia, it is a good idea to talk with your doctor. Sleep deprivation can cause many problems including weight gain, diabetes, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Maybe I’ll do blogs on how that happens later. For now here are the sleep hygiene tips. I hope this helps.
Only use your bedroom for sleep and sex - If you only use your bedroom for sleep, this is yet another signal to the body that it is time to relax and sleep. You should not use your bedroom for watching TV, reading, using your computer, eating, etc. This confuses the body with what the bed is for.
Go to bed and get up at the same time every day - This is especially important if you have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep. Going to bed and getting up the same time everyday regulates your Circadian Rhythm (your body's internal clock) Your body releases melatonin to help you fall asleep at your desired bedtime, and the Melatonin levels decrease, so you don't feel groggy in the morning. It is also helpful to expose your eyes to sunlight first thing in the morning with the sun, or a lightbox, and don't expose your eyes to bright lights a few hours before bed as the lack of light tells the body that it is evening and allows the Melatonin to be released. We have more difficulty with insomnia in modern day than people did before artificial light. Before artificial light the sunlight signaled the body to get up, and the sun set signaled the body to prepare to sleep. Lack of sunlight can also cause depression as seen in people with Seasonal Affective Disorder. When I say every day I mean on the weekends too. It is very important to for your body to know when it is time to sleep, and when it time to wake. It is important when picking bedtime and rise time that you allow 8 hours for sleep. So if you must be up for work a 6am count back 8 hours and your bed time would be 10pm.
Don’t take naps - With insomnia it’s hard to go to bed at night; your circadian rhythm (body clock) is not set correctly, if you sleep during the day, you will have more difficulty falling asleep at night. Initially when you begin to implement these techniques you may feel more tired. That is very normal, don’t take a nap, this will make you very sleepy, but the hope is by the time bedtime rolls around you will be sleepy and have a much easier time falling asleep.
Only go to sleep when sleepy - If you go to bed and don't fall asleep with in 15minutes, get up and do something boring. Preferably not something with light, like a TV screen, or a computer screen, keep the room fairly dark, the more light you expose your eyes to, the more it tells your brain it's daytime. Ideas for boring activities, play solitaire using a deck of cards, read your refrigerator warrantee, read your car's owner’s manual. Only when you begin to get sleepy again return to your bedroom. Repeat as long as it takes to fall asleep. Lying in bed when you can't sleep will cause anxiety about not sleeping, which will cause you to stay awake longer.
Develop a sleep ritual - Like brushing your teeth, washing your face, taking a warm bath, maybe with bubbles or candlelight, reading a book (not in bed though, remember what I said before, your bed is only for 2 things, sex and sleep so your body knows when you get in bed your there for sleep and/or sex) sex can also be a good bedtime routine, for most people it creates a sense of relaxation and wellbeing. Some people feel more energetic, and for them it may not be a good bedtime routine. You should follow this routine whatever it is every night. Your body will soon learn these behaviors mean to slow down and prepare for sleep.
Your Bedroom and bed should be comfortable - Your bedroom should be dark and the temperature should not be too warm, it's best if your bedroom is cool, with adequate blankets. The room should be dark, cover all clocks, don't have TVs or computer screens on, as these lights especially can be stimulants. If sunlight in the morning bothers you use blackout drapes to block the light, this also may be necessary if there are street lights. Your room should also be quiet, if noise is a problem use earplugs or a noise machine.
Light snack before bed – A light snack such as warm milk, turkey, or bananas are the best ideas as they contain tryptophan, which can make you sleepy. Never eat sugary snacks, or anything that is spicy, as these things can cause disruptions of your sleep. Also if you have occasional problems with heartburn avoid foods that you know can cause you heartburn. If heartburn occurs frequently talk with your doctor, as it can lead to esophageal cancer if left untreated and it can disrupt your sleep also. Gerd can be a symptom of sleep apnea. If you plan to take Ambien don't have a snack as it works most effectively on an empty stomach. I forgot to add avoiding foods with caffeine, these include chocolate, soda, and most teas unless they specifically say caffeine free.
Don't drink Caffeine after 1pm in the afternoon - This will cause arousals. An arousal is a 3-5 second interruption in sleep, during the night, you won't realize these are occurring, but they fragment your sleep, and can lead to weight gain among other things. These arousals occur due to caffeine withdraw, which can also cause a morning headache.
