Tip of The Week
08/02/10 - Week Three
4 Strategies for Better Sleep
By Simon A. Rego, PsyD, ABPP, ACT
You start to worry as bedtime approaches. You toss and turn at night. You stare at the clock as the minutes and hours tick by without getting to sleep. You try going to bed earlier. You try staying in bed longer. You try to “will” yourself to sleep. You drink warm milk or alcohol. But nothing seems to work…
Here are four strategies that can actually help:
1. Create an environment that promotes sleep. Keep the bedroom dark and quiet, and not too hot or cold. Only use the bedroom for sleep - no reading, watching television, surfing the web, or any other activities (well, almost any!) associated with being awake allowed. If you go to bed and find after a few minutes that you are wide awake, then get up, leave the room, and commit to doing something dull until you feel drowsy. Then return to the bedroom and reattempt sleep. Repeat as necessary until you are successful.
2. Create a bedtime routine. Like a plane coming in for a landing, creating a regular pattern of activities that you follow every night, can signal your body that it is time for sleep. These can include listening to soft music, brushing your teeth, washing your face, etc. Avoid too much mental stimulation an hour or so before bedtime.
3. Do not try to compensate for lost sleep. No matter what happened the night before, do not change what you do the next day. Set a rising time and stick to it - even on weekends. Do not cancel any activities or plans or stop exercising to “conserve” your energy. Do not nap during the day. Do not drink excessive amounts of caffeine to stay awake or excessive amounts of alcohol to get to sleep. And do not go to bed earlier the next evening.
4. Challenge your negative thoughts about sleep. Don’t assume you won’t get to sleep. Don’t assume you won’t be able to function the next day. Don’t assume all the people you know have no problems with their sleep. Don’t assume you just need to “try harder” in order to fall asleep.