Guest Author - Vickie Enkoff, M.S.

Dr. Judith Reichman reports that 40% of us are sleep deprived (I’m surprised it is that low!) Eight hours is average amount of sleep, but some people can do well with more or less. The main thing is to get enough REM sleep (sleep where you dream.)

Some common causes of insomnia are caffeine (which can last 7.5 hours after consumption!), alcohol (which acts as a depressant at first, but can later cause nighttime wakefulness,) cigarettes (whch are a stimulant,) Sleep Apnea (breathing problems while sleeping,) restless leg syndrome, diseases such as arthritis or other painful diagnoses, medications (asthma meds have stimulants and so do some anti-depresasnt medications, and hot flashes.

Some of these problems can be solved by working with your doctor. These are sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, side effects of medications and dealing with hot flashes. Some things you can try on your own:

Make your bedroom a place for relaxation and do not do other activities in your bedroom. Television can be a help or a hindrance and you have to experiment to see what works for you. I think it is good to turn the television off and let your mind wander over the days activities, but sometimes television can distract you from the chatter going in your head.

Exercise earlier in the day and you will sleep better. Don’t exercise right before bedtime because it may be stimulating.

Keeping a regular schedule helps. If you go to sleep at the same time and wake at the same time your body gets into a habit.

Keep your room dark. You can buy “black-out fabric” at an upholstery store to help make your room darker. Lavender is known to be a sleep-inducing herb. Gentle music or a sound machine may also help.

If you find your mind is overactive, get up and go into another room and write about the first thing that comes into your mind until you can’t think of anything else to write. Writing down things helps you let go of the days activities and you don’t have to worry about remembering things for the next day if you write them down.

Sleeping pills can be addictive. I am not a doctor so I will refer you at Dr. Judith Reichman
She has some information on the various types of sleeping pills. Much of the information I provided was written in her article.