How well do YOU sleep? 10 tips to better sleep -

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/47782?personal_page_id=1376
Gregg D Jacobs, Ph.D.'s Blog - MedHelp

If you want to sleep better, there are proven non-drug methods for improving sleep. The following is a list of the 10 most important behavioral (non-drug) techniques for improving your sleep:

1.The belief that everyone must get eight hours of sleep is a myth. People who live the longest sleep 7 hours per night, not eight, so don’t worry about getting 8 hours of sleep. Most people need between 6 and 8 hours of sleep to function effectively during the day.

2.Get out of bed within a half hour of the same time every day, including weekends, no matter how little or poorly you have slept.

3.Reduce your time in bed so that it more closely matches the amount of sleep you average each night.

4.Use the bedroom for sleep and sexual activity only.

5.Make sure you feel drowsy when you turn the lights off to go to sleep. If you do not fall asleep within 20-30 minutes, go to another room and engage in a quiet, relaxing activity until you feel drowsy.

6.Don’t take sleeping pills regularly. They have side effects and inconsistent benefits, particularly in older adults.

7.Practice relaxation techniques at bedtime including muscular relaxation, mental focusing, and breathing techniques.

8.Take an afternoon nap after a poor night’s sleep

9.Increase your exposure to early morning sunlight as soon as you wake up to establish a more consistent sleep rhythm.

10.Exercise by taking a brisk walk 3-6 hours before bedtime. This will improve your sleep by causing a greater rise and fall in your body temperature.

Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs
www.cbtforinsomnia.com/mh

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And then his Newest Tips...
An additional 10 for you!
From here: http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/60664

Here are 10 additional key tips for improving your sleep.

1. Research consistently demonstrates that poor sleepers are getting more sleep than they realize. This means that, by recognizing you are likely getting more sleep than you think, you will reduce anxiety about sleep loss and sleep better.

2. It is not just how much sleep you lose that affects your daytime functioning but also your negative thoughts about your sleep loss. Therefore, if you can reduce negative thoughts about sleep loss, you will minimize the effect of insomnia on your daytime mood and functioning.

3. If you wake up and begin your day with a negative sleep thought such as “The day is going to be miserable because I did not sleep well.”, it is the combination of sleep loss and negative mood from this thought that affects your daytime functioning

4. Although research shows that sleep deprivation can adversely affect daytime performance, the effects of sleep loss on performance also depend upon how much sleep is lost and how consistently this occurs

5. No matter which type of insomnia you have, research on insomnia suggests that poor sleepers have a wake system that is too strong and a sleep system that is too weak. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches you to strengthen your sleep system and weaken your wake system so that you fall asleep and stay asleep at night more easily.

6. Short-term insomnia develops into chronic insomnia as a result of worrying about sleep loss; associating the bed with wakefulness; spending excessive time in bed; trying to “force” sleep; engaging in other disruptive or negative sleep behaviors, such as arising at irregular times; and, experiencing stress.

7. It is important to realize that the effects of sleeping pills are partly due to a “placebo” effect. This means that the effect of a sleeping pill is due in part to you and your belief that the pill will work.

8. Prior wakefulness refers to the number of hours that has gone by from the time you get out of bed in the morning until you turn off the lights at bedtime to go to sleep. The greater the amount of prior wakefulness, the stronger the sleep system and the better you will sleep. Thus, the earlier you get out of bed and the later you go to bed, the better you will sleep.

9. A regular arising time is crucial to establishing a consistent sleep rhythm and amount of prior wakefulness. If you sleep late on weekends or after a poor night’s sleep, you delay the rise and fall in your body temperature, which will make it hard to fall asleep at bedtime. Furthermore, you will reduce your prior wakefulness because you stayed in bed later. This will weaken your sleep system and make it harder to sleep.

10. The more that you reduce the time you allot for sleep so that it closely matches your average sleep duration, the stronger your bed will be a cue for sleep. In addition, the more you reduce the time you allot for sleep, the more you will strengthen your sleep system by increasing prior wakefulness.

Dr. Gregg D. Jacobs
www.cbtforinsomnia.com/mh

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Sweet dreams Everyone!

XOXO
Me