This post will put to you to sleep—if you follow the expert tips. And here’s why you need these shut-eye strategies now. Americans have never been more fatigued. More than one-third of US adults routinely sleep fewer than seven hours a night, jeopardizing their health and concentration, a CDC study released last week shows. Skimping on slumber magnifies the threat of developing cardiovascular disease, the leading killer of Americans, and also boosts risk for diabetes, depression and even obesity, other CDC research shows.
More frightening fallout from America’s exhaustion epidemic: 50 percent of adults ages 19 to 29 admit that they’ve driven while drowsy in the past month, as did more than one-third of younger teens, and 28 percent of Baby Boomers, according to a National Sleep Foundation (NSF) poll released on March 7. About 5 percent of adults have actually fallen asleep at the wheel in the past month, the CDC found.
Use these 7 tips to help you sleep better.
What’s behind these troubling trends? Americans are too wired to unwind, the NSF’s 2011 Sleep in America poll survey suggests. Ninety-five percent of those surveyed spend the hour before bedtime staring at some type of screen, from the TV to the computer, video games, or cell phone, at least a few nights a week. What’s more, nearly one in ten teens are awakened nearly every night after going to bed by text messages, emails or cell phone calls. Not surprisingly, in light of these findings, 43 percent of survey respondents say that they rarely or never get a good night’s sleep on weeknights.
What’s the solution? “Very simple strategies and changes in your daily habits can powerfully improve your sleep—without pills,” says sleep researcher Alison Harvey, Ph.D., professor of clinical psychology at University of California, Berkeley. Here’s a look at seven natural, science-backed ways to get the healthy rest you need.
Bask in morning sunshine. Light, especially the sun’s rays, has such a potent effect on your body’s internal clocks that you can actually use it to reset your sleep cycle, research shows. If you tend to be night owl (like me), you may have delayed circadian rhythms. To shift to an earlier schedule, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up on time for work, force yourself to get up early and soak up as much sun as possible between 6 and 8 AM, by sitting in a sunny room or taking a walk after dawn. “Bright light in the morning cues the biology of sleep,” by influencing the timing of the body’s production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, says Harvey. “Even a cloudy day is bright enough to influence your circadian rhythms.”
Exercise regularly. Working out several times a week enhances your overall health and improves sleep. As I reported in my Ladies Home Journal article, Sleep Cures from Mother Nature, research by Phyllis Zee, MD., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern University finds that early evening exercise three times a week between 5 to 7 PM appears to make people pleasantly tired, contributing to sounder slumber. It may also aid in relaxing after work and shedding the stresses of the day. However, you should avoid exercising within two to three hours of bedtime, otherwise you may be too revved up to rest well, cautions Harvey.
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Limit caffeine, especially in the evening. The NSF poll found that the average American drinks at least three caffeinated beverages a day, a habit that contributes to sleepless nights. And while you may feel that a glass or two of wine will help you nod off, research shows that alcohol actually impairs rest in a variety of ways, including adversely affecting REM sleep, making slumber less refreshing.
Go off the grid. One hour before bedtime, dim the lights and sign off from technology use, advises Harvey. The bright light from small and big screens as you surf the Web, watch TV, or check emails stimulates the brain, instead of allowing it to slow down for shuteye. Also turn off your cell phone—and make sure your kids do so as well—since the NSF poll found that middle of the night texting is triggering electronic insomnia in rising number of kids and young adults. To help you relax, try taking a warm bath before bed. Some studies show that the slight change in body temperature after a bath serves as a natural cue that it’s time to sleep.
Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep. Your bed should only be used for two things: slumber and sex. Keep your bedroom comfortable cool, which promotes better shuteye than a warm or hot room, and free of any reminders of work, which can make you feel too stressed to relax, explains Harvey. “It’s very important to associate your bed with refreshing sleep, so if you wake up during the night and can’t get back to sleep, instead of tossing and turning, get up and go into another room. Read or try another relaxing activity, such as writing in a journal, until you feel tired enough to go back to bed.”
Cover your clock. One common mistake is keeping your alarm clock next to the bed. “We did a five-year research project on clock-watching and found it creates anxiety. Often people will wake up briefly, look at the clock, then fall back asleep, only to wake up an hour later and check the time again. They then conclude that they’ve been lying awake for an hour, giving people the impression that their insomnia is worse than it actually is.” Instead, turn the clock’s face to the wall or hide it under the bed.
Stick to a regular sleep schedule—even on weekends. It’s tempting to snooze late on the weekends to catch up on the sleep you’ve missed during a hectic week. However, this habit throws the body’s clocks out of sync, points out Harvey. “If you normally get up at 6:30 AM on weekdays and sleep in until noon on the weekends, it’s like flying from California to Hawaii once a week, giving you a form of chronic jet lag, which is potentially devastating to health and well-being,” Research shows that consistently arising at about the same time every day is crucial to setting and maintaining a healthy sleep cycle. In fact, it’s even more important physical and mental well-being than what time you go to bed.
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