Ten Tips to Avoid Insomnia and Get a Good Night's
Sleep
Medical Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D.
Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D.
Transient, or short-term, insomnia is inadequate or
poor-quality sleep
lasting anywhere from one night to
a few weeks. Transient insomnia can be a single episode or recurring episodes of
insomnia separated by periods of normal sleep.
The following
suggestions are intended to help overcome transient insomnia and maximize the
chance of getting a healthy night's sleep:
- Make your bedroom an inviting place. Keep the room
free of clutter and distractions. Be sure you have the right bed and mattress
for your needs. The wrong mattress can lead to musculoskeletal problems and
sleep disturbances.
- Use the bed only for sleeping and sex. Avoid use of
the bed for watching TV, eating, working, or any other activities. If you do
wish to use the bed for a bit of nighttime reading, read only pleasure books
in bed.
- Therapists often use "reconditioning" as part of a
treatment plan for insomnia. With this method, people are "reconditioned" to
associate the bed with sleep. If you find yourself unable to sleep at all, get
out of bed and move to another room, so that you only associate the bed with
sleep and not with wakefulness.
- Establish a regular sleep-wake cycle. Your body will
learn to set its internal clock to your schedule and will eventually respond
to internal cues to become sleepy at a given time and to awaken at a given
time. A good way to begin this is by getting up at the same time every
morning, even on weekends.
- Don't nap. No matter how tempting it may be, an
afternoon nap can make falling asleep at night even harder. "Extra" sleep on
weekends can also throw off your sleep schedule and worsen midweek insomnia.
- Limit your consumption of caffeine in the afternoon
and evening. Remember that eating chocolates and drinking cocoa and colas also
are sources of caffeine.
- Watch your alcohol intake. Don't drink any alcoholic
beverages in the few hours prior to going to bed. Excessive amounts of alcohol
at any time in the day can also disrupt sleep patterns and lead to
unsatisfying sleep. Cigarette smoking can also worsen insomnia.
- Fit in some exercise during the day, but don't
exercise strenuously right before bedtime.
- Eat light meals in the evening. Eating heavily in the
evening or eating just prior to going to bed can disrupt your sleep.
- Establish a
"winding down" period in the evenings just prior to bedtime. Try to free your
mind of distracting or troublesome thoughts and engage in a relaxing, enjoyable
activity like reading, listening to music, or watching a pleasant film.
Last Editorial Review: 6/5/2008
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