Can’t sleep? Here are some tips
VCU School of Pharmacy faculty, alumni and students have provided the Dr. Rx column for Richmond’s Fifty Plus magazine since December 2009. We now share those columns on the SOP website, as well, for those who might not have seen the most recent issue.
Serving as Dr. Rx for May 2016 was Erin Hickey, a fourth-year Pharm.D. student. Her bachelor of science degree in biology is from James Madison University. Her interest areas are oncology and transitions of care.
Q: The stress and activity of my busy life have been making it difficult to sleep. What are some simple things I can do at home to get better sleep?
A: Having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or feeling restored after sleep? You are not alone. About 34 percent of Americans reported a sleep problem in the past seven days.
Good quality sleep involves many factors, ranging from resolving other health problems to practicing simple behaviors. Remember, disruptions in sleep may warrant a visit to your health care provider to identify underlying problems. But it is also important to make sure you improve your sleep hygiene. Focusing on developing these good sleep habits can help you get better sleep.
What is “sleep hygiene”? Sleep hygiene involves certain habits, environmental
conditions and other sleep-related factors that can be used to help people who have trouble sleeping.
Habit #1: Know when and for how long to sleep.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on your free days. Get the right amount of sleep for your age group, not more or less, and do not spend an excessive amount of time in bed. The National Sleep Foundation recommends these sleep durations for adults:
- Ages 18-64: seven to nine hours
- Ages 65+: seven to eight hours
Habit #2: Improve your sleeping environment.
- Use your bed only for sleeping or intimacy.
- If you find you cannot sleep when you go to bed, leave and perform a relaxing activity such as reading.
- Create a comfortable sleeping environment. This usually includes a cool, dark, quiet room.
Habit #3: Watch what you eat and drink.
Drinking a large volume of fluid can increase your trips to the bathroom at night. Alcohol, nicotine and caffeine increase wakefulness and disrupt sleep, so it is best to avoid them close to bedtime and might be even better to reduce or discontinue consumption of these substances. Also, eating large meals or spicy foods close to bedtime can worsen sleep and cause heartburn when lying down.
Habit #4: Exercise.
Regular physical activity and exercise can help you sleep. However, avoid exercising close to bedtime as this can increase wakefulness.
Habit #5: Leave your worries for daytime.
Schedule a time during the day for worrying about those stressors of life, instead of at bedtime. Alternative times for thinking through problems can include while on the phone with a friend or during exercise (see Habit #4).
What better time than May — Better Sleep Month — to practice these new habits to achieve better sleep? If you try these suggestions and continue to have trouble sleeping, talk to your health care provider to come up with other strategies or medications that may help.
Keep in mind that some common medications can cause difficulty sleeping. Your pharmacist can review your medications and help you identify which ones to look out for.
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