Sleep

Jord · 16-03-2009, 12:35 AM

At night I go bed at like 10:30 And I can never get to sleep, Ive been trying now for 2 hours

Any tips on how to get to sleep other than that "troble sleeping" Thread?

That thread is no help at all.

~~marriott0.01~~ · 16-03-2009, 12:39 AM

STEP BY STEP GUIDE!!
Try one or two or a combination until you have enough quality sleep to feel alert and well rested.

1. Stick to a schedule, and don't sleep late on weekends. If you sleep late on Saturday and Sunday morning, you'll get Sunday night insomnia. Instead, go to bed and get up at about the same time every day. "You don't need to rely on an alarm clock to wake up when you get enough sleep," says Dr. Shepard.

2. Don't eat or drink a lot before bedtime. Eat a light dinner about 2 hours before sleeping. If you drink too much liquid before sleeping, you'll wake up repeatedly in the night for trips to the bathroom.
Don't eat spicy or fatty foods. They cause heartburn.
Don't have a midnight snack. If you get the munchies, eat something that triggers serotonin, which makes you sleepy. Carbohydrates (bread or cereal) or foods containing the amino acid L-tryptophan (milk, tuna, or turkey) will do the trick.
Don't drink alcohol near bedtime. It may cause you to wake up repeatedly, snore and possibly develop sleep apnea.

3. Avoid caffeine and nicotine. They are addictive stimulants and keep you awake. Smokers experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and they have a harder time both falling asleep and waking up.

4. Exercise. If you're trying to sleep better, the best time to exercise is in the afternoon. Physical activity enhances the deep, refreshing stage of sleep.

5. A slightly cool room is ideal for sleeping. This mimics your internal temperature drop during sleep, so turn off the heat and save on fuel bills.
If you tend to get cold, use blankets. Try sleeping in warmer nightclothes and wear socks. Studies show that warm hands and feet induce sleep quickly.
If you overheat at night, wear light nightclothes and sleep under a single sheet. Use an air conditioner or fan to keep the room cool.
Use a dehumidifier if you are bothered by moist air. Use a humidifier if you are bothered by dry air. Signs of dry air irritation include a sore throat, nosebleeds or a dry throat.

6. Sleep only at night. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps.
If you work nights, keep window coverings closed so that sunlight, which interferes with the body's internal clock, doesn't interrupt your sleep.
If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking, leave the window covering open and let the sun's light wake you up.

7. Keep it quiet. Silence is more conducive to sleep. Turn off the radio and TV. Use earplugs, a fan or some other source of constant, soothing, background noise to mask sound that you cannot control, such as a busy street, trains, airplanes or even a snoring partner. Double-pane windows and heavy curtains also muffle outside noise.

8. Make your bed. "A good bed is subjective and different for each person. Make sure you have a bed that is comfortable and offers orthopedic, correct sleep," says Dr. Shepard.
If you share your bed, make sure there is enough room for two.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
Go to bed when you are tired and turn out the lights. If you don't fall asleep in 15 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you are tired.
Do not agonize about falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.

9. Soak and sack out. Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax the tense muscles.

10. Don't rely on sleeping pills. Check with your doctor before using sleeping pills. Make sure the pills won't interact with other medications or with an existing medical condition.
Use the lowest dosage and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills.
If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills.

Well my PERSONAL advice is this :

Do you find yourself lying awake at night, worrying about not being able to sleep? You're not alone - but do you know what could be causing your insomnia? It could be that afternoon nap, the fact that you're going to bed too early or even staying in bed when you can't sleep...

Maria Hetem, the 47-year-old owner of a dog grooming salon based in Lebanon, N.J., noticed changes in the way she was sleeping over a decade ago but never thought to talk to a doctor about it.

Instead, she sought out medical advice pertaining to her frequent headaches but doctors were never able to determine the cause. Hetem attributed the fact that she never felt well rested and was frequently waking up at night to the growth of her business and her age.

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Eventually, thanks to the suggestion of a friend, Hetem got a sleep test and found she had sleep apnoea, a sleep disorder that disrupts breathing and can cause headaches. She guesses she's had the condition, which causes sleep deprivation, most of her adult life.

"You just start to think, 'This is normal,' until somebody points out that it isn't," she says.

Hetem's situation is an all-too common one for millions worldwide. In the U.S. alone, it's estimated that one in 10 adults struggle with chronic insomnia, not to mention the one in three who occasionally deal with the condition and those who suffer from other sleep disorders.

In recent years, though, thanks to media attention and educational campaigns, there's been a growing awareness about the importance of sleep and its impact on our health and productivity.

But experts say many people still have no idea what is keeping them up at night.

That's because those who've been dealing with sleep difficulties for long periods of time often forget the initial catalyst or don't realize the extent of the problem, says Dr. Ana Krieger, director of the NYU School of Medicine Sleep Disorders Centre and co-leader of the extended-stay chain AKA's Sleep School seminars.

Making matters worse

Beyond not recognizing what's wrong, many people also unknowingly learn self-perpetuating behaviours or come up with solutions that hurt more than help.

"When you look at people who are having problems sleeping, a lot of the logical things they are doing to fix the situation actually end up making it worse," says Philip Gehrman, an assistant professor of psychology at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia who treats people with insomnia.

That list includes taking naps, going to bed early and staying in bed when you can't get to sleep. While it makes sense to take a nap if you're sleep deprived, Gehrman says the practice interferes with your overall sleep drive and makes it harder for you to fall asleep at night. Going to bed early may seem like a way to get some extra sleep, but not if your new bedtime goes against your circadian rhythm, which prevents you from being able to sleep equally well at all times of the day. Likewise, staying in bed when sleep eludes you tends to only increase your performance anxiety, making it harder for you to get the rest you need.

New research shows that a few other factors might be having more of an effect on your ability to sleep well than you realize. A collaborative study by researchers at the Brooklyn Health Disparities Centre at SUNY Downstate Medical Centre and Brooklyn-based Long Island University found that women who worry about cancer, none of whom had a history of the disease, have a nearly 50% greater chance of having trouble sleeping. A new study out of the University of Pittsburgh also shows that there's a link between the quality of a couple's marriage and a woman's risk of having sleep problems. The unhappier the marriage, the higher the risk, says author and University of Pittsburgh psychologist Wendy Troxel.

You can't discount the impact of the tanking economy, either, says Dr. Carol Ash, a board-certified sleep and pulmonary specialist and medical director of the New Jersey-based Somerset Medical Centre's Sleep for Life Centre. In the past six months, Ash says she's seen a jump in the number of patients visiting her practice who find themselves awake at night due to worries about their companies downsizing.

They're not the only ones bringing their work to bed with them at night. The National Sleep Foundation's 2008 Sleep In America Poll, a national survey of 1,000 working adults, found that nearly one-quarter of respondents did work relating to their job within an hour of going to bed a few nights a week. The habit, experts say, doesn't give you a chance to unwind and ease into sleep mode. Even computers need a little time to shut down.

Of course, not all causes of sleep problems can be fixed by rearranging your schedule or revamping your diet. Many insomniacs need cognitive behavioural therapy, a treatment requiring multiple sessions that aims to change the way you feel and behave when it comes to sleep. A tendency to be a light sleeper and being a new parent can be hard challenges to overcome too, unless you like white noise machines or can afford a great night nurse.

Experts say that's OK - we're all bound to encounter sleep disruptions from time to time throughout our lives. Just make sure you don't let the problem go on for too long.

"There will be periods in life where you have to give up sleep so you can accomplish something big," Krieger says. "Just know that you can only do that for a certain period of time or there will be long-term consequences."

This was no way copied of MSN