SLEEP SUGGESTIONS

 

 

 

Sleep is a natural process.  If you have trouble sleeping, check off any problem areas below and work on fixing the things that are preventing sleep first.

 

Uncomfortable sleep area:

  1. Remove clutter from your sleeping area.
  2. Use your sleeping area only for sleep and intimacy.
  3. If your bed is too soft, put a board under the mattress.
  4. If your bed is too hard, add soft blankets or a mattress pad.
  5. Add comfortable pillows, or something to cuddle, if desired.
  6. If someone in your household is a loud snorer try a walkman to block out the noise. 
  7. Keep the room cool, dark and quiet. Use a humidifier or vaporizer if the air is dry.

 

 

Worry:

  1. Write down a list of your concerns, before going to bed.
  2. Remember that problems are rarely solved when you are exhausted and stressed.
  3. Tell yourself that you will work on these concerns in the morning.

 

 

Medical Problems:

  1. Seek treatment for any medical problems that are affecting sleep, such as pain, soreness, itching, cramps, and headaches. 
  2. Ask your doctor if you can take any medications that keep you up, in the morning.

 

 

Diet:

  1. Finish dinner 3 to 4 hours before bedtime, or eat a light meal.
  2. Avoid stimulants, such as coffee, tea, tobacco, chocolate, and sugary snacks, 6 hours before bedtime.
  3. Cut back on liquids after dinner to avoid nightly bathroom trips.

 

 

After roadblocks to sleep are eliminated, you are ready to prepare for sleep.

  1. Plan to wake up about the same time every day, including weekends, or within the same 2 hour period, for example, between 7am and 9am.
  2. Start a regular evening sleep routine, for example:  Turn the lights down low.  Do a quiet, relaxing activity:  listen to soothing music or a tape of the ocean, take a warm bath or shower, read a book.
  3. When sleepy, quietly listen to your breathing, count your breaths, or just count to yourself, until you fall asleep.  Do not try make yourself sleep.
  4. If you cannot fall asleep in 10 to 15 minutes for several nights in a row, or you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep for several nights in a row, consult a doctor.