Wind down at bedtime Just as important: once it is time for bed, let your body know. Avoid too much excitement, activity or mental exercise. Now is the time to read, chat and wind down. Give yourself at least a couple of hours of gentle relaxation before bed, and try to keep to a similar routine each evening. Start to dim the lights - your body clock was built for gradual transitions, not sudden changes in light level.
Can't drop off to sleep in an instant? Be patient - you'll get there Taking longer to fall asleep is a natural part of ageing. Older people may need 20 minutes or more to fall asleep, while younger people may need only 5 to 10 minutes. (Read on for ways to feel sleepier at bedtime and tell your brain it's time to doze.)
Don't worry if you wake three or four times during the night Once asleep, older people go through the cycles of sleep more quickly than younger people - and may wake up between cycles more frequently. Researchers suspect that lower levels of growth hormone in your system may help to explain why you spend less time in the deepest, most restorative sleep stage, called Stage Four by researchers.
Wide awake at 5am? Get up! Your body clock may have shifted to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule. Turning in earlier will help to ensure that early wake-ups aren't a rude awakening.
Consider daytime naps Napping is a controversial solution for people struggling with insomnia. Some studies have shown that a short daytime nap doesn't have much impact on night-time sleep. But more than a 30 to 45 minute afternoon nap may keep you awake for too long at night. The crucial thing is not to let yourself sleep so long that you're groggy for the rest of the afternoon and then can't sleep at night. If a short siesta helps you to feel more awake and functional during the day, then take one - but set an alarm to make sure you wake up before you sink into too prolonged a sleep.
To improve your nightly sleep
Reserve your bed for sex and sleep Don't watch TV - especially not late-night thrillers - and don't work or pay bills lying in bed. It's important not to start linking your bed with activities that keep you awake or cause worry.
Create a clutter-free sanctuary Your brain deserves the balm of a soothing, organised, pleasant environment, free of worrisome reminders such as baskets of laundry that needs to be folded, stacks of magazines to be sorted or bills to be paid. Consider painting the walls a soothing colour, too.
Block the light Moonlight, street lights, late sunsets and early dawns can all interfere with the circadian-rhythm changes you need to fall asleep. Make sure you have thick, lined curtains that block out all the light, or invest in some blackout blinds to cover the windows.
Nestle on a new pillow If yours is more than six months old, or if you wake up in the morning with a sore neck and shoulders or a stuffy nose, it may be time for new head support. What's best? It depends on what works for you, but here are some pointers.
Sick and Tired
Without question, bad health affects how you sleep.
According to a large study by researchers at king's College London, older people with insomnia are much more likely to report worse physical health and a resulting impaired quality of life than younger adults. So if you can't sleep and you have health problems, see your GP, as treating both the insomnia and the medical problems at the same time may give the best results. Here are examples of health conditions known to affect sleep.
Pain A bad back, an arthritic knee, a pulled shoulder muscle, heartburn - any type of ongoing pain has the power to keep you awake or pull out of a deep sleep. Talk with your doctor about pain treatments that can ensure you get a proper night's rest. Also review your prescriptions with your doctor - codeine, morphine and steroids can disturb your sleep, as can migraine drugs and other painkillers that contain caffeine.
Allergies People with allergic rhinitis - the most common form of allergies resulting from ubiquitous dust, pollen and animal dander - are much more likely to experience insomnia, wake up during the night, snore and feel fatigued when they do wake up. The French researchers who discovered this also found that those with allergic rhinititis are more likely to sleep fewer hours, take longer to fall asleep and feel sleepy during the day than those without the condition.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) Studies show that people with GORD and other forms of heartburn are particularly likely to sufer from daytime sleepiness, insomnia and poor sleep quality.
Move your bed Outside walls and windows in your bedroom mean more noise. Locating your sleeping spot along an inside wall could improve matters, a Spanish study suggests.
