ARTICLE>> When's the last time you had
a good night's SLEEP?
by Jason Easter, Health Promotion Officer

Trouble falling or staying asleep is a common problem in the in today's fast evolving society. It is probable that many of us experience sleep difficulty at least occasionally. This affliction - called insomnia by doctors - has important effects: a negative impact on concentration, productivity and mood.
Luckily, there are many things you can do to improve your sleep. These first steps need some detective work. You'll need to look at your diet, exercise patterns, sleeping environment, personal habits, lifestyle and current concerns (especially the stressful ones!) As you begin to see the connection between, for example, what and/or when you eat and nights of poor sleep, you can develop your own good sleep plan.
Remember, that good sleep doesn't always just happen. If you've been sleeping poorly for a while, you may have fallen into some bad sleep habits that build up your problem.

Caffeine and Alcohol
Time and again, we eat and drink without thinking about the effects. The afternoon cup of tea or coffee seems like a great idea at the time. The wine with dinner may appear an appropriate celebration of the day's success. But that same drink can prove an enemy of restful sleep.
Coffee contains caffeine, as do teas, chocolate and other drinks. Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it has an alerting or wake-up effect. For some people, a small amount of caffeine early in the day can cause problems falling asleep 10 to 12 hours later. Others have learned to avoid caffeine-containing drinks and foods within six hours of bedtime.
Each individual responds to caffeine differently; it is also linked to regular caffeine drinking. For example, the more coffee you drink each day, the less powerful its effect as a stimulant... didn't know that, or did you?

How to determine caffeine's effect on you?
Try removing caffeinated food and drink after lunch for a few weeks. Are you sleeping better? If so, you may have identified the culprit.
Alcohol, on the other hand, is often thought of as a sedative: a calming drug. However, while alcohol may speed the beginning of sleep, it actually increases the number of times you awaken in the later half of the night. If your sleep isn't restful, alcohol may be the cause. Skip the nightcap and see if your sleep improves.

What about what you eat?
Everything you eat can affect nighttime slumber. For example, tomato containing and spicy foodstuffs give many people heartburn. What does heartburn have to do with sleep? Lying down makes heartburn worse, and heartburn itself makes falling asleep more difficult. Heartburn also awakens sleepers with middle-of-the-night discomfort.
Drinking too much of any beverage can lead to more awakenings because of the need to urinate during the night. Also, the older we get, the more we experience these nighttime awakenings.
Try to limit your fluid intake before bedtime to help promote an unbroken night's sleep. If the problem continues, then talk to your doctor.
Another cause of sleep problems can be eating too much - of any food - that can make sleep difficult. A heavy meal close to bedtime may make you less comfortable when you settle down for your night's rest. At the same time, going to bed hungry can be just as disruptive to sleep as going to bed too full.

Tobacco
Smokers and non-smokers alike may not be aware that nicotine (like caffeine) is a stimulant. When smokers go to sleep, they experience nicotine withdrawal.
"Research suggests that nicotine is linked to difficulty falling asleep and problems waking up".
Giving up smoking may cause more sleep problems at first, but the long-term effect on sleep and health is much better. So think about giving up, it's for your own benefit.

Exercise
Another area to look at is your exercise schedule. Exercise can be a bonus for good sleep, especially is practiced regularly in the afternoon and not too close to bedtime. If you don't exercise regularly, add good sleep to a long list of reasons why you should take it up.
What about an afternoon brisk walk, run or bicycle ride instead of a coffee break? Consider combining aerobic (activity that increases the heart rate) exercise with a weight-bearing or resistance workout. (Be sure to check with your doctor or a sports therapist before commencing any exercise routine.)
"Research suggests that exercise at this time can help deepen your sleep", which means that you spend more time in deeper stages of sleep. During the lighter stages of sleep, awakenings are more common. Also, people who exercise may take less time to fall asleep than people who don't.
When you exercise, whether you are physically fit and a regular or occasional exerciser, the type of exercise you select, and your age or sex may all affect sleep.
"Some studies suggest that exercise 2-3 hours before bedtime can keep sleep at bay".
By tradition, sleep specialists have cautioned people to avoid strenuous exercise right before sleep and even up to three hours before bedtime. That's because exercise has an alerting effect and raises your body temperature. This rise leads to a corresponding fall in temperature five to six hours later, which makes sleep easier then. That's why late afternoon may be the perfect time for your exercise. If you've been exercising close to bedtime and having trouble falling or staying asleep, try to arrange your workout earlier in the day.