Exercise - Exercise will help improve sleep, however you should not do any rigorous exercising 2-4 hours before bed as it can make falling asleep more difficult. Exercise releases endorphins which are "uppers" these will help increase energy, and can cause difficulty falling asleep. It is best if you are going to do rigorous exercise you should do it in the morning or early afternoon, not before bed.
Alcohol - Although Alcohol initially relaxes and makes a person feel sleepy, you should not drink alcohol 2-4 hours before bed. As alcohol breaks down it converts to sugar, as the alcohol metabolizes it will cause arousals disrupting your sleep and leaving you not feeling refreshed. Alcohol also further relaxes the airway so if you have sleep apnea, it will be worse after alcohol, alcohol increases snoring which may not only disrupt your sleep, but your bed partner's sleep also.
Finally use the sun to help set your clock - In the morning let the sun in. If you live somewhere that the sun doesn’t shine during the winter, you may need to get a light box, it simulates sunshine, any bright light will help though. This tells your body it’s daytime, and that it should be awake. Dim the lights in the evening, this tells your body it’s night.
If you work night’s it is still important that you follow these tips. It is also good to use light to “set” your body’s clock. When going to work and when waking in the morning expose your eyes to as much light as possible, on the way home from work and before bed, avoid as much light as possible, wear sunglasses on the way home, dim the lights.
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Total votes: 20
Do you practice good sleep hygiene?
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| Vote Yes | |
| Vote No | |
| Vote I'd like to try | |
| You must vote to see the results | |
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Dear Sleep Tech,
That was a great blog. I don't do all I should to get a good night's sleep, but I enjoy sleep and I don;'t have any real complaints. Thank you for taking the time to inform all of us. Sleep tight. Bobbie
I had to vote NO Sorry no wonder I never get a good nights sleep
Damsell, your welcome, I don't know why I haven't done more of these to begin with. I write a Good Night Email everynight to my friends from this site, I should start sharing more with all of you. I've done plenty on MRSA, but sleep is probably more interesting to everyone. :0)
Sheilah, that's ok to answer "no" this poll was honestly not one I wanted a certain answer on, I was curious how many people knew of these and followed them. Obviously if a person doesn't have a problem with getting a good night's sleep, then just keep doing what your doing. But if you are one of the many people with insomnia or problems sleeping, then by all means try this first! If anyone has any sleep related topics they would like to hear about, I'll be happy to "Blog" you an answer! If you don't want anyone to know who asked, my email address is on my profile page. Sleep Well!
Michele
SleepTech;I think that would be a good idea to blog some of the topics we have talk about.So many people are sleep deprived.
Good Blog.
Yvonne
Hello,
How are and your family. Anyways, my name is Adela. I have three children and two of them has ADD. My 12 yrs has issue of sleep. We tried Melatonin but it didn't work at all. Now she is back to square one . My heart goes out to my daughter. It is so important to have at lease 8 to 10 hrs of sleep and she is not anywhere close. It is so disconcerning to see her being sleep deprive for many yrs now. Lately she open up to her Pediatrician about bullying at school.We try and work from here and see what happen. Still waiting for the doctor to write the school Principal if they can help my daughter resolve this issue at school. When it comes to our kidls we do not want to stop searching for a solution.
Regard's to all. Thank you and God Bless.
I didn't realize that a small amount of wine before bedtime could cause sleep disruption, as well as caffeine after 1 pm. I've struggled with a weight problem for years. I don't drink a lot - a bottle of wine will last me several months - but I do drink a lot of coffee - and late in the evening. Starting today (February 21st - no more caffeine after 1 pm. Guess I won't go make that pot of coffee as its already 1:56pm CST.
I'm also going to establish a regular sleep pattern - no more going to bed and getting up at irregular hours.
Maybe if I do all that, I can lose some weight and quit taking those darned blood pressure pills!!
Thank you for all of the wonderful hints and suggestions.
Sandrak39
I have had problems sleeping ever since I started working different shifts (overtime) I am not working now, but still am not able to fall asleep without a sleeping aide. I find myself still waking up many times in the middle of the night. I can't remember the last time I actually slept through the night. It gets really annoying to constantly pop pills just to get some sleep, I thought it'd be natural to fall asleep. My docotr wanted me to take a sleep test, but I never went or actually scheduled the test. I wish I had now, slepp is getting worse for me every day it seems. I do practice goos sleep hygiene...what else can I do to improve my sleep? Do you think I should go in for the test? Anyways, thanks for the good blog...