Turn your clock so you can't see the face Sleep studies show that people with insomnia often overestimate the length of time they've lain awake. It's quite possible to wake at, say, 2am, drift back to sleep, then wake again at 2.30 - and think you've been awake the whole time. And glancing at the clock every so often can make you so anxious about not falling asleep, or about how tired you'll be tomorrow if you don't, that it can actually keep you awake. So just turn the clock around. The alarm will still wake you up in the morning.
Keep bedroom reading to a minimum A few minutes of relaxing reading is a perfectly fine pre-sleep ritual. But if you get in the habit of reading in bed for a long time, or if the only time you read is at night in bed, that's a problem. You should do any prolonged reading in a chair in another room during working hours.
Splash out on new nightware Your old pyjamas or boxers may be in good condition, but if they're not completely comfy, you deserve better. Invest in 100 percent cotton pyjamas for cool comfort or cosy flannels for cold nights.
How to fix a snorer
Bedding down with a chronic snorer is bad for your sleep, your health and your hearing. Loud snorers can generate 80 decibels of noise, as loud as rush-hour traffic, researchers have shown, and snorers' bed partners actually suffered hearing loss as a result. Another study assessed noise levels in the bedrooms of 140 volunteers living near Heathrow and three other European airports and found that a snoring partner could raise a sleeper's blood pressure by as much as a low-flying aircraft. If you can't or won't sleep in separate rooms, try these remedies.
Shop bought rubber earplugs can screen out about 32 decibels, which is often enough to let you fall asleep.
An audiologist can make you custom-fitted ear protectors that filter out more noise. They're expensive but worth it.
A white noise machine, which creates a steady, soothing layer of sound, can help to mask the snoring.
Present your partner with a box of anti-snoring strips, which work by pulling the nostrills open wider. A swedish study found they significantly reduced snoring.
If all else fails, pack your mate off to the GP. He or she (though it's more often a he) may be a candidate for a test called polysomnography, which is used to detect sleep apnoea.
The quality of your sleep is closely related to the quality of your working hours. Live happily and actively, and sleep will come more easily.
Can't drop off to sleep in an instant? Be patient - you'll get there Taking longer to fall asleep is a natural part of ageing. Older people may need 20 minutes or more to fall asleep, while younger people may need only 5 to 10 minutes. (Read on for ways to feel sleepier at bedtime and tell your brain it's time to doze.)
Don't worry if you wake three or four times during the night Once asleep, older people go through the cycles of sleep more quickly than younger people - and may wake up between cycles more frequently. Researchers suspect that lower levels of growth hormone in your system may help to explain why you spend less time in the deepest, most restorative sleep stage, called Stage Four by researchers.
Wide awake at 5am? Get up! Your body clock may have shifted to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule. Turning in earlier will help to ensure that early wake-ups aren't a rude awakening.
Consider daytime naps Napping is a controversial solution for people struggling with insomnia. Some studies have shown that a short daytime nap doesn't have much impact on night-time sleep. But more than a 30 to 45 minute afternoon nap may keep you awake for too long at night. The crucial thing is not to let yourself sleep so long that you're groggy for the rest of the afternoon and then can't sleep at night. If a short siesta helps you to feel more awake and functional during the day, then take one - but set an alarm to make sure you wake up before you sink into too prolonged a sleep.
To improve your nightly sleep
Reserve your bed for sex and sleep Don't watch TV - especially not late-night thrillers - and don't work or pay bills lying in bed. It's important not to start linking your bed with activities that keep you awake or cause worry.
Create a clutter-free sanctuary Your brain deserves the balm of a soothing, organised, pleasant environment, free of worrisome reminders such as baskets of laundry that needs to be folded, stacks of magazines to be sorted or bills to be paid. Consider painting the walls a soothing colour, too.
Block the light Moonlight, street lights, late sunsets and early dawns can all interfere with the circadian-rhythm changes you need to fall asleep. Make sure you have thick, lined curtains that block out all the light, or invest in some blackout blinds to cover the windows.
Nestle on a new pillow If yours is more than six months old, or if you wake up in the morning with a sore neck and shoulders or a stuffy nose, it may be time for new head support. What's best? It depends on what works for you, but here are some pointers.
