Advertisement
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 Sep 17 2006, 11:14 AM
|
Forum Super Administrator
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 12,297
Joined: 1-December 01
From: Sarasota, Florida
Member No.: 2
|
QUOTE Ways to Get that Needed Deep Sleep Without Taking Pills
Q: I've been having problems falling asleep. Are there things I can try other than taking sleeping pills?
A: Many things can interfere with sleep, ranging from anxiety to an unusual work schedule. But people who have difficulty sleeping often discover that their daily routine holds the key to nighttime woes. Below are some common enemies of sleep, and some tips for dealing with them.
- Cut down on caffeine. Caffeine-drinkers may find it difficult to fall asleep. Once they drift off, their sleep is shorter and lighter. For some people, a single cup of coffee in the morning means a sleepless night. People who suffer from insomnia should avoid caffeine as much as possible, since its effects can last for many hours. Those who can't or don't want to give up caffeine should avoid it after 2pm, or noon if they are especially caffeine-sensitive.
- Stop smoking or chewing tobacco. Nicotine is a potent drug that speeds your heart rate, raises blood pressure, and stimulates brain activity. In people addicted to nicotine, a few hours without it is enough to induce withdrawal symptoms. Cravings can even wake a smoker at night. People who kick the habit fall articlesasleep more quickly and wake less often during the night. They may be more tired during the day at first, but many former users say they sleep better. Quitting also offers many other health benefits, including a lower risk for cancer, heart disease and stroke. But those who continue to use tobacco should avoid smoking or chewing it for at least one to two hours before bedtime.
- Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol affects sleep in two different ways. Because it makes you sleepy for an hour or two, a nightcap can help some people doze off. But after that, alcohol can cause frequent awakenings as it suppresses deep sleep, reducing the quality of your sleep. Experts blame alcohol for 10 percent of chronic insomnia cases.
Some people fail to get even the short-term benefit from a nightcap because alcohol raises a hormone in the body that makes falling asleep difficult. Because alcohol relaxes throat muscles and interferes with brain control mechanisms, it can worsen snoring and other nocturnal breathing problems, which can sometimes be dangerous.
- Avoid a sedentary life. Aerobic exercise like walking, running or swimming promotes restfulness by helping you to fall asleep more easily and to sleep more soundly. One study found that physically fit older men fell asleep in less than half the time it took for sedentary men, and they woke up less often during the night. Timing is important: Exercising five or six hours before bedtime will encourage drowsiness when it's time to go to sleep. But strenuous activity within two hours before bedtime can keep you awake. If you can't exercise several hours before bedtime, exercising earlier in the day can also help you sleep better.
- Improve your sleep surroundings. An ideal sleep environment is quiet, dark and relatively cool, with a comfortable bed and a minimal amount of clutter from daytime responsibilities. Reminders or discussions of stressful issues should be banished to another room. Removing the television, telephone and office equipment from the bedroom is a good way to reinforce that this room is meant for sleeping.
- Keep a regular schedule. People with the most regular sleep habits report the fewest problems with insomnia and the least feelings of depression. Experts advise going to sleep at the same time on most nights, and getting up at about the same time every day, even after a late-night party or fitful sleep. Napping during the day can also make it harder to get to sleep at night.
- Keep a sleep diary. Keeping a sleep diary may help you uncover some clues about what's disturbing your sleep. If possible, you should do this for a month, but even a week's worth of entries can be beneficial.
- Use strategic naps. If your goal is to sleep longer at night, napping is a bad idea. Because your daily sleep requirement remains constant, naps take away from evening sleep.
But if your goal is to improve your alertness during the day, a scheduled nap may be just the thing. If you're anxious about getting enough sleep, then a scheduled nap may help you feel better at night by helping you feel less anxious. If possible, nap shortly after lunch and no longer than an hour. Even a 15- to 20-minute nap can make you feel more alert.
You may also find it helpful to make sure your bedroom is quiet (see graphic). If you try all of these suggestions and still have sleep problems, talk to your health-care provider.
SOURCE:-
By The Faculty of Harvard Medical School
The Harvard Medical School Adviser
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
----------
More
Sleep Hygiene Tips from our Jackie:
* Establish a regular time for going to bed and getting up in the morning and stick to it even on weekends and during vacations.
