How Much Sleep do You Need?

Sleep needs vary from person to person. Some need only four hours per night, but others seem to need 10.

Some people complain because they sleep "only" five or six hours each night. Yet many of these people awake rested in the morning and function well during the day. Five or six hours of sleep is all they need most of the time. They don't have insomnia.

Other people feel tired after eight hours of sleep. They need more than the "normal" seven to eight hour average. Just one more hour of sleep often gives these people the rest they need.
Experiment to find the amount of sleep you need.

Remember, too, that the amount of sleep you need will vary. Your need for sleep may decrease and your ability to go to sleep may improve when you are exercising regularly and doing things you enjoy and do easily. You may need more sleep and experience more sleeplessness if you are under more stress or as you become less active (e.g., move from an active to a sedentary job, return to the more sedentary role of student after an active summer).

Is Your Environment Conducive To Sleep?

Room temperature

Sleep in a cool room (60 degrees or so). Pile on another blanket or add one under the mattress pad rather than turn up the heat. A physician I know used this principle while in medical school; he kept an air conditioner on in his room all year. He said it helped him sleep better so that he needed less sleep. You don't need to go to such extremes, but do keep it cool.

Humidity

Even a little thing like a dry throat may make sleeping more difficult. Most heating systems dry the air in your bedroom, so borrow a humidifier to see if it will help. Keeping heat down and having a window open can also keep humidity up.

Noise

Some people seem to sleep better if there is a white noise -- a fan running, for example -- in the background. For others, noise can interrupt sleep.
In addition to the fan strategy, try particular kinds of music to blot out the noise. Play a recording of music that has no words, no definite melody, and not a lot of change in the volume. Baroque music is a good choice. There are many tapes of sounds that aid sleep by quieting the mind, emotions, and body. Check at the counseling center, at a mental health center, or holistic health center.
If desperate, you might try ear plugs that workers use on noisy jobs. If you use cotton, be sure to use balls large enough that they won't work down into your ear canal and have to be removed by a physician.

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep?

Five Basic Strategies


1. Never oversleep


Never oversleep because of a poor night's sleep. This is the most crucial rule. Get up at about the same time every day, especially on the morning after you've lost sleep. Sleeping late for just a couple of days can reset your body clock to a different cycle -- you'll be getting sleepy later and waking up later.


2. Set your body clock


Light helps restart your body clock to its active daytime phase. So when you get up, go outside and get some sunlight. Or if that's difficult, turn on all the lights in your room.Then walk around for a few minutes. The calves of your legs act as pumps and get blood circulating, carrying more oxygen to your brain to help get you going.


3. Exercise


Keep physically active during the day. This is especially important the day after a bad night's sleep. When you sleep less, you should be more active during the day. Being less active is one of the worst things an insomniac can do.Strenuous exercise (brisk walking, swimming, jogging, squash, etc.) in late afternoon seems to promote more restful sleep. Also, insomniacs tend to be too inactive a couple of hours before bed. Do some gentle exercise. A stretching routine has helped many people.


4. Don't nap


Do not take any naps the day after you've lost sleep. When you feel sleepy, get up and do something. Walk, make the bed, or do your errands. While studying, get up regularly (every 30 minutes, or more often if necessary) to walk around your room. Do a gentle stretch. That will increase the flow of oxygen to your brain and help you to be more alert.


5. Set a bedtime schedule using these two steps:


First, try to go to bed at about the same time every night. Be regular. Most people get hungry at 7 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. because they've eaten at those times for years. Going to bed at about the same time every night can make sleep as regular as hunger.


Second, go to bed later when you are having trouble sleeping. If you're only getting five hours of sleep a night during your insomnia period, don't go to bed until just five hours before your wake-up time. For instance, if you've been waking up at 7 a.m., don't go to bed until 2 a.m. No naps! Make the time you spend in bed sleep time. Still some insomnia? Go to bed proportionately later. Then, as your time in bed becomes good sleep time, move your going-to-bed time back 15 to 30 minutes a night and do that for a week or so.This is the opposite of what we want to do: we want to go to bed earlier to make up the lost sleep. Learn to do what many sleep laboratories teach -- go to bed later the night after losing sleep.





Additional Strategies


1. Develop a bedtime routine


Stop studying and don't get into any stimulating discussions or activities a half hour or hour before bed. Do something that's relaxing -- read "light" material, play your guitar, listen to music that is quiet, catch a mindless TV show. Some people sleep better in a clean and neat environment, so they like to straighten and clean their room just before going to bed. Find your own sleep-promoting routine.

2. Warm bath, yes; shower, no


Take a long, hot bath before going to bed. This helps relax and soothe your muscles. Showers, on the other hand, tend to wake you up. Insomniacs should avoid showers in the evening.

3. List "gotta do's"


Keep a pad and pencil handy. If you think of something you want to remember, jot it down. Then let the thought go. There will be no need to lie awake worrying about remembering it.

4. Stretch and relaxation


Some people find that a gentle stretching routine for several minutes just before getting into bed helps induce sleep. Others practice relaxation techniques. Libraries or bookstores have books on developing stretching or relaxation routines. The University Counseling Services has some material on both: try
Stressed Out Over Studying?"The Doctor told me that stress caused my..."

5. To eat or not to eat


Some sleep centers recommend a light breakfast and lunch to help you stay alert during the day. They advise you to make the evening meal the major meal of the day. Schedule it at least four hours before bedtime so your digestive system will be reasonably quiet by the time you're ready to sleep.

