Transcript BETTER SLEEP

Dr Stanley C Rodski
NeuroPsychologist
May 2014
◦ TRANSIENT (Sometimes) POOR SLEEP:
 Most of us suffer from this from time to time.
 Can’t sleep for a few nights – about a week at the
most.
 Usually because we are excited or nervous about
something/ specific event.
◦ SHORT TERM POOR SLEEP
 Can’t sleep for a few weeks
 Usually due to things going on in your life.
 This is where you can develop bad habits which lead to
long term sleep problems.
◦ CHRONIC (LONG TERM) POOR SLEEP
 Poor sleep has lasted for at least 3 months.
 Poor sleep has become a habit

Is there a PATTERN to my poor sleep?
◦ Poor sleep has a pattern to it that you need to
understand.
◦ Knowing the causes and patterns of your poor sleep
will help you improve.
LET’S LOOK AT SOME OF THESE...........
◦ TROUBLE FALLING ASLEEP
 This is a very common problem for poor sleepers
 This is a symptom of poor sleep habits
 Can be improved by replacing poor habits with good
habits/behaviours
◦ TROUBLE FALLING ASLEEP & WAKING UP
 This is a result of a disturbed body clock and poor
habits before sleep
 Can also be the result of “restless legs Syndrome” and
various breathing disorders.
◦ NO TROUBLE FALLING ASLEEP BUT WAKE UP DURING
THE NIGHT
 Waking during the night is NORMAL.
 If you stay awake and feel daytime fatigue then this is
a problem
 Waking during the night can become a habit which
worsens with worry
 This is made worse by alcohol, caffeine, nicotine,
sleeping pills, various medications, noise and light.

GOOD SLEEP PRACTICE
◦ BEFORE GOING TO BED
 Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon and early evening
 Avoid alcohol. It may help you fall asleep but the
effects wear off in a few hours, causing withdrawal and
awakenings during the night
 Avoid nicotine. It is a stimulant.
 Avoid Food high in protein( meat , nuts etc)
 If you have to eat before bed then high carbohydrates
such as cereal, bread etc (small carbo snack)
 Milk can induce sleep because of the amino acids
(tryptophan)
 If you are waking up in the night combine milk with
Horlicks. This reduces restlessness.
 Well balanced meal, 3 to 5 hours before bed is
optimum for sleep.
 Have a bedtime ritual. This lets your body know you
are getting ready to sleep
 A bath before bed helps improve sleep QUALITY. Not
too hot and stay in for 15 to 20 minutes (physically
relaxing and affects the body clock)
 Don’t go to bed too early. Only go to bed when you
are feeling sleepy( yawning, eyes closing)
 Don’t have a fixed bedtime. Having a fixed bedtime
increases your anxiety making it harder to fall asleep

IN BED
◦ Get rid of the bedroom clock.
 When you have trouble sleeping watching the clock
just makes you more anxious.
◦ Limit your activities in bed.
 Lap top computers and “to do ” conversations with
your partner should be avoided.
-You want to strengthen the link between bed and
sleep. Not weaken it.
◦ Don’t stay in bed if you are awake.
 If you are not asleep in 15 minutes ( approx), get up,
go into another room and do something relaxing
( magazine, television, music) until you feel sleepy
again
 Don’t eat, drink alcohol or smoke when you get up
because your body will learn to wake you for this.
◦ Don’t worry if you can’t sleep.
 Accept that sleep needs vary a lot and that you can
function quite well with a lot less than you might like
to have.
◦ Don’t spend too much time in bed.
 Spreading a night’s sleep over too long a period will
lead to shallow, fragmented sleep and more time in
bed worrying about sleep.
 Plan to stay in bed for only the length of time of your
typical sleep.
 Once the quality of sleep is improved you can lengthen
the time in bed.
◦ Do have a fixed getting up time
 Try to get up at the same time everyday
 When you get up expose yourself to outside light as
soon as possible
 This helps your body clock and stops the development
of delayed sleep phase syndrome

DURING THE DAY
◦ Avoid long naps (half an hour or more)
 These interfere with your night sleep
 Make you feel ‘groggy’ or more sleepy during the day
◦ Avoid lying down except when you are trying to
sleep
 This leads to a weakening of the association of lying
down and going to sleep
 Sit up when watching TV or reading ( unless you are
about to go to sleep)

Sometimes we find it difficult to sleep
because we are VERY
ANXIOUS & WORRIED
and/or
SAD & MISERABLE
In these circumstances we need to practice a
DEEP RELAXATION TECHNIQUE

Deep relaxation is about controlling the
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS)
through
BREATHING
THANK YOU
for your time today
and
GOOD SLEEPING