Here are five ways to improve the quality of your sleep:

Keep regular hours. Going to bed and getting up at generally the same time each day helps your body develop a good, consistent sleep pattern.

Get regular exercise. It relieves daily tension and uses up energy, so you’ll be ready for sleep when it’s bedtime. However, exercise should be avoided right before bedtime. Mornings or afternoons are generally best.

Avoid caffeine, especially in the afternoons and evenings. It’s a stimulant found in coffee, cola drinks, tea and chocolate, among other things.

Don’t smoke. Nicotine, like caffeine, is a stimulant that keeps you awake.

Reduce alcohol consumption, especially before bedtime. It can interrupt your sleep, and it should never be used as a sleep aid.

the beauty of sleep

by Tony Romano

As the soft clouds of slumber are shattered by that nerve-jangling alarm clock, you are propelled out of a comfortable bed and into the swirl of another day’s activities. You have but one wish as you grab a quick breakfast and head out the door: please, just one more hour of sleep!

How much sleep do we need?

Sleep is a major component of a healthy lifestyle. As you sleep, your body is re-energized and your brain is “decompressing” the day’s knowledge and experiences into memory. The right amount of sleep differs for each individual. Some people can get by on as little as six hours a night; others need as many as 10 hours. The average sleep requirement for most people is seven to eight hours per night.

Napping during the day can affect this equation. If you’re tired during the day, there is nothing wrong with a brief nap (of 15 to 30 minutes). However, long daytime naps of an hour or more should be avoided, since they may likely interfere with regular nighttime sleeping patterns. If you find yourself sleeping longer on weekends, chances are your body is simply reclaiming the needed sleep it “missed” during the week.

Things that interfere with sleep

Certain disorders can affect our sleep patterns. Chronic conditions including sleep apnea (difficulty breathing while asleep) or somnambulance (sleepwalking) are medical in nature and can be treated. But for most people who have trouble sleeping, the problems are more common. Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep), nightmares (disturbing dreams) and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) can often be brought on by general stress, and may even be a psychological effect of changes in season (a condition known as seasonal-affective disorder). There are medical treatments for most cases such as these – so if any of these symptoms sound familiar to you, you should ask your doctor about improving the quality of your sleep.

Work schedules can also have adverse effects on a person’s normal sleep routine. Working a nighttime job (third-shift) requires daytime sleep, which can leave one feeling out-of-pace with most of society. Jobs in trucking and other transportation industries requiring all-night hauls can wreak similar havoc on one’s sleep. Farming – a sizable industry in Ohio – requires an early start to each workday, usually before dawn. Experts believe many of those accidents can be attributed to farmers being overly tired. Sleep deprivation can have a costly and tragic toll in other places as well. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration blames drowsy driving for “at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 40,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities” each year.

In general, sleep challenges posed by work schedules can be mitigated by sleeping in a room that is comfortable, not too warm (ideally 60° to 65° F), and with heavy window coverings to block out light for daytime sleepers.

Links:

National Sleep Foundation

The Better Sleep Council

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