In 1965, a 17 year-old college student tried
to set a world record for staying awake. During his quest he experienced
the following symptoms: visual and auditory hallucinations, increased
heart rate, low blood pressure, and psychosis. After 264 hours
and 12 minutes (just over 11 days), he collapsed due to profound
weakness. Thankfully, he made a full recovery after sleeping 14
hours and 40 minutes.
While this is an extreme example of the consequences
of not sleeping, many in today’s society are suffering from
health challenges that are partly due to chronic sleep deprivation.
Sleep is essential for optimal health. The amount
and quality of sleep we get each night will influence the way
we feel and our performance during daytime hours.
High-level functioning of the nervous system
requires that we receive enough quality sleep. Inadequate rest
results in reduced ability to remember, concentrate, plan, make
decisions, and carry out math calculations. Too little sleep also
results in drowsiness and reduced physical performance, which
may result in a higher rate of injuries, including motor-vehicle
accidents.
When we sleep deeply, we allow for efficient
cell growth and repair. The release of growth hormones takes place
during deep sleep. Sleeping deeply at night helps us to engage
at our best, emotionally and socially, with others during the
day.
Too often, people who have difficulty falling
asleep and sleeping deeply turn to medication. Experience has
shown that many sleep disturbances can be solved through natural
means. The following are 9 steps you can take to ensure a good
night’s sleep.
1. Reserve your bedroom for sleep.
Your bedroom should be reserved for sleep and
lovemaking. Homework, office work, and other stressful and stimulating
activities should be kept outside of the bedroom, as should
televisions, radios, stereos, and other entertainment equipment.
This will condition your body to relax and anticipate sleep
once you walk into the bedroom. You want to keep any stress
and unnecessary stimulation as far away from the bedroom as
possible.
2. Be consistent with sleep and wake
times.
Go to sleep at the same time each night, and
get out of bed at the same time each morning. This will condition
your body to fall into a routine of sleep and wakefulness. It
is best not to disrupt this routine, such as by sleeping in
on weekends.
3. Avoid nicotine, caffeine, sugar,
and alcohol close to bedtime.
Nicotine, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol often
cause insomnia. Nicotine, caffeine, and sugar are stimulants
that cause you to sleep lightly and to wake up before you need
to because of withdrawal. Common sources of caffeine are coffee,
soft drinks, non-herbal teas, and some over-the-counter and
prescription medications. Alcohol prevents deep sleep and interferes
with REM-stage sleep, the stage of sleep that stimulates the
learning centres of the brain. Adopting an unprocessed and whole
food diet will help you avoid these stimulants.
4. Sleep in complete darkness.
Melatonin is a hormone that initiates our desire
to sleep and affects the depth of sleep we achieve. Melatonin
regulates our sleep-wake cycles and is produced by a gland in
the brain. The amount of light we are exposed to at any given
moment is what tells this gland whether or not to produce melatonin.
Darkness stimulates melatonin production while light inhibits
it. Thus, the darker it is when you sleep, the better your melatonin
production, and the better the quality of your sleep. Even dim
light from a night-light or hall light can disrupt sleep cycles
and prevent you from getting deep sleep.
5. Exercise regularly.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Being active
promotes a greater need for deep sleep and decreases stress.
Do not exercise close to your bedtime, however, as exercise
is stimulating and can create difficulties in falling asleep.
It is best not to exercise vigorously within 3 hours of your
bedtime.
6. Make sure you have a comfortable
mattress.
This sounds simple, but there are countless
numbers of people out there who are sleeping on a mattress that
is too hard, too soft, or not supportive enough and are wondering
why they can’t fall asleep. Invest in a mattress that
you feel comfortable sleeping on.
7. Claim your bed space.
Don’t share your bed with a companion
who takes up your space or who moves around so much that you
have difficulty falling or staying asleep. This includes your
partner, children, and animal companions. Children after a certain
age and animals should have their own designated places for
sleep. If you share a bed with your partner and/or children
and find it crowded, consider investing in a bigger bed, push
two beds together, or try sleeping with separate blankets. You
may also want to consider sleeping in a separate bed.
8. Get up if you can’t sleep.
If you have not fallen asleep after 15 minutes,
get up and do something else in another room. Thinking about
your inability to sleep will contribute to the inability to
sleep, which creates a vicious cycle. When you get up to do
something else, make sure that the activity you engage in is
relaxing and doesn’t involve bright light. Reading and
listening to music can be good activities. Watching television
and surfing the internet are not.
9. Figure out how much sleep you need.
To determine how long you need to sleep in
order to function optimally, take the time to sleep until you
wake up on your own without external motivation such as alarms
or loud noises. Through this exercise you can determine the
optimal amount of sleep for you.
If you are following these steps and are still
experiencing sleep difficulties, you may want to consult with
a qualified professional to explore organic causes of sleep disturbance.
