TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE
Smart ways to catch those much-needed zzzzzzz
BY:MARY ELIZABETH TERZELLA
A 2005 Gallup poll found that half of caregivers said worry had made it hard for them to fall asleep. These strategies can speed your trip to dreamland.
Have difficult discussions early in the day.
Instead of conferring about problems with the kids or rehashing an argument with your mate at bedtime, talk during the day or early in the evening, advises psychotherapist Barbara L. Heller, MSW, author of How to Sleep Soundly Tonight. "If you have difficult conversations before you retire or when you're in bed, you're carrying the problems of your day under the covers, and you won't be able to relax." By the same token, don't give upsetting updates about your loved one to family members or debate treatment options at the end of the day. "This may get you too riled up to sleep," Heller says. If possible, make these calls at lunchtime or right after work.
Regular exercise improves sleep.
In one study, caregivers who did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise—such as brisk walking or stationary cycling—four times a week, slept more soundly than those who didn't work out. In another study, sedentary people with moderate sleeping problems stopped tossing and turning soon after starting a comparable program of brisk walking and low-impact aerobics, sleeping 50 minutes longer than before. The best time to work out is when it fits your schedule, but avoid doing it just before bed, since it can prove energizing.
Clear your mind.
Upsetting day? Try pouring out your feelings on paper for 20 minutes. In a recent study, cancer patients who vented their feelings slept longer and more soundly than those who simply wrote about everyday details. "Releasing your feelings helps you stop dwelling on worries or past events, which reduces stress and allows for better sleep," says James W. Pennebaker, PhD, chair of the department of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, and author of Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions.
Schedule your bath.
A hot soak can increase deep sleep. Study subjects slept best after relaxing in104ºF water for 30 minutes, having gotten into the bath 90 minutes before hitting the sack.
Sniff a soothing scent.
Tucking a hanky laced with lavender essential oil under your pillow may help you relax and get more rest. Brain scans showed that lavender significantly increased deep or slow-wave sleep, the most restorative phase of slumber.
Turn off the TV. Turn on mellow music.
In a recent Tylenol PM survey, half of adult Americans said they watched television when they couldn't fall asleep. But this may backfire. "TV is a stimulant," says James Maas, MD, author of Power Sleep. A lullaby, however, may help you rest easy. After a week or so of listening to mellow music for 45 minutes at bedtime, about half of the subjects in a recent study slept longer and better. The CD Bedtime Beats features classical music, each piece having the same soothing 60- to 80-beats-per-minute tempo (bedtimebeats.com; $19).
Get steamy beneath the sheets.
Making love triggers the release of calming and sleep-promoting brain chemicals, including endorphins and oxytocin—and may even banish worry from the bedroom.
Know the right way to chase worries away.
Counting sheep is too boring to take your mind off your problems and lull you to sleep, suggests a recent Oxford University study. But subjects who imagined a tranquil scene, such as a waterfall or sunny beach, fell asleep 20 minutes sooner than usual.