Healthy Living

If you have trouble falling or staying asleep you are not alone. According to the National Sleep Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 40 million Americans have ongoing sleep problems and another 20 million have trouble sleeping now and then.

Here’s a sobering statistic: the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that one in five fatal auto crashes were the result of fatigued driving.

It’s important to learn how much sleep your body needs. Most healthy adults need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep a night, but you may need more or less. Sleep is as important as food or water. Restful sleep can improve your mood, energy and ability to handle stress.

Here are some tips to get a good night’s sleep:

• Avoid caffeine in coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate after noontime. Caffeine can interfere with sleep for up to eight hours afterward.

• A cool, dark room is ideal. Turn off devices that produce light in the bedroom. In warm weather I use a room fan to cool the room; it also produces “white noise” to block outside noise.

• No napping during the day. You’ll sleep better at night. But if you can’t resist, keep the nap to 20 minutes, and do it before 3 pm.

• Work out wisely. Vigorous exercise within 3 or 4 hours of bedtime will produce a burst of energy, which is exactly what you want to avoid. Am wind-down relaxing activity like yoga or tai chi is best in the hours before you head to bed.

• Worrisome thoughts keeping you awake? Keep paper and pen at the bedside, jot down what’s troubling you, go back to sleep and deal with it in the morning.

• Unplug from technology. The latest research suggests that artificial light coming from laptop screens, TVs, etc. suppresses the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. Turn off those screens an hour before bedtime.

If none of these things work, and sleeplessness persists for more than a few weeks, it’s time to discuss it with your primary care provider.