Advice on Sleep Habits

Page 1 of 2

Advice on Sleep Habits

Youth Version

Regular sleep time: Establishing a regular sleep-wake schedule is very important, especially a regular time to awaken in the morning, with no more than a + 1-hour deviation from day to day, including weekends. Wake-up time is perhaps the most important synchronizer of circadian rhythms. Awakening at 7:00 A.M. on weekdays to go to school and then sleeping until noon on weekends should be discouraged.

Proper sleep environment: The bedroom should be cool, dark, and quiet. You may habituate to a noisy sleep environment and may not remember the noise, even though it continues to disrupt your sleep patterns. Sleep interruptions should be minimized. Individuals who have convinced themselves that they can sleep only with the radio or television on should be discouraged from this practice. Attention to the radio or television may prevent their minds from wandering or may keep them from beginning to worry about other matters, and thus positively affect the length of time it takes you to fall asleep, but the continuing noise will be a disruptive factor during the night. Television and radios that automatically turn off may be useful.

Wind-down time: Time to wind down before sleep is important. You should stop work at least 30 minutes before bedtime and change your activities to something non-stressful, such as reading or listening to music.

Stimulus control: You should remove from the bedroom all items that are not associated with sleep. The bedroom should be used only to sleep. Activities such as eating, drinking, arguing, and discussing the day’s problems should be done elsewhere, because their associated arousal may interfere with sleep onset.

Avoidance of time in bed worrying: You should not remain in bed worrying about not being able to sleep or about activities that may be planned for the next day. If you find yourself unable to sleep after 30 minutes, you should get up, read or complete a task, and then return to bed after you feel sleepy. Remaining in bed trying to fight wakefulness can further aggravate sleep problems.

Avoidance of poorly timed caffeine or nicotine: Caffeine is quite disruptive of nocturnal sleep, and it may have a long half-life. Thus, caffeine consumption should be limited to the morning. Cigarette smoking may produce or aggravate insomnia.

Late-night high-tryptophan snack: A bedtime snack such as a glass of milk, a cookie, a banana, or a similar high-tryptophan food may help promote sleep.

Regular exercise: Exercising 20-30 minutes at least 3-4 days a week is encouraged. Improved aerobic fitness has been shown experimentally to promote sleep. Exercise should not occur within 3 hours of bedtime, however, because the arousal accompanying the exercise may delay sleep onset.