Take care, Jeff
Hi, my name is Kathy and my husband told me about a year ago that I stopped breathing during the night several times, every night and that I also snore. I talked to my doctor and she set me up to have a sleep study. What they told me is that I have RLS. Do you keep copies of tapes for over a year? I was thinking about calling them and asking for a copy. I can feel when I have RLS, usually caused by benadryl or other anti-histomene (please excuse the spelling) LOL, but the night of my sleep study, I did not have any trouble with my legs that I am aware of. I am about 20-25 lbs overweight and I do know I snore. My husband walks in his sleep and does strange things. Sometimes he wakes up but other times he doesn't remember what he's done. He is going to have a sleep study done at the V.A. hospital here in Atlanta. I didn't have to go until that night but they want him there at 10:30 that morning. Would there be any reason they want him there so early? Any comments would be appreciated very much.
Kathy
Something else that has helped my quality of sleep is wearing a sleep mask at night. I found a nice molded/shaped one that is comfortable and does a wonderful job of blocking out the extra light. I have fibromyalgia, and one of the worst symptoms is lack of sleep. Sometimes I'm up most of the night, and my sleep is then disrupted by the morning light. The mask is great for blocking the light when you have to sleep in normally lighted periods of the day.
Isn't it possible that some people are just naturally nocturnal? I have been told the above rules/guidelines my whole life. I can follow them till the cows come home. I *can* maintain a normal daytime schedule - if I have to. But it's not natural, it never becomes habit, and my 'clock' never resets - it's just a schedle I adhere to if life demands it.
Below is a blog entry I JUST posted... which led me to you blog, but I'd like your take on the info too - so I'm sharing it in it's entirity.. feel free to delet it if you don't want it here. After I posted it, I remembered you commented on my post about sleep aids and thought you'd be the perfect person to add insight to this.
Thanks
~ Rosie
okay - the blog entry made my comment too long to post.. so I posted it over at my blog here titled Naturally Nocturnal People??
Hi SleepTech,
I cant seem to sleep a full night....I'm up every 2 hours like clockwork. It may be the meds that I am on but you'd think you'd sleep for a year on a days worth. The insurance co cut one med down and now wont cover it which did NOT help the situation. The temp one just clogs my head more and works temp, but not like the other one did. Not sure if sleep issues focus around meds or something I am unaware of. Have been tested for sleep apnea---dont have it. An alll night sleep study that was fine--no seizure activity. (This is a recent blog I posted and wondered if you could help--others suggested asking you so I wanted to ask you about this). Thanks.
Melissa.
thanks alot
i really have but after reading this page i believe that i will sleep well
and if it's doesn't work i will tell you that but i know it will help me to sleep in peace
Hello,
I have another sleep problem at times, my mind just will not shut off. It will race and just jump from one thing to another and some nights I dont' sleep at all because of this. I don't belive it is due to caffeen, I don't drink much of that because of my anxiety problem. Do you have any suggestions thanks,
jmfroglady
Hello I am the one who wront the post on Turners Syndrome, Sleep Aphnea and Astma I have obstructive sleep Aphnea and today I just recieved my CPAP machine I am feeling great about using it here at home for my first time and am sure it is going to work great however I do have one question when I go for sleep studies it seems I don't sleep good like I do at home when I had my cpcp eval to set the machine before I recieved my own I only slept two hours any advice for being able to sleep in places you are not very familuar with because every time I am there I am without my pets and feel aniouse so they are not getting a full result because of my lack of sleep what can I do to make it so I will sleep better there have a sleep test comming up again with the machine in about a month
Shannon
Hey all it was my first night with My CPAP machine and I was surprised I had no trouble going to sleep with it at all not only that for being my first night I slept with it all night long even though they said I could take time getting used to it by going for short times with it the first couple of nights I had no trouble wearing it all night I even woke up the this morning to remembering my dream I had last night this is something I havent been able to do in a long time I am feeling more comfident that this is going to work great also I was able to tell my family about my good dream for the first time in a very long time I found my machine easy to use and was very excited not nervouse the first time putting it together by myself for this I praise God for helping me with the transition to using it and making my first night such a success and I know he will be with me every day helping me through this just thought I would let you all know this is great and I am adapting pretty well for a first night last night
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Hey. Thanks. I do a lot of these anyway. The only one that is hard for me to follow is only using my room for sleep (and sex, but I'm only 15, so not yet sexually active.) I never really have time to take naps. I kind of have a sleep ritual, but I could probably go with it a little more and see if that helps. I only drink caffeine once a day. (As soon as I wake up.)
I've never had trouble sleeping before this. Not even in the summer time when most kids my age are up all night.
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