Sleep - Why and How

In an attempt to manifest that which I'm currently lacking, I want to talk briefly about sleep.  Generally I'm a decent sleeper, and have developed a reputation amongst friends for my ability to sleep in any setting and in almost any position.  That said, I've never quite mastered the urinal-pillow technique.  I wouldn't recommend trying either - it looks a bit hard on the spine.  

Sleep is one of the determinants of our overall health.  Many of our bodies' hormones work on a rhythm that is set by our sleep/wake cycles, called circadian rhythms.  If our sleep is irregular or insufficient it can create a stress to our bodies' hormone system.  A pulse of cortisol, for example, is what wakes us up in the morning and helps us feel alert and vigilant.  Growth hormone, made famous most recently by baseball players, is a naturally occurring hormone that is released during deep sleep and is responsible for growth, rebuilding, and repair.  If sleep isn't ideal, neither will these hormones' functioning.

Sleep difficulties are very common and can be either a primary problem, or secondary to other things that are going on.  Granted the following tips won't make a chronic insomniac a good sleeper overnight (pun, sorry), they will do the trick for many.


1. Don't go to bed until you are drowsy.
Otherwise people typically lay there worrying about life and, in particular, their anticipated poor sleep ahead. This worry results in emotional arousal that prevents the passive sleep process from occurring.  Also, make sure your alarm clock is facing away from you for the same reasons.
 
2.  Sleep restriction. 
The idea here is to restrict the time you spend in bed to the average amount of time you slept over the previous week.  If you'd only slept four hours nightly, try to restrict your time in bed to about 4 hours.  Increase gradually as you sleep longer.

3. Get up at the same time each morning, including weekends.
Regardless of when you go to bet, a regular awakening time is the most important factor for setting your 24-hour circadian sleep-wake rhythm. 

4. Naps?  Nopes.
Napping disrupts the sleep-wake cycle, particularly if the nap occurs more than 10 hours after the major sleep period. Even more troublesome is napping at irregular times, causing further confusion to your system. 

5. Beware the drugs - caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.
Either eliminate caffeine altogether, or at least not after noon.  Alcohol can make one feel sleepy, the sleep that results is not good quality.  In case you haven't heard, smoking is bad for you anyway.

6. Exercise regularly.
This one should be up near the top of my list.  Try to avoid strenuous physical exertion after 6:00 pm though (unless it's sexy time of course, which is the only other activity that should be done in bed).
 
7. Avoid stimulating activities before bed.
TV, talking about finances, and being online are probably not the best ideas, unless it's to read the latest Ask Dr Bentham entry.  That should put you to sleep.
 
8. Get comfortable.
Make sure your room is dark, soundproofed, and on the cooler side.


As for me, it's time for bed.  Keep it natural,


Bryn