Best way to help sleep

1. Never oversleep
Never oversleep because of a poor night's sleep. This is the most crucial rule. Get up at about the same time every day, especially on the morning after you've lost sleep. Sleeping late for just a couple of days can reset your body clock to a different cycle -- you'll be getting sleepy later and waking up later.
2. Set your body clock
Light helps restart your body clock to its active daytime phase. So when you get up, go outside and get some sunlight. Or if that's difficult, turn on all the lights in your room.Then walk around for a few minutes. The calves of your legs act as pumps and get blood circulating, carrying more oxygen to your brain to help get you going.
3. Exercise
Keep physically active during the day. This is especially important the day after a bad night's sleep. When you sleep less, you should be more active during the day. Being less active is one of the worst things an insomniac can do.Strenuous exercise (brisk walking, swimming, jogging, squash, etc.) in late afternoon seems to promote more restful sleep. Also, insomniacs tend to be too inactive a couple of hours before bed. Do some gentle exercise. A stretching routine has helped many people.
4. Don't nap
Do not take any naps the day after you've lost sleep. When you feel sleepy, get up and do something. Walk, make the bed, or do your errands. While studying, get up regularly (every 30 minutes, or more often if necessary) to walk around your room. Do a gentle stretch. That will increase the flow of oxygen to your brain and help you to be more alert.
5. Set a bedtime schedule using these two steps:
First, try to go to bed at about the same time every night. Be regular. Most people get hungry at 7 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. because they've eaten at those times for years. Going to bed at about the same time every night can make sleep as regular as hunger.
Second, go to bed later when you are having trouble sleeping. If you're only getting five hours of sleep a night during your insomnia period, don't go to bed until just five hours before your wake-up time. For instance, if you've been waking up at 7 a.m., don't go to bed until 2 a.m. No naps! Make the time you spend in bed sleep time. Still some insomnia? Go to bed proportionately later. Then, as your time in bed becomes good sleep time, move your going-to-bed time back 15 to 30 minutes a night and do that for a week or so.This is the opposite of what we want to do: we want to go to bed earlier to make up the lost sleep. Learn to do what many sleep laboratories teach -- go to bed later the night after losing sleep.
Develop a bedtime routine
Stop studying and don't get into any stimulating discussions or activities a half hour or hour before bed. Do something that's relaxing -- read "light" material, play your guitar, listen to music that is quiet, catch a mindless TV show. Some people sleep better in a clean and neat environment, so they like to straighten and clean their room just before going to bed. Find your own sleep-promoting routine.

Warm bath, yes; shower, no
Take a long, hot bath before going to bed. This helps relax and soothe your muscles. Showers, on the other hand, tend to wake you up. Insomniacs should avoid showers in the evening.

List "gotta do's"
Keep a pad and pencil handy. If you think of something you want to remember, jot it down. Then let the thought go. There will be no need to lie awake worrying about remembering it.

Stretch and relaxation
Some people find that a gentle stretching routine for several minutes just before getting into bed helps induce sleep. Others practice relaxation techniques. Libraries or bookstores have books on developing stretching or relaxation routines. The University Counseling Services has some material on both: try
Stressed Out Over Studying?"The Doctor told me that stress caused my..."

To eat or not to eat
Some sleep centers recommend a light breakfast and lunch to help you stay alert during the day. They advise you to make the evening meal the major meal of the day. Schedule it at least four hours before bedtime so your digestive system will be reasonably quiet by the time you're ready to sleep.

Warm milk?
It helps some people to have a glass at bedtime. Milk has an essential amino acid, tryptophan, which stimulates the brain chemical serotonin, believed to play a key role in inducing sleep. A piece of whole wheat bread, or another carbohydrate, enhances the effect. Or try taking tryptophan, beginning with about two grams about an hour before bedtime. A piece of wheat bread will help the tryptophan to be absorbed.

Avoid caffeine and tyrosine-rich foods from late afternoon on
Caffeine, a chemical in coffee, colas, tea, chocolate, etc., causes hyperactivity and wakefulness. Some sleep laboratories encourage people to avoid such tyrosine-laden foods as fermented cheeses (cheddar is about the worst; cottage cheese and yogurt are OK), ripe avocados, some imported beers, and fermented meats (bologna, pepperoni, salami). Also avoid red wines, especially chianti.

