…with good sleep hygiene!
Having trouble falling asleep? Waking up at three a.m. for no reason? Insomnia can rob you of energy the next day, fog your thinking and put you in harm’s way on the road. If you’re relying on common crutches for sleeplessness, they won’t help your cause. Here are the dos and don’ts from our sleep experts:
The worst ways to get to sleep:
- Having a “nightcap” before bed is the single worst remedy you can use to fall asleep. Drinking alcohol may make you feel drowsy, but it fragments the natural stages of sleep and may also worsen snoring and sleep apnea.
- Using smartphones, tablets or laptops in your bed prevents the release of melatonin from the brain’s pineal gland, preventing sleepiness and worsening your insomnia. It’s all caused by the “blue” light these devices projects.
- Antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) sure make you drowsy, but they’re not a long-term solution for insomnia. They may help you get to sleep, but they also accumulate in the brain over time, causing grogginess, i.e. a “hangover effect” and even cognitive impairment the next day.
The best ways to get to sleep:
- Get out of bed, go to another room, read a book (no smartphones!), take a bath or try some other relaxing activity. That way, you won’t reinforce the unhappy habit of lying awake all night.
- Reset your body clock by getting to bed and waking up the same time every day — even on weekends and days off. A consistent schedule can help prevent “social jet lag” from following a different sleep schedule on weekends.
- Write your to-do list early in the evening so you can keep your mind off of the next day’s obligations when you’re trying to fall asleep.
- Relax prior to bedtime to unwind such as listening to calming music
Try these suggestions and other sleep hygiene tips from our experts to free yourself from the insomnia trap. A new sleep routine may make all the difference for you at night and the next day.