Ways to help you sleep better

Sleep is essential to our well being; however, the majority of adults do not get the recommended 7-9 hours per night. Try the following doctor recommendations to improve your sleep:

Go to bed and get up at the same time 7 days a week

• Get into a routine, even on the weekends. Your body and mind like a schedule

Use your bed only for sleep and sex

• You need to associate your bed with relaxation only

• Do not watch TV in bed

Make your bedroom conducive to sleep

• Keep the temperature about 72 degrees at night

• Wear an eye mask and/or use black out curtains

• Wear ear plugs or listen to white noise

Turn off all devices one hour before bedtime

• The blue light from these devices interferes with melatonin production

Get into a regular bedtime routine

• Take a warm shower, read a book outside of the bedroom, brush your teeth. By keeping a consistet routine you are signaling to your brain that it is preparing for sleep

Limit food and drink after dinner

• Do not drink caffeine or alcohol after dinner

• Do not eat much after dinner

Exercise during the day, but not close to bedtime

• Regular exercise helps reduce stress but exercising vigorously within a few hours of bedtime can cause the body to feel more awake

Limit your worrying at night

• If you tend to think about the next day's tasks when you lie down, write a to do list after dinner. If you worry a lot at night, designate a "worry time"-set a timer for 10 minutes and write all of your worries down

• Try Insight Timer or Mindfulness smart phone apps. Pick out a meditation/talk/bedtime story earlier in the day and turn it on when you get into bed

• Consider seeing a counselor if the worrying persists

Try your best not to nap during the day

• Napping interferes with your body's desire to fall asleep at bedtime

Try to go outside within an hour of waking up each day

• This helps set your circadian rhythm

• If it cloudy or dark, especially during the winter, try using light therapy which mimics natural light. Luckily, in St Augustine, Florida we do not have this problem often :)

If you wake up during the night and have trouble falling back asleep

• Do not watch the clock, turn it so that you are unable to see it

• Get out of bed and go into another room and read or do another relaxing activity until you are sleepy and then return to bed

  
  
  
  

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I hope the above suggestions improve your sleep quality. You do need to be consistent with these actions to see progress. If you have questions contact me, Dr Lina L Feaster, at Revitalize Healthcare.