The right temperature
Finding and maintaining the right temperature for sleep sounds easy...but it isn't. Even sleep researchers fail to agree on the ideal temperature. In general, most sleep scientists believe that a slightly cool room contributes to good sleep. That's because it matches what occurs deep inside the body, when the body's internal temperature drops during the night to its lowest level. (For good sleepers, this occurs about four hours after they begin sleeping.)
But how cool should the bedroom be? And what should couples do who share a bed but disagree about the desired sleep temperature? Turning the thermostat down at night in cold weather saves on fuel bills and sets the stage for sleep. Blankets or comforters can lock in heat without feeling too heavy or confining. An electric blanket may help. Or the heat-seeking partner might dress in warmer bedclothes (even socks!), while the warmer partner might shun sleep clothes or bed covering.
In summer, a room that's too hot can also be disruptive. In fact, research suggests that a hot sleeping environment leads to more wake time and light sleep at night, while awakenings multiply. An air conditioner or fan can help.

Remember the common summer complaint: It's not the heat, it's the humidity? If excess humidity is a problem, consider a dehumidifier.
If too dry an environment is your problem, consider a humidifier. Clues like awakening with a sore throat, dryness in your nose, or even a nose bleed are signs of too little humidity. Note: Be sure to change the water daily.

Body Heating and Sleep
Interestingly, body-heating can have a very different effect from a warm room during sleep. Some studies suggest that soaking in hot water (such as a hot tub or bath) before retiring to bed can ease the transition into a deeper sleep.
This may be due to a temperature shift (core body temperature drops after leaving the tub, which may signal the body it's time to sleep). Or the sleep improvement may be related to the water's relaxing properties, which may also have sleep- promoting effects.
A pre-bedtime bath may set the mood for children and adults alike. Why not try soaking in hot water to ease your journey to sleep?

Are You Enlightened About Light...and Dark?
People who work at night know all too well the problem of trying to sleep when the world around them is wide awake. When the sun's rays come streaming in, it's even harder. But the sun is more than a sign that it's daytime. Light - strong light, like sunlight - is the most powerful regulator of our biological clock. The biological clock influences when we feel sleepy and when we are alert.
When do you get your sunlight exposure? People who are housebound get little. In fact, the cause of your sleep difficulty may be just that: too little exposure to sunlight.
If you find yourself waking earlier than you'd like, why not try increasing your exposure to bright light in the evening? If sunlight isn't available, consider a lightbox (or light visor) available from a specialty store. Either way, as little as one to two hours of evening bright light exposure appears to help you to sleep longer in the morning. This may be especially helpful for the elderly.
During sleep, bright lights can distrub your sleep. Keep your bedroom dark (consider light-blocking shades, lined drapes, even an eye mask) so light doesn't interfere with your passage to slumber.
A sleep specialist can help determine whether changing your exposure to light might improve your sleep, and when would be the best time for you to experience bright light.

What's All the Noise About?
Do you find your sleep disrupted by noises such as the screech of sirens, the rumble of trains, the rise and fall of conversation, airplanes overhead, a dog's barking, or a partner's snoring? You may be surrounded by a steady stream of noise or it may occur in sudden peaks.
Older people may be particularly bothered by noise. Because their sleep may be frail, it is more likely to be disturbed by lower levels of noise.

Noise Control
If noise is disturbing your sleep, consider:

Is Your Bed All that It Can Be?
Many people change where they live or what they drive more often than they change their mattress or pillows. Yet nothing lasts forever.
Although there isn't much published research on mattresses, mattress quality may affect how sleep feels to the sleeper. Discomfort can make falling asleep more difficult and lead to restless slumber.
Does your mattress provide the support you like? Do you wake with your back aching? Is there enough room for you and your sleep partner? Do you sleep better, or worse, when you sleep away from home?
Mattresses may be made of inner springs, foam, fabric, water or air. They may be firmer or more responsive to your body. This, in turn, may affect body temperature and humidity, as well as comfort.

