How to Get a Good Night's Sleep
Richard Niolon, Ph.D.
4/01



For more information, read a recent article by Pallesen and colleagues Clinical Assessment and Treatment of Insomnia in Volume 32 Number 2 of Professional Psychology, Research and Practice. They provide information about insomnia, causes for it, and treatment of it.
1
Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol near bedtime. Some evening snacks like coffee flavored ice cream or chocolate desserts can have caffeine in them, but other snacks can induce digestion and slow down your system
2
Find out when your body is sleepy. If you feel sleepy at 9PM, go to bed at 9PM. If you have to get work done, get up early. Find a schedule and stick to it after you know it fits your body's needs. This means getting up every day at the same time and going to bed at the same time Copied from the web.
3
Take a warm bath or shower just before turning in
4
Get regular exercise and eat well. Stop smoking. Exercise in the morning or afternoon may be better, but no later than 4 hours before going to bed
5
Avoid sources of stress late in the evening, and take time to wind down before bedtime. Relaxation techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, relaxing imagery, or meditation might help
6
Make the bedroom soothing, and only for sleep; move stacks of work out to another room
7
Make the bedroom dark. Get some heavy drapes and remove illuminated clocks and night lights; removing clocks keeps you from rolling over and worrying about how much time you have left to get some good sleep. Don't turn on bright lights before you go to bed, but do turn them on in the morning to help your body "wake up"
8
Don't lay in bed awake; this causes your body to associate bed and wakefulness, and results in less deep sleep and more awakenings. Likewise, don't use the bed for studying, reading, or watching TV. If you can't fall asleep, get up and go do something in another room and try again in 15 minutes Copied from the web.
9
Avoid napping in the daytime, or at least napping longer than 30 minutes
10
When you don't have sleep problems, get a tape of restful music and listen to it then. Your body will associate it with good sleep and remember when you have trouble sleeping
11
Make it quiet. Fix dripping faucets, get heavy drapes or better insulation to block out noise, or get ear plugs
12
White noise may help; tune an FM radio to a point in between stations, or use a fan or humidifier to do the same and keeps the air moist
13
Keep the bedroom cool, at around 65 F
14
Get a good mattress and pillow. Be willing to experiment with flat, fluffy, soft, and hard mattresses and pillows to find the best for you. Don't sleep on something too soft, but wear soft pajamas and sleep on clean, soft sheets
15
If you wake up with worry ideas, write them down on a pad next to the bedside and remind yourself that you'll think about them tomorrow Copied from the web.
16
AND... check on any medications you are taking to see if they have side effects that would interfere with your sleep; you might consider using hypnotics, or sleeping aids, if after three nights you can't get a sound night's sleep. Don't expect to use them for more than three to four weeks, however, as tolerance, daytime sleepiness, and withdrawal symptoms can develop
Drugs can produce more immediate effects, but better "Sleep Hygiene" will produce longer lasting effects. They may, however, take three to six week to ne noticeable. Read more at Family Practice Notebook's page for doctors.