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After decades of studying sleep, doctors can point to at least ten things that will sabotage sweet dreams—from the simple (a hot room, a snoring boyfriend, a cup of coffee before bed) to the serious (depression). What follows: a rap sheet identifying these sleep thieves, and tips on how to recover your precious rest.

1.Noise
Studies show that women are very sensitive to nighttime sounds. If you have a snoring boyfriend, or you live near a highway or an airport, set up a bedroom sound barrier with earplugs or a white noise machine (even a simple table fan may work).

2.Light
Although your eyelids screen out most rays, some still sneak through. If your bedroom is lit up (either by a night-owl roommate or street lamps), try using a sleep mask or investing in heavier curtains.

3.Temperature
Most people’s comfort zone is between 64 and 70 degrees; when the weather doesn’t cooperate, it can be hard to stay asleep. To create a snooze-conducive climate, experiment with open windows, fans, window-unit air conditioners, space heaters or electric blankets.

4.Stimulation
Smoking, eating and drinking at the wrong times can bring on a restless night. Check the time before having caffeine (it’s not your friend after 2:00 P.M.) or alcohol (drinking may help you fall asleep, but could also cause middle-of-the-night wake-fulness). Don’t smoke before you crash (nicotine is a powerful stimulant) or eat a heavy meal an hour or two before bedtime—both will boost your metabolism just when it should be winding down.

5.Strange surroundings
If you’re sleeping away from home or have recently moved, the newness may make you too edgy to rest. Aromatherapy could help. The main components of lavender oil have a slightly sedative effect in patients who experience difficulty sleeping, reports David D. Stretch, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Leicester, Great Britain.

6.Stress
Problems that you put off during the day can haunt you once you’re in bed. One way to cope: Set aside worry time before bedtime, suggests James B. Maas, Ph.D., a sleep researcher at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. “Write each worry down on an index card, along with a plan for how and when you’ll deal with it.” Facing problems instead of suppressing them should stop midnight obsessing.

7.Hormones
Your monthly cycle can leave you wired. A study found that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome reach deep, restorative sleep only 5 percent of the night, compared with the 15 to 20 percent logged by women without PMS. If hormones are playing havoc with your sleep, schedule a 15- to 20-minute afternoon nap on the days you know you’ll be fatigued.

8.Disordered sleep/wake schedule
Shift work and jet lag are known for leaving you fatigued on your feet and wide-eyed in bed. To combat a messed-up body clock, James Walsh, Ph.D., director of Sleep Medicine at St. Lukes Hospital in St. Louis, offers these suggestions: Have some caffeine, but not too much (more than two cups may make you jittery) at the beginning of your shift. To sleep when you’re wired the next day, Dr. Walsh says that prescription sleeping pills like Ambien and Restoril are more reliable than over-the-counter drugs, which may leave you groggy for 10 to 12 hours. (Talk to your doctor about trying these.) To avoid jet lag, Dr. Walsh recommends getting into the sunlight for at least an hour as soon as you reach your destination. The rays will help reset you to the local time zone.

9.Fear of not falling asleep
Doctors call this “learned insomnia” because you learn to dread your inability to snooze, and this fear brings on something akin to a nighttime anxiety attack. To deal: Try relaxation therapy, a combination of biofeedback techniques and meditation, usually taught by a sleep expert. Or retrain your brain and your body to associate bed with sleep. Can’t drop off right away? Get up, read, play solitaire—but don’t return to bed until you’re sleepy.

10.Depression
Messed-up sleep can be a clinical symptom of depression. If your bad nights are accompanied by a general lack of interest in life, an unexplained change in appetite or difficulty concentrating, check with a doctor to see if your problem could signal a serious illness. With these soothing tricks under your bathrobe belt, sleeping should become as easy as zoning out during a televised golf tournament on Saturday afternoon—which means that a good night’s sleep doesn’t have to be a thing of the past.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 at 1:13 am and is filed under Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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