If you sleep normally then you usually cycle through the various sleep stages several times. Problems arise when the pattern of cycles is broken.
Sleep Problems
Sleep difficulties can appear in various ways:
- Difficulty getting to sleep (known as sleep onset insomnia). This is most common in young people.
- Waking during the night. This is most common in older people.
- Waking early in the morning. This is the least common type of sleep disturbance.
- Not feeling refreshed after sleep. You may have trouble functioning normally during the day, feel irritable, tired, and find it difficult to concentrate.
- Waking when you have been disturbed from sleep by pain or noise.
Sleep difficulties can last for days, months or even years and can be split into three categories:
- Transient insomnia lasting for 2-3 days.
- Short-term insomnia lasts for more than a few days but less than 3 weeks.
- Chronic insomnia occurs most nights for 3 weeks or longer.
Chronic insomnia can lead to mental health problems, depression for example. It can also lead to the misuse of alcohol or other medicines in attempt to get sleep.
On average adults need 7 to 9 hours sleep each night. As you get older, its normal to need less sleep. Most people over 70 need less than 6 hours sleep per night; and they also tend to be light sleepers.
If you have sleeping difficulties remember that nearly everyone has problems sleeping at some time. Up to a third of people in the UK have bouts of insomnia.
What Can I do to Help Prevent Insomnia?
There are some simple things that you can do to help you sleep:
- Set a specific time for getting up and going to sleep each day. Stick to these times, seven days a week, even if you feel you haven’t had enough sleep. Let your body and mind get used to a predictable routine.
- Create a bedtime routine, such as a warm bath and warm milky drink every night. These activities will then be associated with sleep and will cause you to become drowsy.
- Do not take a nap during the day.
- Stop doing any mentally demanding work several hours before coming to bed – give your brain time to calm down before you try to sleep.
- If morning sunlight or street lamps affect you sleeping, use thick blinds, curtains or wear an eye mask to create a dark environment.
- If noise is a problem, wear earplugs.
- Try reading a calming, undemanding book for a few minutes. It will help to relax your body, tire your eyes and help you forget about the things that are worrying you.
- Do not use the bedroom for anything other than sleeping or sex. Don’t watch television, make phone calls, eat, or work while you are in bed.
- Make your bedroom as comfortable, airy and dark as possible.
- Rather than worrying about things while you are trying to get to sleep, write a list of your worries and any ideas you have to solve them; then forget about it until the morning.
- Avoid or limit tea, coffee, chocolate, and cold remedies containing caffeine.
- Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking, as they are stimulants. Alcohol may make you sleepy at first but will wake you up when the effects have worn off.
- Don’t eat a big meal or spicy foods just before bedtime.
- A small snack that contains tryptophan (a natural sleep-promoting amino acid) may help, such as turkey, banana and fish. A warm drink of milk before bedtime may help too.
- Keeping fit will generally help you to have a good nights sleep. Take daily exercise at least 4 hours before you are planning to go to bed as this will give your body temperature a chance to cool down.
- Make sure you have a comfortable mattress, a pillow you like, and adequate bed covers for the time of year e.g. quilt for winter.
- If it takes longer than 20 or 30 minutes to get to sleep, do not lie in bed becoming anxious about sleeping try the first stage of my meditation routine.
- Don’t clock watch as this will only make you anxious e.g. its 2.30 I’ve got to be up at 6.30.
Try these methods for at least 3 to 4 weeks so that you break your usual sleep patterns.
Be aware that you may feel tired during this period so you must take extra care when you are driving or operating machinery etc.
When you are asleep for the majority of the time you are in bed, try going to bed 15 minutes earlier, but make sure you get up at the same time.
If you are having trouble getting to sleep sites such as Natural Sleep Secrets can help you.
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