Bad Sleep is Something to Lose Sleep About

Would you describe your typical night’s sleep as:

A) like college finals week, and my GPA and future at college were on the line

B) like parents of a newborn child month, and our precious bundle of joy has cholic

C) like sleepwalking, due to my frequent trips to the bathroom

If you answered A or B, you are probably like millions of Americans who struggle to get a healthy amount of sleep each night. If you answered C, you are probably getting older, or have bladder issues.

Why the pop quiz, you ask?

Well, sleep is vital for your health and well-being because it allows the body to repair itself, consolidate memories, regulate emotions, and maintain important bodily functions like immune system strength, metabolism, and brain health. Inadequate sleep can negatively impact concentration, mood, and decision-making, and increase the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Roughly 50 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder. Symptoms can be baby- to king-sized, including daytime sleepiness and napping, unrefreshed sleep, restless sleep, gaps or irregularities in breathing during sleep, difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, painful or crawling sensations in the legs while lying in bed, jerking of limbs (particularly legs) during sleep, and vivid or even violent dreams.

Here are some fundamental practices that might help you change your sleep number to something more positive. They center around creating a comfortable sleep environment, avoiding “screens” before bed, and limiting caffeine and alcohol.

Sleep environment

• Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet
• Use blackout shades or heavy curtains
• Consider using earplugs
• Use a fan to help with airflow

Avoid screens before bed

• Turn off your devices and avoid blue light from phones and computers
• Avoid watching TV or using screens before bed

Limit caffeine and alcohol

• Avoid coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate late in the day
• Alcohol may make you feel sleepy at first, but it can disrupt sleep later in the night

Other tips

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day
• Avoid napping in the late afternoon or evening
• Exercise regularly, but not within three hours of bedtime
• Avoid eating large meals close to bedtime
• Try to relax before bed with a bath, reading, or listening to music
• Consider trying meditation or mindfulness
• Get a comfortable mattress, pillow, and bed

The St. Francis Sleep Disorders Center offers specialized care to address what could be keeping you up at night. At our Sleep Lab, we treat conditions such as varied sleep disorders, insomnia, narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, shift work disorder, and more.

If there is one message to convey, it’s that bad sleep health is (figuratively) something to lose sleep about. If recommended sleep practices aren’t getting it done, seek assistance from a healthcare professional.