6. Warm milk?


It helps some people to have a glass at bedtime. Milk has an essential amino acid, tryptophan, which stimulates the brain chemical serotonin, believed to play a key role in inducing sleep. A piece of whole wheat bread, or another carbohydrate, enhances the effect. Or try taking tryptophan, beginning with about two grams about an hour before bedtime. A piece of wheat bread will help the tryptophan to be absorbed.

7. Avoid caffeine and tyrosine-rich foods from late afternoon on


Caffeine, a chemical in coffee, colas, tea, chocolate, etc., causes hyperactivity and wakefulness. Some sleep laboratories encourage people to avoid such tyrosine-laden foods as fermented cheeses (cheddar is about the worst; cottage cheese and yogurt are OK), ripe avocados, some imported beers, and fermented meats (bologna, pepperoni, salami). Also avoid red wines, especially chianti.

8. Cut down on alcohol


Alcohol might help you get to sleep, but it results in shallow and disturbed sleep, abnormal dream periods, and frequent early morning awakening.

9. Sleeping pills


Reasons to avoid sleeping pills include disturbed sleep patterns, short-term amnesia, and impaired motor skills. Research shows that benzodiazepine hypnotics, the most commonly prescribed sleeping pills, impair short-term memory, reaction time, thinking, and visual-motor coordination (such as driving).

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is rampant.

A large proportion of the problem is due to the high paced lifestyle causing the lack of time to get the sleep we need. The other reason people are so sleep deprived is due to sleep disorders. Most people are unaware, as are most physicians. Sleep was not taught during their medical training. The cost in lost production, accidents, and human lives is astronomical. It is Sandman's dream to change this by educating the public as well as professionals in the medical field.

What is a Sleep Dept?

When you do not get the sleep you need, you begin to build up a sleep debt. So if you are losing one hour of sleep a day during the week, by Friday you have a 5 hour sleep debt. We usually make up for this by sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday. It can make for a dangerous Friday night if the person driving has a sleep dept, especially if they have alcohol on top of it. Sleep debt is caused by not having enough time to get the sleep you need, or it is due to a sleep disorder which disrupts sleep.

How much sleep do we need?

We need enough good quality sleep to feel alert during the day, especially during the afternoon. If you have a sleep debt you will very sleepy in the afternoon. Then our circadian pacemaker kicks in and makes us feel more alert early in the evening.

Drowsiness is Red Alert.

If you are driving and you start to feel drowsy, get off the road. A quick nap may be all you need. Drowsiness is Red Alert is a phrase coined my William C. Dement Phd., M.D.


Common causes of sleep deprivation include:

• not allowing enough time for sleep


• sleep disorders


• excessive worry


• depression


• repeated awakenings from noise or trips to the bathroom


• anything that causes insomnia or poor quality of sleep


• medication that may interfere with sleep


• lack of exercise

Common effects of sleep deprivation

• increased fatigue


• depression


• difficulty with social relationships


• decreased productivity


• breathing disorders


• heart disease


• motor vehicle accidents
  

What you can do?

Fortunately there are many things that an individual can do to help promote sleep.

1. Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation helps relieve fatigue, anxiety and tension. These techniques will help decrease blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and decrease oxygen consumption. Mental stress may also be reduced by taking up a new form activity. Here is one example of a relaxation technique.

• Find a comfortable position in a room with no distractions.


• Music sometimes helps with relaxation. Find music that makes you comfortable.
  
• Take the phone off the hook. Ignore all distractions.


• Place a sign on your door so that others can respect your sleep.


• Relax all muscles starting with toes and feet and continuing toward the head.


• Become aware of your breathing pattern. Sit or lie quietly with your eyes closed while breathing slowly.


• Do not worry if the relaxation was a success or failure.
  

2. Environment

• Find or create a quiet environment.


• Avoid an area that has bright light.


• Avoid watching stimulating television shows just before bedtime.


• Consider moving the TV out of the bedroom.
  

3. Diet

• Avoid eating large meals and high fat foods before bed time.


• If you need to eat right before bedtime, try eating carbohydrates (bread, crackers, cereal).


• Avoid drinking large amounts of fluids before bedtime.
  
• Empty your bladder right before going to bed.
  

4. Avoid caffeine and alcohol

• Caffeine
  

Caffeine is a mild stimulant. It is found in products such as cola, coffee, tea, and chocolate. Consuming caffeine before going to bed will make it difficult to fall asleep. Once you are asleep, sleep will be lighter and less satisfying. Caffeine also acts as a diuretic and will result in an increased need to get up during the night due to a full bladder. Although caffeine is considered safe, moderation is recommended. This is considered 300 mg per day or about two cups of coffee.

• Alcohol

Alcohol is classified as a depressant. Therefore, it makes a person drowsy and falling asleep becomes easier. However, with the use of alcohol, a person sleeps lighter and wakes up more frequently. It can also reduce sleep so that a person does not sleep for as long as needed. For this reason it is suggested that alcohol be avoided one to two hours before bedtime.

5. Exercise

Perform some form of daily exercise that is right for you. If you are not able to stand or bear weight, stretching and some aerobics can be performed from a sitting position.

• Exercise early in the day to promote sleep at night.


• Avoid exercise right before bedtime.


• If you cannot sleep, do not exercise. Instead, try engaging in a quiet activity.
  

6. Pain Management

• Pain management is an important strategy to promote healthy sleep.


• If you have pain, use methods to relief pain before sleep (comfortable position, massage, medication)