Advertisement But more than 100 million Americans don’t get a good night’s sleep, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Many don’t get enough sleep, and many suffer from sleep disorders.
Dr. Brian Hagan, a pulmonary specialist with Gundersen Lutheran’s Sleep Disorders Clinic, said many Americans are sleep-deprived and need to add a few hours of sleep each night.
“We’re not getting enough sleep, and it’s an epidemic,” Hagan said. “Most of us need seven to eight hours of sleep each day, but we’re so busy that the first thing we get rid of is sleep.”
People make lifestyle choices that make a good night’s sleep difficult, said Dr. Daniel C. Deetz, a board certified sleep disorders specialist and director of Franciscan Skemp’s Sleep Disorders Center.
“There are many things we can do to promote better sleep hygiene, and I suggest those lifestyle changes, but people have a hard time changing their habits.”
Deetz and Hagan offer a dozen ways to get a better night’s sleep.
1. Reduce stress. If you have trouble sleeping due to stress, you start to develop bad habits to cope with a lack of sleep from increased use of caffeine and alcohol to taking long naps and inappropriate use of sleep medicine.
2. Don’t save up worrying for bedtime. ”Try to deal worries before you go to bed,” Deetz said. Hagan suggests setting aside “worry time” earlier in the evening to talk about your stressors and worries or even writing them down on paper.
3. Restrict caffeine intake. Caffeine is a stimulant and causes more arousal and interrupted sleep. Deetz and Hagan recommend not having any caffeine after lunch if you’re having trouble sleeping.
4. Watch alcohol use. People often with sleep problems self-medicate with alcohol to help them fall asleep. But Hagan said alcohol inhibits a deeper stage of sleep and disrupts sleep more. It also makes sleep apnea worse, he said.
5. Stop smoking, and if you don’t, avoid smoking before bedtime and during the night. Smokers are at higher risk for sleep problems. “It’s like alcohol before bedtime, smoking may make you initially sleepy, but more likely to cause wakefulness during the night,” Deetz said.
6. Avoid eating large amounts of food before bedtime. Deetz said it’s not good eating a lot of food before bedtime because indigestion and reflux make keep you up, but for some people having a small snack can help them sleep. “Some foods trigger sleep such as warm milk and turkey, but you don’t want to eat a lot,” Hagan said. A good general rule is not to eat after dinner, and then make sure not to eat after 8 p.m., he said.
7. Avoid clock watching. “If you wake up at 2 a.m., and you only got three hours of sleep, then you may worry about not getting enough sleep,” Hagan said. ”Turn the clock to the wall.”
8. Don’t spend too much time in bed. Only use the bed for sleeping, sickness and sex, Hagan said. If you can’t sleep within 20 to 30 minutes, get out of bed and go to another room to read and do something relaxing. Watching TV and using the computer can promote sleep problems, but watching TV can be relaxing for some. If you have a TV in the bedroom, remove it. Go to bed when you are sleepy.
9. Have a regular exercise program, but don’t exercise too close to bedtime. “Regular exercise will help individuals with insomnia, but avoid strenuous exercise before bedtime because your body is so revved up, you could toss and turn all night,” Deetz said.
10. Take a warm bath or shower — and plan quiet activities — before bed.
11. Keep a regular schedule of sleep. Get up the same time every day, even on days off work and on weekends to maintain a regular cycle of sleep. Deetz said third-shift workers, or those who work different shifts, are at risk for sleep problems. ”The best thing for shift workers is to keep a regular schedule if they can, and avoid long naps,” Deetz said. “If you’re working night shifts, try to sleep at a regular time during the day and keep the environment as quiet and dark as possible.”
12. Avoid naps and falling asleep while watching TV or in your favorite chair. Some people who take naps have trouble sleeping at night, while others have no problem if they nap. If you have to nap, limit it to less than a hour before 3 p.m. Falling asleep just before bedtime is a sure way to interrupt a good night’s sleep.
Terry Rindfleisch can be reached at trindfleisch@lacrossetribune.com, or (608) 791-8227