What Does Your Bed Mean to You?
If you can fall asleep easily on your sofa or chair, and it is difficult to fall asleep in your own bed, you may be associating your bed with everything but sleep. Do you use your bed for work? Balance your checkbook while propped against the pillows? Watch television there? These are ways to tell your body to be alert in bed, not to go to sleep.
To teach patients to associate their bed and bedroom with sleep, sleep specialists advise a strategy called stimulus control, performed under the supervision of a specialist. Patients learn to use their bed only for sleep and to follow a regular wake-up schedule.
Another effective approach involves restricting your time in bed, initially, to the number of hours you actually sleep. Then, as you can rely on sleeping these hours regularly, you increase your time in bed by 15-30 minutes per night. A less dramatic approach would be to decrease your time in bed by 30 to 60 minutes.

Reclaiming Your Bed for Sleep

Are You Trying Too Hard?
Some sleep specialists say that anxiously watching the clock while focusing on how much time you have yet to sleep may actually cause insomnia. Try setting your alarm, then hiding it and your watch before you go to bed.

Are You Playing by the Numbers?
The time you go to sleep and the time you rise may sometimes seem beyond your control. Consistent bedtimes and wake times are advisable for those experiencing insomnia. Sleeping in may make for a more enjoyable weekend, but Monday morning - and Sunday bedtime - may suffer as a result. You choose: sleep late on the weekends...or feel refreshed and alert every morning?

Napping Notes
To nap or not to nap, that is the question. If you suffer from insomnia, try not taking a nap. If the goal is to sleep more during the night, napping may steal hours desired later on. However, napping can help promote short-term alertness, for example, to prepare for driving or in the middle of a long car trip.

Napping Tips

How Can You Relax?
Relaxing may mean choosing the bedtime ritual that's right for you. Does gentle music lull you to sleep? A calming soak in a warm bath or hot tub? Cozy pajamas? Cuddling with your partner? Meditation or a prayer? Find what works for you...and do it! Sweet dreams.

If you find your thoughts turning to worries when bedtime approaches, keep a worry book by your bedside. Jot down a brief note about what's on your mind. Schedule time the next day to focus on the problem and a solution. Problems often seem smaller in the daylight. However, if problems persist, consider talking to your doctor or a psychotherapist.

Getting Help
If your sleep problem persists, there may be an underlying cause that can be successfully treated or controlled once properly diagnosed. See your General Practitioner for further help.

WHAT IS A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP?
The amount of sleep you need to be at your best is as individual as the amount of food you need. It isn't simply how many hours of sleep time you're logging in that matters, but how good you feel and how well you're able to perform each day.
Unfortunately, too many of us think we're getting adequate sleep, but really aren't. Do you routinely roll over and snatch a few extra Zzzz before rolling out of bed? Do you look forward to "catching up" on your sleep over the weekends? Do long meetings, overheated rooms or heavy meals "put you right to sleep"? If you're getting the right amount and quality of sleep, your answer should be "no."
On your next vacation, go to bed when you feel tired and get up whenever you're ready, with no alarm clock. Sleep until you're slept out. You may spend the first few days getting rid of the sleep debt you've been accumulating, then your body should tell you how much sleep you need on a regular basis. If vacation plans don't allow this experiment, try getting up at the same time every day (even on weekends), but varying your bedtime until you've discovered the amount of sleep that seems to be the most restorative for you. Listen to your body and adjust your schedule accordingly.

TO NAP OR NOT TO NAP?
The mid-afternoon slump most of us experience, even when we've slept well, suggests that the human body may be meant to nap. A regular afternoon siesta isn't likely to become a part of our culture, but an occasional restorative nap may be a very good idea, particularly if you need to tap into an alertness reserve and a longer period of sleep isn't an option.
There's increasing evidence that a 15-20 minute nap can improve alertness, sharpen memory and generally reduce the symptoms of fatigue. If you're coping with the impact of lost sleep from last night or you know you're going to lose sleep tonight, a nap can help you through. In fact, it could be the difference between life and death if you're planning on a long drive with less than your regular quotient of sleep.

Some sleep tips!
So, summing up here are a few simple guidelines that can help you obtain a better night's sleep?