Posted in: Health

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

The National Sleep Foundation, which publishes a journal called Sleep Health, has a set of guidelines that define a good night’s sleep. It recommends adults get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Basic indicators include falling asleep quickly and sleeping through the night, but the National Sleep Foundation report goes beyond those criteria. Read on for tips to help you get a restful night’s sleep. These tips will also help you avoid stimulating habits, like late-night TV and bright screens.

Avoid stimulants

Research has shown that using stimulant medications for insomnia can worsen sleep quality and lead to a longer latency to sleep. Additionally, children who take stimulant medications often experience longer latency to sleep and shorter sleep duration. Children who have sleep disorders are especially susceptible to the effects of stimulants, and their insomnia may worsen when the child is first started on therapy. They may also become more debilitated when the stimulant dose is increased or the child is young or naive to the effects of these drugs.

Avoid bright screens

You can’t avoid technology, but avoiding bright screens can help you get a better night’s rest. The bright light from a computer screen can affect your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, altering your biological clock. Overexposure to bright light reduces your melatonin production. Many older people experience sleep problems because of the decline in melatonin production.

Avoid late-night television

The light and noise of electronic devices such as TVs and computers interfere with deep sleep and can even lead to mood disorders. Blue light produced by electronics hinders the production of melatonin, a hormone essential for the circadian rhythm of the body. As a result, it is best to avoid late-night television for a good night’s rest. The benefits of sleep are obvious, but the downside is that it can be difficult to limit television use once habits have developed.

Create a quiet room

Noise can keep you from getting a restful night’s sleep. Research suggests that people in noisy environments are more likely to wake up during lighter stages of sleep, and a quiet room is more conducive to deep sleep. One way to minimize noise in the bedroom is to place electronics like TVs and radios outside the room and silence them at night. In addition to these methods, white noise machines can be used to create a serene atmosphere in the bedroom.

Avoid benzodiazepine hypnotics

Many insomniacs choose to avoid benzodiazepine hypnotherapy because of its potentially harmful side effects. These drugs increase the risk of interactions with alcohol and CNS depressants. Seniors are also more likely to experience side effects from benzodiazepine hypnotics because they can stay in the body for extended periods. These hypnotics can also double a senior’s risk of fractures, which are a leading cause of death and hospitalization for seniors. They may also increase their risk of getting into a car accident. While these risks are not universal to all benzodiazepine hypnotics, a cautious clinician should still be aware of the possible adverse effects.

Avoid melatonin

The use of melatonin supplements should be avoided for a few reasons. This sleep supplement can raise blood sugar levels and is also a common ingredient in hypertension medications. Melatonin supplements are not a good idea for pregnant or breastfeeding women, individuals with diabetes, or those suffering from autoimmune disorders. You should also check with your physician before taking any supplements. Similarly, people with dementia and epilepsy should avoid taking melatonin.

Avoid caffeine

Despite its common association with sleep, coffee and caffeine are not mutually exclusive. The caffeine in coffee, soda, and tea may wake you up for the day but can keep you awake long after the actual nap time. Caffeine’s energizing effects may also throw off your body’s natural sleep pattern and keep you awake all night. It also takes about four to six hours to break down half of caffeine’s effects.

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