* Use the bed for sleep and sexual relations only, not for reading, watching television, or working; excessive time in bed seems to fragment sleep.
* Avoid naps, especially in the evening.
* Exercise before dinner. A low point in energy occurs a few hours after exercise; sleep will then come more easily. Exercising close to bedtime, however, may increase alertness.
* Take a hot bath about an hour and a half to two hours before bedtime. This alters the body's core temperature rhythm and helps people fall asleep more easily and more continuously. (Taking a bath shortly before bed increases alertness.)
* Do something relaxing in the half-hour before bedtime. Reading, meditation, and a leisurely walk are all appropriate activities.
* Keep the bedroom relatively cool and well ventilated.
* Do not look at the clock. Obsessing over time will just make it more difficult to sleep.
* Eat light meals and schedule dinner four to five hours before bedtime. A light snack before bedtime can help sleep, but a large meal may have the opposite effect.
* Spend a half hour in the sun each day. The best time is early in the day. (Take precautions against overexposure to sunlight by wearing protective clothing and sunscreen.)
* Avoid fluids just before bedtime so that sleep is not disturbed by the need to urinate.
* Avoid caffeine in the hours before sleep.
* If one is still awake after 15 or 20 minutes go into another room, read or do a quiet activity using dim lighting until feeling very sleepy. (Don't watch television or use bright lights.)
* If distracted by a sleeping bed partner, moving to the couch or a spare bed for a couple of nights might be helpful.
* If a specific worry is keeping one awake, thinking of the problem in terms of images rather than in words may allow a person to fall asleep more quickly and to wake up with less anxiety.
------
Please do check out our many
INSOMNIA
articles in our Portal from DepressionForums.org 
--------------------
Be Well....
~Lindsay, Forum Super Administrator
Founder, depressionforums.org
Forum Super AdministratorDF member since Dec 2001  ---- "I cannot make my mark for all time...those concepts are mutually exclusive.
"Lasting effect" is a self -contradictory term. Meaning does not exist in the future, nor do I.
Nothing will have meaning, "ultimately."
Nothing will even mean tomorrow what it did today. Meaning changes with the context.
My meaningfulness is in the here and now. It is enough that I may be of value to someone today.
It is enough that I make a difference now." ~Lindsay
Hotlines
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 6 2006, 04:30 PM
|
Newbie
Group: Newbie
Posts: 41
Joined: 6-December 06
Member No.: 12,308
|
Thanks for posting this! This has helped me a lot!
--------------------
"I'm nobody's weasel"
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 19 2007, 07:51 PM
|
Newbie
Group: Newbie
Posts: 5
Joined: 15-July 07
Member No.: 17,589
|
Alot of that is very sensible, altho, for me the tv kinda helps me sleep, i usually put it on something mellow and calm, not news or weather, but something like history channel or nasa channel (since they usually display the earth from orbit at night) just my 2 cents, im sure some of these ideas will have oppisit effects, but my biggest thing was cleaning the room might help out more, lol. but alot of my sleep problems is related to anxiety, i have had mild panic attacks while asleep, cause me to wake up like im choking or soffocating etc you name it, as soon as i wake up tho, im fine, so i know im breathing ok, *sigh* wish itd go away but oh well!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Aug 20 2007, 10:47 AM
|
Newbie
Group: Newbie
Posts: 5
Joined: 22-December 04
From: Chicagoland, IL
Member No.: 943
|
I frequently have problems with getting to sleep. I work every day with technology and so many cool "Toys"
What I deem to be depression or anxiety based on too much stimuli.
I read a while ago that having a Television in the bedroom can impede sleep, so I mentioned it to my wife
and she refused to allow me to remove the TV from the bedroom. So I bought her wireless headphones which
helped a little bit, but the flickering light of the TV still kept me awake.
I'm no longer with my wife and even though there's now no TV in my bedroom, my mind still stays (hyper) active
for long periods of time and I remain awake tossing and turning for what seems like hours most nights.
One thing I do find that helps me calm down is to do the Sudoku number puzzles. They are challenging, and help me take my
mind off other external thoughts.