- Neck pain? Go for a thinner pillow or look for a special 'neck pillow'. In one Swedish study, a neck pillow - rectangular with a depression in the middle - enhanced sleep. The ideal neck pillow is soft and not to thick.
- Always turning your pillow over to find the cooler side? Invest in natural cool. Natural fibres - and natural-fibre pillowcases - stay cooler. In studies, 'cool pillows' - some were water-filled, and others used a mix of sodium sulphate and ceremic fibres - enhanced sleep.
- Stuffy or allergy-prone? Go hypoallergenic - and get an allergen-reducing pillowcase as well.
Sick and Tired
Without question, bad health affects how you sleep.
According to a large study by researchers at king's College London, older people with insomnia are much more likely to report worse physical health and a resulting impaired quality of life than younger adults. So if you can't sleep and you have health problems, see your GP, as treating both the insomnia and the medical problems at the same time may give the best results. Here are examples of health conditions known to affect sleep.
Pain A bad back, an arthritic knee, a pulled shoulder muscle, heartburn - any type of ongoing pain has the power to keep you awake or pull out of a deep sleep. Talk with your doctor about pain treatments that can ensure you get a proper night's rest. Also review your prescriptions with your doctor - codeine, morphine and steroids can disturb your sleep, as can migraine drugs and other painkillers that contain caffeine.
Allergies People with allergic rhinitis - the most common form of allergies resulting from ubiquitous dust, pollen and animal dander - are much more likely to experience insomnia, wake up during the night, snore and feel fatigued when they do wake up. The French researchers who discovered this also found that those with allergic rhinititis are more likely to sleep fewer hours, take longer to fall asleep and feel sleepy during the day than those without the condition.
Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) Studies show that people with GORD and other forms of heartburn are particularly likely to sufer from daytime sleepiness, insomnia and poor sleep quality.
Move your bed Outside walls and windows in your bedroom mean more noise. Locating your sleeping spot along an inside wall could improve matters, a Spanish study suggests.
Turn your clock so you can't see the face Sleep studies show that people with insomnia often overestimate the length of time they've lain awake. It's quite possible to wake at, say, 2am, drift back to sleep, then wake again at 2.30 - and think you've been awake the whole time. And glancing at the clock every so often can make you so anxious about not falling asleep, or about how tired you'll be tomorrow if you don't, that it can actually keep you awake. So just turn the clock around. The alarm will still wake you up in the morning.
Keep bedroom reading to a minimum A few minutes of relaxing reading is a perfectly fine pre-sleep ritual. But if you get in the habit of reading in bed for a long time, or if the only time you read is at night in bed, that's a problem. You should do any prolonged reading in a chair in another room during working hours.
Splash out on new nightware Your old pyjamas or boxers may be in good condition, but if they're not completely comfy, you deserve better. Invest in 100 percent cotton pyjamas for cool comfort or cosy flannels for cold nights.
How to fix a snorer
Bedding down with a chronic snorer is bad for your sleep, your health and your hearing. Loud snorers can generate 80 decibels of noise, as loud as rush-hour traffic, researchers have shown, and snorers' bed partners actually suffered hearing loss as a result. Another study assessed noise levels in the bedrooms of 140 volunteers living near Heathrow and three other European airports and found that a snoring partner could raise a sleeper's blood pressure by as much as a low-flying aircraft. If you can't or won't sleep in separate rooms, try these remedies.
Shop bought rubber earplugs can screen out about 32 decibels, which is often enough to let you fall asleep.
An audiologist can make you custom-fitted ear protectors that filter out more noise. They're expensive but worth it.
A white noise machine, which creates a steady, soothing layer of sound, can help to mask the snoring.
Present your partner with a box of anti-snoring strips, which work by pulling the nostrills open wider. A swedish study found they significantly reduced snoring.
If all else fails, pack your mate off to the GP. He or she (though it's more often a he) may be a candidate for a test called polysomnography, which is used to detect sleep apnoea.
The quality of your sleep is closely related to the quality of your working hours. Live happily and actively, and sleep will come more easily.
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