Sleep on it – National Sleep Awareness Week  Coinciding with the return of Daylight Saving Time, March 1-8 is National Sleep Awareness Week. Most people need approximately 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. But many people do not get the sleep that they need. If you sleep more on the weekends then you do during the work week, you probably aren’t getting enough sleep.
Inadequate sleep can adversely affect your functioning and mood. It can also affect your long term health.
Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression. Sleep deprivation also increases the risk of motor-vehicle crashes and work-related injuries.
In 2008, almost 1 in 5 of Wellness Assessment respondents reported that they usually get 6 or fewer hours of sleep per night.
If you fit into this category, try these tips to help you improve your sleep:
- Know your personal sleep requirement. Determine the amount of sleep you need by keeping track of how long you sleep without using an alarm clock for a week. Then try to get this amount of sleep each night.
- Stick to a schedule. Establish a regular routine that includes going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. Sleeping later on weekends won’t fully make up for the lack of sleep during the week and will make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning.
- Get the right sunlight exposure. Daylight is key to regulating daily sleep patterns. Try to get outside in natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes each day. If possible, wake up with the sun or use very bright lights in the morning.
- Get regular physical activity but not too late in the day. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes on most days but not within a few hours before your bedtime.
- Don't nap for more than 30 minutes or after 3 p.m. Naps can help make up for lost sleep, but Long or late afternoon naps disrupt the body's ability to stay asleep.
- Avoid large meals late at night. A light snack is okay, but a large meal can interfere with sleep.
- Reduce your intake of caffeine and nicotine. Especially within 4-6 hours of going to sleep. Stimulants interfere with your ability to fall asleep.
- Relax before bed. Don’t overschedule your day so that no time is left for unwinding. A relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music, should be part of your bedtime ritual.
- Use your bed for sleeping. Make sure your bed is comfortable and use it only for sleeping and not for other activities, such as reading, watching TV, or working. This will allow your mind to associate the bed only with sleeping.
- Keep it dark and cool. Make sure your bedroom is a quiet, dark, and relaxing environment, which is neither too hot or too cold.
- Don’t lie in bed awake. If you find yourself still awake after staying in bed for more than 20 minutes, get up and do some relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. The anxiety of not being able to sleep can make it harder to fall asleep.
- See a doctor if you continue to have trouble sleeping. If you consistently find yourself feeling tired or not well rested during the day despite spending enough time in bed at night, you may have a sleep disorder. Your family doctor or a sleep specialist should be able to help you.
Source: National Institutes of Health, Your Guide to Healthy Sleep.
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