Trouble Sleeping? Tips for Better Sleep

If you find yourself yawning all day and lying awake at night despite the fact that you're exhausted, you're not alone. As a frequent sufferer from chronic insomnia, I've had more opportunities to contemplate the problem than I care to remember- usually at three in the morning as I tossed and turned, growing more anxious and frustrated with every minute that ticked off on the digital clock. Anyone who's suffered it chronically knows a special brand of hell. In fact, it was used by the Soviets during the cold war as one of their most favored methods of torture. Lately, has been an increased interest in sleep and its overall effect on health.

A 2002 National Sleep Foundation study titled: Sleep in America found that 58% of Americans reported experiencing insomnia a few nights a week or more. The study estimated that direct costs of treating insomnia are 14 Billion dollars annually with the indirect costs, such as lost productivity, costing a whopping 28 Billion dollars a year. Studies have also linked sleep deprivation to increased risk of disease in conditions too numerous to list here, but which include conditions as various as heart disease, obesity, depression and type 2 diabetes.

What most people don't know is that the most effective treatments for insomnia may not involve drugs. Many studies have demonstrated the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, or CBT-I. In fact with the risk of taking medication long-term CBT-I may afford the best chance of really beating insomnia. There are several steps you can take to improve your chances of getting a good night's sleep.

First, make your bedroom a sleep only zone (yes, sex is an exception.) By doing stimulating activities like watching TV, reading, and such you can actually program your brain to associate the bedroom with wakefulness. Also, you need to develop the habit of getting out of bed and doing something else- preferably something relaxing and boring- if you can't go to sleep. Lying in bed trying to force sleep never helps matters. It only intensifies sleep anxiety. If you've been in bed for fifteen minutes and you are still wide awake go in the other room only returning to bed once you are good and sleepy. Staying in bed watching the clock is only going to make it worse.

I've found that easy crosswords- those just slightly too easy for my skill level- are boring, tedious and just engaging enough to hold me. If that fails I can surf over to the Smoking Gun website and read through the contract riders that outline, ad nauseam, the demands of various musical groups for their backstage provisions. Talk about dull. Pairs of socks, M&Ms, particular brands of bottled water. Britney's 2000 tour required Cool Ranch Doritos in her dressing room, as if anyone cares, which is what makes this so snooze inducing. You'll have to find your own special most boring thing, but whatever it is it shouldn't be tied to work or anything else that can lead to stress. Think inane, but slightly engaging, and away from the bedroom.

Second, don't nap in the daytime no matter how tired you are and how tempting a little siesta. You're setting yourself up for a repeat performance of the previous sleepless night and reprogramming your body clock in a way you really don't want. Maintaining a regular schedule of when you go to bed and when you get up is crucial. In fact, if you're chronically having trouble sleeping, napping can be the worst thing.

The opposite approach, which includes restricting sleep by staying up later than is comfortable and getting up earlier- for a few days or so- can be a powerful tool in getting your body clock back on track. It's called Sleep Restriction Therapy and information can be found on the website of the National Sleep Foundation. Most sleep clinics have patients keep a sleep diary for a few days or more then put them on a sleep schedule, but I have done the same for myself and managed to break out of some pretty intense insomnia cycles.

It's probably too obvious to point out that restricting caffeine is a good idea, as in no coffee after noon, but many people don't realize that alcohol can have a very adverse effect on sleep. Very adverse. Trust me on this one: alcohol is a poor choice for a sleep aid. Although it may cause you to fall asleep faster, it increases the number of times you awake during the night and decreases the overall quality of sleep.

Regular exercise has also been shown to help. It should be at least an hour removed from bedtime, though. One recent study indicated that adding Yoga reduced incidence of insomnia as well.

Finally, stress reduction techniques like meditation, a hot bath at bedtime, and progressive muscle relaxation are helpful. Whatever helps you put aside all of the worries of your day and transition into a relaxed frame of mind.

One of the first steps to beating insomnia is to get informed. There are some good books out there written by sleep therapists. One I recommend is: "No More Sleepless Nights," by Peter Hauri and Shirley Linde. There is a companion workbook that will help you analyze your sleep behavior and possibly pinpoint areas you need to pay attention to, but if you continue having problems you should probably talk to your doctor. The ramifications for your physical and mental health shouldn't be taken lightly.

Tension reduction:
http://stress.about.com/od/generaltechniques/tp/toptensionacts.htm

Yoga and Sleep:
http://commongroundmag.com/2006/05/yogainsomnia0605.html

National Sleep Foundation:
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/