Judd Matsunaga
How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Are you refreshed and ready to go, or groggy and grumpy? For many people, the second scenario is all too common. According to the CDC, about 35 percent of Americans sleep less than the recommended seven hours each night.
An uninterrupted night of peaceful slumber can make all the difference in how you feel the next day. But habitual restorative rest is important over the long run, too. As mounting evidence shows, getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is vital to your health and well-being.
On the other hand, insufficient sleep can make you too tired to work efficiently, exercise or eat healthfully. Over time, sleep deprivation increases the risk for a number of chronic health problems. And, sleep medications may not always be the most effective option. Growing evidence backs the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, a drug-free approach to treating insomnia.
This article on getting a good night’s sleep without drugs is based on a special report from Harvard Medical School, “Improving Sleep.”
Medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and thyroid disease bring symptoms like pain, shortness of breath or a frequent need to use the bathroom that can prevent you from falling asleep or jolt you awake in the middle of the night. Medications used to manage these conditions can cause sleeplessness as a side effect.
Another potential cause for insomnia is that your bedtime habits are preventing you from sleeping. The blue light that cellphones, TVs and computers emit blocks the release of melatonin, a hormone that signals your body when it is time to sleep.
Eating a large meal, especially one that is accompanied by a few glasses of wine or coffee, is another known sleep disruptor.
Following are 10 tips from Harvard Medical School for achieving longer, more rested sleep:
- Create a sleep sanctuary in your bedroom. Reduce clutter, which can be distracting and anxiety- provoking. Use blackout curtains to keep the room dark, or wear an eye mask.
- If outside noise is an issue, consider buying a white noise machine to drown it out.
- Keep electronic devices like your computer, cellphone and tablet out of your bedroom. Or, at least turn them off an hour before bed.
- Try to go to sleep at the same time each night. About two hours before bedtime, dim the lights to prepare your body for sleep.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol for at least four to six hours before bedtime. Drink all liquids sparingly close to bedtime, to prevent a full bladder from waking you up.
- Eat a moderate-sized dinner two to three hours before bed. Have just enough food to ensure that you are neither too hungry nor too full during the night.
- Do something calming before you go to bed, such as meditating, taking a warm bath, drinking a cup of chamomile tea or listening to gentle music.
- Try to get outdoors in the morning. The sunlight helps set your internal clock.
- Limit daytime naps to 20 minutes or less, and do not take them late in the day (after 3 p.m.)
- If you can’t sleep, don’t watch the clock. Get out of bed and do something calming, like read a book, until you start to feel sleepy.
Once you crawl between the sheets, relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation (see below) can help you calm your body and mind. Mindfulness meditation has also proven helpful for battling insomnia. This type of meditation involves focusing on your breathing and then bringing your mind’s attention to the present without drifting into concerns about the past or future.
Progressive muscle relaxation, which involves tensing and relaxing your muscles in sequence, starting with your feet and working your way up your body, is a tried-and-true, drug-free technique for achieving both physical and mental relaxation. A typical approach is this:
- Lie on your back in a comfortable position. Put a pillow under your head if you like, or place one under your knees to relax your back. Rest your arms, with palms up, slightly apart from your body. Feel your shoulders relax.
- Take several slow, deep breaths through your nose. Exhale with a long sigh to release tension.
- Focus on your feet and ankles. Are they painful or tense? Tighten the muscles briefly to feel the sensation. Let your feet sink into the floor or the bed. Feel them getting heavy and becoming totally relaxed. Let them drop from your consciousness.
- Slowly move your attention through different parts of your body: your calves, thighs, lower back, hips and pelvic area; your middle back, abdomen, upper back, shoulders, arms and hands; your neck, jaw, tongue, forehead and scalp. Feel your body relax and your lungs gently expand and contract. Relax any spots that are still tense. Breathe softly.
- If thoughts distract you, gently ignore them and return your attention to your breathing. Your worries and thoughts will still be there when you are ready to acknowledge them.
For some people with insomnia, a racing or worried mind is the enemy of sleep. Techniques to quiet a racing mind or a tense body — such as meditation, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and biofeedback — can be learned in behavioral therapy sessions or from books or classes.
If you’re looking to improve your health and happiness and prefer a drug-free approach to treating insomnia but don’t know where to start, I have created a free audio clip that is currently available online on YouTube. Simply search “ELS theta wave music” on YouTube.
You’ll find a 15-minute induction (to stop the excess chatter in your mind), followed by an hour of theta wave deep relaxation music meant to help you fall asleep. I listen to it every night. It works!
Judd Matsunaga is the founding attorney of Elder Law Services of California, a law firm that specializes in Medi-Cal Planning, Estate Planning and Probate. He can be contacted at (310) 348-2995 or. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Pacific Citizen or constitute legal or tax advice and should not be treated as such. Click here to read past columns.
