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 IMPROVING
YOUR SLEEP
Ten
tips for better sleep:
1. Don’t panic about a lack of sleep
If you are having trouble sleeping and you start to
think about problems from not sleeping (e.g., how much time is passing and
exactly how much sleep you are missing out on, what you need to do and
achieve tomorrow and how difficult that will be without sleep), then,
you will only wind up anxious, agitated and you will probably find it
even more difficult to relax enough to be able to fall asleep. At
these times remember that a poor night's sleep is not a disaster, in fact
the main consequence of a lack of sleep is feeling sleepy.
2.
Remember that you will be able to sleep again
You may start to fear that you won’t be able to
sleep for days and days or even weeks, it is physically impossible for you
to stay awake for longer than 72 hours. If you remember that falling asleep
again is inevitable and you could not stop it if you tried, then you may
start to feel a little less anxious about having trouble falling
asleep.
3.
Avoid “clock watching”
If you have an alarm clock in your room, move it so
that you cannot see the time without having to get up. Watching the time
will only make you think about how much difficulty you are having getting to
sleep and make you more anxious. Focusing on how much sleep you have can be
unhelpful, since the amount of sleep you get is not the same as the quality
of your sleep. Think back to times when you had very little sleep and felt
energetic and ready to get on with your day, then on other occasions it is
possible to have more than enough sleep and still wake feeling tired and
drowsy. Keeping this in mind can help you take the focus off the amount
of sleep you have.
4.
Get out of bed if you can’t sleep
If you are unable to sleep, don’t stay in your
bed for hours and hours, get up after about 20 minutes. Go into another room
and do some reading or spend time doing an activity that is not too
stimulating. Don’t return to
bed unless you feel sleepy. By keeping with this, you ensure that your bed
and bedroom are only associated with sleeping, otherwise you may come to
associate your bed with being alert and awake and frustrated.
5.
Reserve your bed for sleeping only
Make
sure you don’t watch TV, talk on the phone, study or read excessively
while you are in bed. This will make it difficult for you to associate your
bed with sleeping.
6.
Get into a routine
Routines are important when it comes to sleep. This
means having a regular bed time and a set time for getting up, no matter how
much sleep you have had. These routines will help to regulate your body’s
natural cycles of sleeping and waking. A night time routine can also help
condition your body to know that it is bed time and start to feel sleepy.
Your night time routine might involve getting things ready for the next day,
brushing your teeth and getting changed.
Do not try to go from an activity straight to bed – allow some
quite time as a part of your routine.
7.
Take steps to manage your emotions
Strong emotions and conditions such as depression
and anxiety can contribute to difficulty getting to sleep and staying
asleep. Taking steps to manage your mood and stress levels can help with the
quality of your sleep and your energy levels in general. Talking to a close
friend about the way you feel or writing in a diary can help you to deal
with strong and complex feelings. If you have ongoing anxiety or depression
think about talking to a psychologist or another mental health professional
about ways of dealing with these conditions, there are many effective
treatments available. Alternatively there are a number of excellent books.
8.
Deal with worries
If you avoid thinking about what worries you throughout the day and then
find that at night when you go to bed, your worries all come to the fore of
your mind, you may need to start dealing with some of your worries during
the day. Setting aside some time to worry and make a list of your concerns
can prevent worries from coming up at night when you are trying to sleep.
Going through each of your concerns and problem-solving to arrive at
possible solutions can relieve anxiety. Recognising if the problem you are
thinking about is one that can benefit from thinking and analysis, not all
situations can be resolved by thinking about them over and over again. Practise
letting go of situations that cannot be helped by thinking.
9.
Practice relaxation
Learn
to use relaxation methods to help you relax and unwind on a daily basis and
at night when you are having difficulty sleeping. There are many books, CDs
and courses available to help you learn relaxation methods.
10.
Diet and exercise
Watch your diet by avoiding heavy meals close to
bed time, caffeine from soft drinks, tea and coffee and alcohol. Although
alcohol has an initially relaxing effect, it increases anxiety after a short
while and disturbs sleep. Cigarette smoking also makes sleep more difficult
- nicotine is a stimulant and contributes to poor sleep. Make sure you get
enough physical exercise each day, being physically tired can help you
sleep. Taking a short walk each day can sometimes be enough to improve your
sleep!
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