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In 1965, a 17 year-old college student tried to set a
world record for staying awake. During his quest he
experienced the following symptoms: visual and auditory
hallucinations, increased heart rate, low blood pressure,
and psychosis. After 264 hours and 12 minutes (just over
11 days), he collapsed due to profound weakness.
Thankfully, he made a full recovery after sleeping 14
hours and 40 minutes.
While this is an extreme example of the consequences of
not sleeping, many in today’s society are suffering from
health challenges that are partly due to chronic sleep
deprivation.
Sleep is essential for optimal health. The amount and
quality of sleep we get each night will influence the way
we feel and our performance during daytime hours.
High-level functioning of the nervous system requires that
we receive enough quality sleep. Inadequate rest results
in reduced ability to remember, concentrate, plan, make
decisions, and carry out math calculations. Too little
sleep also results in drowsiness and reduced physical
performance, which may result in a higher rate of
injuries, including motor-vehicle accidents.
When we sleep deeply, we allow for efficient cell growth
and repair. The release of growth hormones takes place
during deep sleep. Sleeping deeply at night helps us to
engage at our best, emotionally and socially, with others
during the day.
Too often, people who have difficulty falling asleep and
sleeping deeply turn to medication. Experience has shown
that many sleep disturbances can be solved through natural
means. The following are 9 steps you can take to ensure a
good night’s sleep.
1. Reserve your bedroom for sleep.
Your bedroom should be reserved for sleep and lovemaking.
Homework, office work, and other stressful and stimulating
activities should be kept outside of the bedroom, as
should televisions, radios, stereos, and other
entertainment equipment. This will condition your body to
relax and anticipate sleep once you walk into the bedroom.
You want to keep any stress and unnecessary stimulation as
far away from the bedroom as possible.
2. Be consistent with sleep and wake times.
Go to sleep at the same time each night, and get out of
bed at the same time each morning. This will condition
your body to fall into a routine of sleep and wakefulness.
It is best not to disrupt this routine, such as by
sleeping in on weekends.
3. Avoid nicotine, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol close to
bedtime.
Nicotine, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol often cause
insomnia. Nicotine, caffeine, and sugar are stimulants
that cause you to sleep lightly and to wake up before you
need to because of withdrawal. Common sources of caffeine
are coffee, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, and some
over-the-counter and prescription medications. Alcohol
prevents deep sleep and interferes with REM-stage sleep,
the stage of sleep that stimulates the learning centres of
the brain. Adopting an unprocessed and whole food diet
will help you avoid these stimulants.
4. Sleep in complete darkness.
Melatonin is a hormone that initiates our desire to sleep
and affects the depth of sleep we achieve. Melatonin
regulates our sleep-wake cycles and is produced by a gland
in the brain. The amount of light we are exposed to at any
given moment is what tells this gland whether or not to
produce melatonin. Darkness stimulates melatonin
production while light inhibits it. Thus, the darker it is
when you sleep, the better your melatonin production, and
the better the quality of your sleep. Even dim light from
a night-light or hall light can disrupt sleep cycles and
prevent you from getting deep sleep.
5. Exercise regularly.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Being active promotes
a greater need for deep sleep and decreases stress. Do not
exercise close to your bedtime, however, as exercise is
stimulating and can create difficulties in falling asleep.
It is best not to exercise vigorously within 3 hours of
your bedtime.
6. Make sure you have a comfortable mattress.
This sounds simple, but there are countless numbers of
people out there who are sleeping on a mattress that is
too hard, too soft, or not supportive enough and are
wondering why they can’t fall asleep. Invest in a mattress
that you feel comfortable sleeping on.
7. Claim your bed space.
Don’t share your bed with a companion who takes up your
space or who moves around so much that you have difficulty
falling or staying asleep. This includes your partner,
children, and animal companions. Children after a certain
age and animals should have their own designated places
for sleep. If you share a bed with your partner and/or
children and find it crowded, consider investing in a
bigger bed, push two beds together, or try sleeping with
separate blankets. You may also want to consider sleeping
in a separate bed.
8. Get up if you can’t sleep.
If you have not fallen asleep after 15 minutes, get up and
do something else in another room. Thinking about your
inability to sleep will contribute to the inability to
sleep, which creates a vicious cycle. When you get up to
do something else, make sure that the activity you engage
in is relaxing and doesn’t involve bright light. Reading
and listening to music can be good activities. Watching
television and surfing the internet are not.
9. Figure out how much sleep you need.
To determine how long you need to sleep in order to
function optimally, take the time to sleep until you wake
up on your own without external motivation such as alarms
or loud noises. Through this exercise you can determine
the optimal amount of sleep for you.If you are following
these steps and are still experiencing sleep difficulties,
you may want to consult with a qualified professional to
explore organic causes of sleep disturbance.
The Professional
Staff at:
Essential Therapies
631-589-6680
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