Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep is an amazing restorative. It both recharges the brain to improve memory and cleanses the brain of waste built up in cellular networks. Its biological importance is underscored by the fact that we spend about eight hours a day or 33% of our lives sleeping.
 
However, when sleep is elusive we suffer. Sleep deprivation affects the frontal lobes of our brain thereby making us more reactive, less able to concentrate, and impairing our judgment and decision-making capabilities. Outcomes can be disastrous, as when people fall asleep at the wheel and cause fatal accidents. Lack of sleep also affects hormones related to feeling satiated and is a contributing factor to obesity.
 
In a recent sleep study conducted by Dr. David S. Black, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California, people were divided into two groups. One group learned behaviors that could help them develop good sleep hygiene, like establishing a regular bedtime routine and avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed. The other group underwent a six-week program on mindfulness meditation led by a certified teacher. At the end of the yearlong study, the people who learned the mindfulness approach had greater improvements in sleep quality and fewer symptoms of insomnia, depression and fatigue than those who received standard care. Moreover, unlike sleep-inducing drugs, mindfulness practice does not cause adverse side effects.
 
For nights of soothing, relaxing sleep and vivid dreams, I have found the following practices especially helpful and wish to share them with you. Try and do best you can.

The Do’s:

1. Engage in an hour of cardiovascular exercise (e.g., jogging, fast walking, swimming, bicycling, etc.) at least every other day.
2. Establish and keep routine times for going to bed and waking up.
3. Maintain your peace throughout the day by thinking positively.
4. Eat a light meal at dinnertime.
5. Take on relaxing activities close to bedtime (for example, take a hot bath and think of pleasant things such as gratitude and love).
6. When getting ready to sleep, lower the bedroom temperature, darken the room and make sure the bedroom is quiet.
7. Believe that you will be able to sleep well tonight.
8. Read in bed for about 30 minutes or listen to soft music (with an automatic shutoff) before going to sleep.
9. Focus the mind on how tired and sleepy you feel.
10. Tell your mind that now is the time to sleep. All worries or concerns can be picked up the next morning, right where you left off. (They won’t go stale or disappear overnight, anyway.)
11. If you have sleep apnea (obstructed breathing passages during sleep), consult a doctor. This is common sleep disorder — that may contribute to chronic fatigue, strokes, high blood pressure, and heart attack — can be easily treated non-surgically.
12. If you wake up during the night (i.e., by need to urinate), upon returning to bed first try to focus the mind on how tired and sleepy it feels. If this does not work, sit up and read a boring book while focusing the mind on how sleepy and tired it feels. Tell yourself that it is better to sleep than continue reading the boring book.
13. Meditate frequently to strengthen your concentration and relaxation skills.
14. Maintain a positive attitude, and think that you will be able to regain a normal sleeping pattern.
15. Have confidence that when the body and mind are tired enough, you will sleep.

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The Don'ts

1. Don’t drink more than one glass of alcohol during dinner.  Alcohol disrupts sleep patterns.  If you do drink alcohol, try drinking equal amount of water to offset the effects. It is best if you refrain from drinking six hours before bedtime.
2. Don’t drink energy drinks and/or coffee less than six hours before bedtime.
3. Don’t smoke anything less than six hours before bedtime.
4. Don’t nap in the afternoon if that keeps you wide awake at night.
   
5. Don’t’ exercise late in the evening.
6. Don’t see a movie, read or discuss a disturbing story before bedtime.
7. Don’t get involved with any overstimulating activity close to bedtime.
8. Don’t get involved in stressful situations to the best of you ability.
9. Don’t depend on sleeping medications for more than two days.
10. Don’t get upset if you cannot get a good night’s sleep every day.
11. Don’t think that you will not be able to sleep properly just because of your current circumstances.
12. Don’t let daily events upset you easily.
13. Don’t get stressed out over trying to go to sleep.
14. Don’t maintain a negative attitude by believing that you will have difficulty sleeping.
15. Don’t fear or dread entering your bedroom before going to sleep.
16. Don’t get in and stay in bed unless you are going to sleep. Set aside the bed as a vital part of your sleep support system. Avoid using it for other things (i.e., a call center, a desk, a conference space, etc.).