Sleep Tight
Sleep...Sleep...Sleep, Repeat. Elizabeth Wells talks with some local sleep experts and docs for their top seven tips that go beyond counting sheep and warm milk.
Having trouble falling asleep? Waking up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep? You’re not alone. Research shows as many as 70 million Americans may be affected by chronic sleep loss or sleep disorders. And it’s not without a price. People who lack sleep have difficultly concentrating, paying attention and fighting off infections, and they may even gain more weight than those who get enough shut-eye. (Seven to eight hours, by the way, for adults. And even more for your kids.) But it’s not a lost cause. Try these expert-recommended strategies to help you get to sleep, stay asleep and feel well-rested in the morning.
1. Take a mental vacation. If you’re having trouble relaxing, imagine yourself in your favorite spot, says Bernadette Johnson RN, administrative director for Greenwich Hospital’s Center for Integrative Medicine. Being in a physical place like the Caribbean is very relaxing and simply thinking about it can be, too.
2. Know how sleep works. People sleep in 90-minute cycles and often wake up briefly in between, says Saul Rothenberg PhD, licensed psychologist and board-certified sleep specialist at the Sleep Laboratory at Greenwich Hospital. Accept these awakenings as part of sleeping every night, and have a strategy for getting back to sleep (so you don’t start thinking about stressful things that will keep you up through the night). “Do it during the day, and when you get good at it try it at night,” says Rothenberg. “Strategies include focusing on deep breathing or thinking about a pleasant memory or place. Do either for five minutes.”
3. Turn off the tube. “The 11 o’clock news rarely focuses on the positive,” says C. Evers Whyte, holistic physician and director of the Center for Health Renewal in Stamford. “TV stimulates part of the brain that makes it more difficult to fall into a deep sleep.” Turn it off an hour — or at least a half an hour — before bed.
4. Shut down your brain. Lie on your back, put your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your belly. Take 10 to 12 slow, deep breaths, says Whyte. As you inhale say “I am breathing in,” and while you exhale, say, “I am breathing out.” These simple, purposeful sentences will put you in the sleep mode.”
5. Use an essential oil. The most relaxing one is lavender, says Whyte. You can put it on your wrists, add it to your bath or even put a couple drops on your pillow. Essential oils are said to decrease anxiety and support a calming sensation as you drift off to a good night’s sleep.
6. Lay off the wine. Caffeine is an obvious sleep-killer — but alcohol can be deceptive because it’s a sedative. It prevents REM sleep, and once it’s metabolized, it can wake you, says Rothenberg. It also increases the likelihood of snoring and Restless Legs Syndrome.
7. Set regular sleep hours. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, says Rothenberg. There are circadian patterns that occur once every day for sleeping eight hours and waking 16 hours. Clues that you’re not getting enough sleep: You’re using an alarm clock to wake up or you sleep longer on the weekends and on vacations. Work backward from the time you have to get up in order to be on time for work and go to bed when you’re sleepy. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body will start to set itself to get sleepier earlier.