 |
||||
|
|
1. Regularize your schedule. Get up about the same time every day, regardless of how much sleep you got. This is the single most effective way to keep body rhythms in tune. A consistent bedtime helps too, although it is less crucial. 2. Program yourself mentally for sleep with daily rituals. Walk the dog, watch the news, have a snack. Include tactics you can "take along" on trips. 3. Keep your bedroom dark or wear eyeshades. Darkness tells the brain it is time to sleep. Open window shades or curtains as soon as you get up in the morning, when sunlight provides an alerting signal. If you have a secluded bedroom, leave the windows uncovered and let sunlight awaken you gradually. 4. Keep your bedroom quiet. This sends another sleep signal to the brain. 5. Keep your bedroom cool. This will promote the decline in body temperature critical to restful sleep. 6. Go to bed only when sleepy. You're already halfway there. 7. Reserve bed and bedroom for sleep and sex. If you watch TV, snack, chat on the phone, and do paperwork in bed, you create cues for wakefulness, not sleep. Some people aren't bothered by this, but you may be. 8. If you can't fall asleep within 30 minutes, get out of bed. When the gate to sleep is closed, you can't force it open. You have to wait until it opens on its own. Be patient, but be ready. Don't start baking a cake. 9. If you nap, limit time lying down to 30 minutes in mid-afternoon. A regular nap at the sleepiest time of the waking day may help you sleep better at night by easing worries about not getting enough sleep. A 20-minute nap is enough to boost alertness for several hours. If you're really sleep-deprived and need to catch up, set an alarm to awaken you after either 90 minutes or three hours, allowing you to enjoy one or two full sleep cycles. Caution: Avoid naps if they make your nighttime sleep worse. 10. Take a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime. Soaking in 105 degree F water for 30 minutes raised body temperature by nearly one degree in a group of women with insomnia, Cynthia Dorsey found in a study at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA. On getting out of the tub, the women's temperatures plummeted. And they got more deep sleep afterward. The hot bath improved sleep as much as widely prescribed sleeping pills. 11. Exercise regularly. Some people have trouble falling asleep after intense and prolonged stimulating exercise. But exercise that is not too strenuous can serve as a time cue to help foster sleep several hours later, particularly if you do it outside in daylight hours. Within a few hours of bedtime, it also may promote sleep by raising body temperature temporarily, much as hot bath does. 12. Avoid caffeine within five hours of bedtime. Even if it does not keep you from falling asleep, it's likely to make sleep more restless. 13. Don't drink alcohol or smoke near bedtime. A so-called "nightcap" may make you sleepy, but alcohol's rebound effect disturbs sleep. Nicotine is another stimulant that interferes with sleep. 14. If you are a bedtime worrier, find 30 minutes earlier in the day to focus on problems. Write your worries down, a tactic that often points to possible solutions. Or try Napoleon's trick: To combat bedtime worries, he allegedly envisioned a chest with many drawers. He mentally stuffed each problem into a drawer and shut it tight. When all his problems were tucked away, he fell asleep. 15. Forget about counting sheep. It's too slow a method of distraction, according to Richard Bootzin of the University of Arizona. "A person can count sheep and still worry," he said, adding, "It's better to get out of bed, jot down some notes, and think about the problem in the morning, when problems seldom loom as large." 16. Use escapist fantasy. Robert Louis Stevenson said his father put himself to sleep every night of his life with stories of ships, roadside inns, robbers, old sailors, and commercial travelers before the era of steam. "He never finished one of these romances," Stevenson wrote. "The lucky man did not require to!" 17. Learn relaxation techniques, such as muscle relaxation, meditation, or yoga, and use them regularly. These may help reduce stress both day and night. 18. If you awaken frequently in the night, turn your clock around so you can't see it. This may keep you from obsessing about how much sleep you have gotten so far, how long you've been awake, and how badly you may feel tomorrow if you don't get to sleep right away. 19. If you sleep poorly, use a sleep diary to help identify possible triggers. Note what helps and what harms your sleep. Sleep problems fall into four basic categories: "I can't sleep," "I sleep too much," "My bed partner says strange things happen when I sleep," And "I can't sleep when I want to." The first and last of these may reflect "circadian rhythm" sleep disorders. (See "Word to the Wise," below.) 20. If sleep problems persist, see your doctor. Medications you may be taking for other illnesses may be disturbing your sleep, or you may have a sleep disorder. If you snore loudly and are excessively sleepy in the daytime, for example, you may have sleep apnea -- and you may need a sleep specialist. Find accredited sleep centers near you at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's website (www.aasmnet.org). Learn more about sleep at websites of the National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org), and Sleep Research Society (www.sleephomepages.org). The American Sleep Apnea Association is at www.sleepapnea.org. (Ed. Note: The above article was reproduced with permission from "The Body Clock Guide to Better Health: How to Use Your Body's Natural Clock to Fight Illness and Achieve Maximum Health," by Michael Smolensky, Ph.D., and Lynne Lamberg
=============================================== SITE DISCLAIMER: The self help books and personal development resources resources on this site are not intended to be a substitute for therapy or professional advice. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this self help books and personal development resources publication, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the self help books and personal development resources subject matter herein. There is no guarantee of validity of accuracy of any self help content. Any perceived slight of specific people or organizations is unintentional. This self help books and personal development resources website and its creators are not responsible for the content of any sites linked to. The self help contents are solely the opinion of the author and should not be considered as a form of therapy, advice, direction and/or diagnosis or treatment of any kind: medical, spiritual, mental or other. If expert advice or counseling is needed, services of a competent professional should be sought. The author and the Publisher assume no responsibility or liability and specifically disclaim any warranty, express or implied for any self help or otherwise products or self help or otherwise services mentioned, or any self help or otherwise techniques or practices described. The purchaser or reader of this self help books and personal development resources publication assumes responsibility for the use of these self help personal development materials and self help personal development articles and information. Neither the self help author nor the self help Publisher assumes any responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these self help books and personal development resources. Self help happiness & self help books and personal development resources, self help free e-books and self help articles listed for your convenient self help happiness self help books and personal development resources search in the self help subjects of self image, self help relationships tips, self help resources for happiness, being happy self help emotion management, panic attack self help, self help for low self esteem, self help books famous quotes, anxiety self help books and personal development resources, stress management self help tips and depression self help books and personal development resources. Back to Top of self help books and personal development resources page Back to Happiness self help Home Page
|
It's time to join our happy subscribers, like these: "I wish to express my appreciation and gratitude for this powerful tips you send to me.Thank you so much and may God richly bless all the team working towards this. Thank you for this. It has been most instructive. Please keep them coming! With no other words, I simply love these Power Tips - thanks for every email I have received from you - I find there always something that cheers my day up or gives me some more inspiration. Good work, there! I always read your Power Tips and it has helped me a lot in my life... I would like to thank you a lot for such a nice article at regular intervals. I am really grateful to you for what you have been doing for me and my growth. I know that I am not alone and hundreds of thousands of people would be feeling the same. Your Newsletter are always a help. Thanks a tonne. You are doing so much for the whole mankind and as a matter of fact sometimes even a small thought delivered at the right time can do miracles in someone's life and his whole life can take a turn around. When the positive seeds through your news letter are falling all over the world, then I am sure some would become tree and bear fruits. Vikas B |
||