--------------------
I'm Manic/Depressed AD/HD and Dyslexic, this too shall pass
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 4 2007, 06:43 PM
|
Newbie
Group: Newbie
Posts: 28
Joined: 22-July 07
Member No.: 17,747
|
Thanks,will try some of that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 19 2007, 03:03 PM
|
Newbie
Group: Newbie
Posts: 12
Joined: 19-September 07
From: SLC
Member No.: 19,121
|
this list is wonderful, just hard to commit to. one thing i have felt that is helpful is using a certain smell to trigger sleep time. i use a lavender or lavender vanilla scented aromatherappy spray on my pillow at night which helps my brain register that it is time to sleep. it is also calming. it helps to focus on a scent instead of the thousands of thoughts racing around your mind. just an idea.
--------------------
-oceanflight
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 21 2007, 03:52 PM
|
Senior Moderator
Group: Admin Team-Moderator
Posts: 12,503
Joined: 7-July 04
From: Ohio
Member No.: 28
|
It works for me too. There isn't anything better than freshly washed sheets, too. I usually open a window or have the air on as I sleep deeper if I'm in a cool, dark, room. I have had to deal with the mind that won't stop thinking for awhile. I have a couple visualizations I do that helps me refocus to somewhere I've been in the past that I really enjoyed. It helps quieten my mind so I can fall sleep. My mind also races around during the day, so I have to really work on concentrating what I'm doing or I'll mess up. At least I'm not having anxiety attacks, but if I get stressed, it's still effecting my thoughts...  I could do without this, but after awhile, it becomes a way of life. Jackie
--------------------
I have GAD. I worry about everything, lol! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 5 2007, 08:24 AM
|
Newbie
Group: Newbie
Posts: 7
Joined: 4-December 07
Member No.: 21,018
|
QUOTE (Jkm @ Sep 21 2007, 03:52 PM)  It works for me too. There isn't anything better than freshly washed sheets, too. I usually open a window or have the air on as I sleep deeper if I'm in a cool, dark, room. I have had to deal with the mind that won't stop thinking for awhile. I have a couple visualizations I do that helps me refocus to somewhere I've been in the past that I really enjoyed. It helps quieten my mind so I can fall sleep. My mind also races around during the day, so I have to really work on concentrating what I'm doing or I'll mess up. At least I'm not having anxiety attacks, but if I get stressed, it's still effecting my thoughts... I could do without this, but after awhile, it becomes a way of life. Jackie I have sleep issues also but I take ambien and this works for awhile and then it stops working. Wish I could find some way to get some decent sleep. Now they came out with a study that if you work night shift you are more prone to cancer. Great, this just causes me more anxiety and I can't sleep at all. Can anybody relate?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 5 2007, 10:10 AM
|
Senior Moderator
Group: Admin Team-Moderator
Posts: 12,503
Joined: 7-July 04
From: Ohio
Member No.: 28
|
I think you'd have to be genetically predisposed to cancer for this to be a threat. I know I am on both sides of the family, and have been checked for cancer a couple of times when the anxiety got to me. I think it's okay to discuss this with your doc if you are worried. I know that there's great value to doing this, as it will alleviate some of you anxiety.
I know from working for over three years on midnights that it's unnatural for us to be awake all night. I would go for three months and get to the point where I couldn't sleep and be awake for a couple days with short naps and would have to report off and sleep for about 12 hours. If you aren't sleeping due to anxiety, it's something to talk about with your doc or therapist. I know my relapses are all triggered with not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep, and I feel for you not getting restorative sleep from taking meds. I know other people personally who go through the same thing, and have had to resort to some pretty strong tranquilizers to be able to sleep soundly.
Another thing you may want to consider is having a sleep study done. Sleep disorders are pretty common from my understanding and I know I was finally treated for restless leg disorder and now am able to fall asleep and stay alseep with meds to treat this.
Good Luck! I know the importance of getting refreshing sleep and know how creeped out I felt when I couldn't sleep and had to go to work. I was afraid to drive as after awhile it seemed to mess with my depth perception and attention, and I had to be very careful, which only increased my anxiety. Sleep is very necessary as our brains need a break, lol! Mine is on overtime, all the time with GAD......
Jackie
--------------------
I have GAD. I worry about everything, lol! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ways to Get that Needed Deep Sleep Without Taking Pills |
Add To Bookmarks
Depression Forums - A Depression & Mental Health Community Support Group > OTHER DEPRESSION & ANXIETY RELATED ILLNESSES > Anxiety and Panic Disorders
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
