HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
HEALTH & WELLNESS CORNER
The 7 Habits of Highly Efficient Sleepers
BRUCE BLITMAN
NEAL NAY
A sleep efficiency improvement program using evidence-based methods. Consult your physician and use this program only with appropriate medical supervision.
Recent clinical research shows that sleep is not merely a period of rest— it’ s an active, vital process that supports brain and nervous system health, boosts the immune and cardiovascular systems, and plays a key role in memory, cognition, and reducing the risk of dementia.
Habit # 1: Manage Daily Stress, Reduce Tension, Unwind your Mind
To fall asleep, you must be both tired and relaxed, the steps below will help you reduce mind chatter or turn off your“ inner voice” that frequently pops up as you are trying to relax and go to sleep.
• Implement“ Mindfulness-Based” Stress Reduction techniques to provide tools to help manage daily stress, including meditation and gentle body awareness movement. Jupiter Medical Center offer a variety of Mindfulness based stress reduction classes and programs at the Calcagnini Center for Mindfulness. For more information please call 561-263-MIND( 6463).
• Learn and practice Yoga or progressive relaxation techniques. Both can help with sleep onset by loosening tight muscles, reducing tension, and putting you into a deep state of relaxation, and eliminating the“ tired but wired” state.
• Practice using the“ 4-7-8 Breathing” technique to help calm the stress response systems, it can help quiet an active mind and deactivate the“ flight or fight” response when needed. Inhale using a mental count of 4, hold the breath for a count of 8, exhale slowly over a count of 8. Repeat as needed. Practicing periodically during the day or anytime you are feeling stressed will help it become a habit.
Habit # 2: Control Your Stimuli
• Reserve your bedroom for“ Rest and
Romance” only, make it a haven for sleep, it should be cool( 65 degrees is ideal), quiet( or soft, calming sounds), and very dark.
• Remove the phone, computer, and books from your bedroom, don’ t use your bedroom for an office, library, or recreation room, don’ t eat in bed.
• Remove the TV from your bedroom if you can. If not, turn the brightness down until picture is barely visible, turn the volume down as low as possible, and put the TV on an auto-shutoff timer. Then put on a boring show, DO NOT watch 24 hour news channels.
• Don’ t be a“ clock watcher”. Turn your alarm clock around facing away from you to avoid reflexively looking at the clock during your sleep time. This can cause habitual awakenings at night.
• Purchase a sound generator, listen to rainfall, crickets, or whatever you find the most relaxing( many smart phones have this capability, but keep the display dark, and alerts turned off).
• If you can’ t fall asleep within a reasonable time period( 20 to 30 mins), go to another room and do something non-stimulating to occupy yourself( i. e. read a boring book) in low light until you feel sleepy, and then return to bed. Again, if not able to fall asleep, repeat the process, do this as many times as necessary.
Habit # 3: Wind your Internal Clock( Circadian Rhythm)
• Expose yourself to bright light every morning for about 30 minutes to“ set” your internal brain clock. Do this at the same time every day, even on the weekends. The light should be brighter than room light, about as bright as indirect sunlight. Take a morning walk or have breakfast on a sunlit patio( don’ t wear sunglasses).“ Bright Light Boxes” are available for overcast days, early mornings before sunrise, and night shift workers.
• Use only as much artificial light as needed within 4 hours of bedtime, install dimmers in rooms that you frequent in the evening. Avoid light in the blue spectrum, use light in the red spectrum( i. e. install a red light bulb in a table lamp).
• Don’ t turn on lights at night if you can’ t sleep, use dim red night lights in your bathroom and throughout your house, avoid cell phones, computer screens, brightly illuminated clock faces, and TVs.
• Get out of bed and start your day at the same time every day, regardless of how little you may have slept. Avoid naps if you are having difficulty falling or staying asleep.
• If you work at night, and must drive home when the sun is out, obtain the darkest sunglasses available that will allow you to drive safely, preferably with peripheral coverage, and wear them until you are inside your home.
Habit # 4: Prepare Your Environment
• Eliminate bright room lights in your house in the evening, start dimming room lights 3 to 4 hours before bedtime, avoid light in the blue and green spectrum and substitute with light in the red hues. Try not to turn on lights when getting out of bed or using the bathroom at night, use dim red night lights in hallways and in the bathroom. Alternatively, orange-tinted glasses may be worn to block blue light, a highly rated pair can be purchased online for less than $ 10:“ Uvex S1933X Skyper Safety Eyewear, SCT-Orange UV Extreme Anti-Fog Lens”.
• Get the most comfortable mattress and pillows you can find, use high quality, high thread count linens.
• Block out all external light sources from windows, including street lights. Use room darkening blinds and heavy drapes as needed.
• Block out ambient inside and outside noise, such as barking dogs or loud music, using a noise generator to create white noise or the sound of rainfall or crashing waves.
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PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 17