Begin your sleep hygiene with a regular, comfortable winding down from your day. You brain can help you if you train it with a dedicated routine every night. What do I mean? Prepare for bed at the same time each night, develop a regular schedule, stay away from ALL SCREENS in your preparation for sleep. Most research I have read indicates 7-9 hours per night is desirable. Take a look at your ability to get to sleep and stay asleep to decide what tools you may need to feel rested in the morning to take charge of the day. What helps to get you into the zone to sleep? Try some or all of the following:
- Meditation
- Mindfulness practice
- Focus on gratitude recall from the day
- Simple stretching
- Calming music (sounds of nature scapes, Enya, or guided meditation)
- Reading (but not the news
- Gratitude journaling
- Medication (prescribed or OTC)
- Prayer
- Visualization practice of a good, deep, restful sleep (like athletes visualize)
In the event of really poor sleep for an extended time, a physician consult or sleep study may be necessary. There are some very effective sleep medications but care needs to be taken on any extended use of these medications. Lunesta or Ambien are in this classification of medications and typically are only be taken on a short term basis, but always consult with your doctor about how to use it. Stress, anxiety, depression can cause the brain to have a chemical imbalance, so medication can be used as a reset strategy. Trazedone is a different category of sleep medication that may also be an option.
Enjoy a good night’s sleep by being more deliberate about how you go about sleep and employ as many mechanisms as needed to get rest.
I have created a Sleep Well podcast as another option for you to use at sleep time. I can email you a podcast of the Sleep Well, just send a email to: drmike@klayborandklaybor.com
