What to Do If You Can't Fall Asleep?

What to Do If You Can't Fall Asleep?

Sleepless nights aren't a modern invention. But modern life is making them increasingly common. Instead of winding down and relaxing before bed, we're doing chores, checking email, and getting riled up by the TV news till we hit the sack.
Insomnia, which is Latin for "no sleep," is the inability to fall asleep or remain asleep. Insomnia is also used to describe the condition of waking up not feeling restored or refreshed. According to Dr. Mark Mahowald, Professor of Neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Director of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center at Hennepin County Medical Center, insomnia refers to the inability to get the amount of sleep you as an individual need to wake up feeling rested.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create a more snooze-inducing routine.

During the day

Squeeze in exercise whenever you can. Chris Kline, PhD, who studies the effect of exercise on sleep at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says that doing even half of the recommended weekly 150 minutes of moderate activity and two muscle-training sessions has been shown to significantly reduce sleep problems in women, in part by regulating body temperature and reducing anxiety and depression.

Surprisingly, being active in the early evening may help you fall asleep more easily, Kline says, but see what timing works best for you. Two hours before bedtime

Lower the lights. Turning off lights and lamps signals to the body that sleep time is near— -- the way twilight did before we had electric lighting. Lower sugar and caffeine intake.

The type of lightbulbs you use also matters. "Cold, harsh white light -- "—like that found in fluorescent bulbs—" -- contains a significant blue component, which is most likely to interfere with sleep onset," says Michael Terman, PhD, an expert on light and biological rhythms at Columbia University Medical Center. Blue light, more so than other colors in the light spectrum, suppresses the body's release of melatonin, the hormone that makes us sleepy.

Check lightbulb packaging for the words "soft" or "warm" and for a color temperature of 3000 kelvins or less, One hour before bedtime

Dim your screens. Watching TV or tooling around online may help you decompress, but most screens emit more blue light than lamps do, and that— -- plus any exciting or disturbing stuff you see— -- will keep y So if you can't give up your late-night screen time, at least turn down the brightness on your TV, tablet, or computer. You can also install a free program called f.lux on your laptop to automatically reduce the blue light it emits at night.

Half an hour before bedtime

Power down. Now's the time to turn off the tube— -- experts recommend reading by low lamplight.

Pick an article or book that's not so suspenseful it keeps you up (think Bossypants, not Hunger Games), and nothing work- or school-related -- —too stressful!our brain going. which is less likely to trigger insomnia, Terman says.

Some medications can lead to insomnia, including those taken for:

    colds and allergies

    high blood pressure

    heart disease

    thyroid disease

    birth control

    asthma

    pain medications

    depression (especially SSRI antidepressants)

 Some common sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea can also lead to insomnia.

Sleep is as essential as diet and exercise. Inadequate sleep can result in fatigue, depression, concentration problems, illness and injury.

Regardless of what's causing your sleep problems, it is important to establish and maintain healthy sleep habits. Here are some tips that will help you sleep well:

At night:

    Use the bed and bedroom for sleep  only

    Plan healthy snacks  high in fiber, low in fat or sugar.

    Establish a regular bedtime routine and a regular sleep-wake schedule

    Do not eat or drink too much close to bedtime

    Create a sleep-promoting environment that is dark, cool ,clean and comfortable

    Avoid disturbing noises – consider a bedside fan or white-noise machine to block out disturbing sounds

During the day:

    Consume less or no caffeine or sugar , particularly late in the day

    Avoid alcohol and nicotine, especially close to bedtime

    Exercise, but not within three hours before bedtime

    Avoid naps, particularly in the late afternoon or evening

    Keep a sleep diary to identify your sleep habits and patterns that you can share with your doctor

Night Night!!