Mason Counseling and Psychological Services

Sleep plays an enormous role in our lives. It soothes and heals when we get enough. It stresses and can have serious consequences when we don’t get enough. An estimated 70 million Americans have disturbed sleep. In many cases, there is nothing wrong with the individual; the sleep may have been disturbed by work or school schedules, family responsibilities, or lack of understanding about how to get sufficient sleep. However, some individuals do suffer from sleep disorders which can be life-threatening.

Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Means Practicing Good Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene is simply giving up habits that disturb sleep and increasing behaviors that promote sleep.

Too much caffeine

Caffeine stays in the bloodstream for up to 20 hours. It causes either difficulty getting to sleep or a lighter and shorter sleep, as well as increased need to urinate during the night. Too much caffeine during the day can cause daytime sleepiness because it depletes the supply of norepinephrine and dopamine. If you can=t give up caffeine, avoid it for at least six hours before bedtime.

Sedentary lifestyle

People with insomnia tend to be more sedentary and fail to relax fully. Aerobic exercise improves sleep by decreasing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, reduces awakenings, and increases deep sleep. Exercising five or six hours before bedtime encourages drowsiness while strenuous activity too close to bedtime can keep a person awake.

Go to bed when you are sleepy

Don't go to bed because you are bored or want to escape a situation.

Unwind

Slow down your mental processes in order to be more relaxed. Avoid challenging and stimulating situations too close to bedtime. Don=t read exciting and gripping novels, do challenging work, or engage in emotionally charged situations right before sleep. Establish a regular routine right before you get in bed. Engage in more boring, repetitive routines, even counting sheep - you can=t get too interested or excited by this!

Relax

Practice progressive muscle relaxation. Start at your toes and gradually tense and release each muscle in your body. Include deep breathing.

Practice slow, deep breathing

This increases the relaxed and tranquil feelings that bring on sleep.

Smoking tobacco

Nicotine stimulates the central nervous system and causes insomnia. If you continue to use tobacco, it should be avoided at least two hours before bedtime.

Sleep disturbing environment.

The sleeping area should be meant for sleep. Whenever possible, distractions such as tv, phones, course materials, and any clutter associated with daytime responsibilities should be kept out of the sleeping area. Since this is often difficult in a residence hall setting, keeping the bed free of clutter and the room orderly can make the environment less sleep disturbing.

Don’t lay awake in bed for extended periods

If you don't fall asleep in a few minutes, get up and do something relaxing but not too stimulating, preferably in an area other than where you sleep. Do not return to bed until you are sleepy.

Make sure your bed is comfortable

You should be firmly supported, not feel constricted and not feel the bed move when you move.

Use the bed only for sleep

Do not read, study, or lay in bed to watch tv. The bed needs to be associated with sleep.

A warm bath to soothe
and induce drowsiness

Warm water pulls the blood away from the brain to the skin which helps you feel drowsy. Hot water will invigorate you.

Secure your environment

Going to sleep means becoming vulnerable. If you don't feel safe, take steps to secure your environment. Leave on the light, check the locks, get a smoke alarm. Do what it takes to feel secure.

Alcohol intake.

Alcohol depresses the nervous system, which can lead to a sense that it assists in falling asleep. However, the sleep is abnormal and there is likely to be more middle of the night awakenings and sometimes frightening dreams.

Erratic scheduling

A regular sleep schedule keeps the sleep/wake cycle in sync. Getting to bed and getting up at the same time each day will help smooth sleep. However, if you do stay up late one night, it is best to get up at the usual time the next morning rather than sleeping in. If the cycle is moved to a later time, you will have difficulty sleeping and switching back to your usual schedule. Napping also makes it harder to sleep at night.

Problem solve

If you have too much on your mind, the problems will swirl around in your head, overwhelming and raise your anxiety. Take control of these thoughts by selecting one problem and focus only on that. Break it down into all its parts. Examine each facet and ignore any other problems that jump into your mind. Stay focused on this problem while the others drift away.

Don’t let yourself be afraid of the insomnia

Accept those nights when you have difficulty sleeping. You will still be able to function the next day, even on a couple hours of sleep. The less you fight, resist, or fear the sleeplessness, the more it will tend to go away.

If you think that emotional problems are causing sleeplessness, consult with a counselor. Insomnia is often a symptom of depression or anxiety disorders.

Common Myths About Sleep

The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research reported to Congress in 1993 that most Americans have misguided ideas about sleep. Common myths held about sleep include:

Sleeplessness will cause illness or emotional breakdown. People enduring prolonged sleep deprivation do have a reduced ability to function; however, there is no lasting impact on physical or emotional health once they do sleep. The only direct physical consequence of lack of sleep is sleepiness.

It is not possible to function well after a sleepless night. Missing one night's sleep may decrease a person=s motivation but the impact on daily performance is small when it does not involve driving or operating machinery.

It is essential to get eight hours of sleep each night. Some people need only four or five hours of sleep; others need eight or nine. When sleep is longer than the body needs, the amount of time in light sleep increases which causes the individual to awake unrefreshed.

Insomnia is a disease and sleeping pills are the cure. Sleeping pills can promote sleep for a few nights but when taken over a longer period of time they contribute to the insomnia as the body develops a tolerance to them. Extended use of sleeping pills can result in side effects such as depression, forgetfulness, falling, confusion, and hallucinations.

Additional Resources

Hauri, P. & Linde, S. (1996). No more sleepless nights. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Lavie, P. (1996). The enchanted world of sleep. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Maas, J.B. & Wherry, M.L. (1998) Powersleep. New York: Villard Books