Cut down on alcohol
Alcohol might help you get to sleep, but it results in shallow and disturbed sleep, abnormal dream periods, and frequent early morning awakening.

Sleeping pills
Reasons to avoid sleeping pills include disturbed sleep patterns, short-term amnesia, and impaired motor skills. Research shows that benzodiazepine hypnotics, the most commonly prescribed sleeping pills, impair short-term memory, reaction time, thinking, and visual-motor coordination (such as driving).

Room temperature
Sleep in a cool room (60 degrees or so). Pile on another blanket or add one under the mattress pad rather than turn up the heat. A physician I know used this principle while in medical school; he kept an air conditioner on in his room all year. He said it helped him sleep better so that he needed less sleep. You don't need to go to such extremes, but do keep it cool.

Humidity
Even a little thing like a dry throat may make sleeping more difficult. Most heating systems dry the air in your bedroom, so borrow a humidifier to see if it will help. Keeping heat down and having a window open can also keep humidity up.

Noise
Some people seem to sleep better if there is a white noise -- a fan running, for example -- in the background. For others, noise can interrupt sleep.
In addition to the fan strategy, try particular kinds of music to blot out the noise. Play a recording of music that has no words, no definite melody, and not a lot of change in the volume. Baroque music is a good choice. There are many tapes of sounds that aid sleep by quieting the mind, emotions, and body. Check at the counseling center, at a mental health center, or holistic health center.
If desperate, you might try ear plugs that workers use on noisy jobs. If you use cotton, be sure to use balls large enough that they won't work down into your ear canal and have to be removed by a physician.
Worrying about insomnia
Focusing on insomnia might make it worse. After all, you won't die from it! It is frequently a symptom of something else excessive worry or anxiety about grades, money, relationships, etc. If you think a particular worry might be keeping you awake, get up, find paper and a pencil, and jot down something you can do about that worry tomorrow. Put the note where you'll see it when you wake up. You can set aside your worry and use the remainder of the night for restful sleep. If necessary, use the strategies already described to get back into a regular sleep pattern.

In bed and unable to sleep?If you are in bed and unable to sleep, many experts suggest getting completely out of bed, sitting in a chair, and reading, writing letters, or doing some quiet activity. As you get sleepy, go back to bed and use a relaxation technique to fall asleep. Make your bed a place to sleep, not a place to get other things done.Don't get mad at yourself! Try not to worry about not sleeping. Your body's wisdom will take over and you'll begin sleeping regularly as long as you use the five basic strategies described earlier.

Exercising?The role of exercise cannot be stressed enough! Adding regular exercise -- brisk walking, riding an exercycle (perhaps while watching TV), swimming -- has helped many people sleep better. The more active your body is during the day, the more likely it is that you'll be able to go to sleep when it's time for your body to be quiet. Quiet time for sleep needs to be a contrast to a more active day.

Waking up at night?What should you do when you're awake after just two, three, or four hours of sleep? Do not drink, eat, or smoke when you wake up. If you do, you'll find yourself waking up for them after just three or four nights of such treats.
Do get out of bed, read, write letters, or do some quiet activity. Reactions to the stresses of everyday life can result in a level of sleep that is easily interrupted. A good stress-management program can help. Contact your counseling service for such a program.

Awake 4 or 5 a.m? Now what?Get up and begin the day. If you're rested, you've probably had enough sleep and have a head start on most people. If you're still tired, get up anyway and go through the day, avoiding naps. Start the routines suggested in the basic strategies.Build an exercise program and stress-management training into your life. By learning to be less stressed during the day, you also learn to sleep better at night.

Not managing stress very well?Difficulty in effectively managing normal, everyday stress in life is a common problem. A frequent reaction to daily stresses is insomnia, either sleep-onset insomnia or sleep-interrupting insomnia. A good stress-management program helps you learn how to manage those frequent stressors and go more easily through each day. Check out our Biofeedback Training Center for some information. You can also find out about stress-management programs from your local guidance and mental health centers, extension agencies, and family physicians. More and more hospitals are offering such programs to help people develop healthier lifestyles.
How Much Sleep Do you need?
Sleep needs vary from person to person. Some need only four hours per night, but others seem to need 10.
Some people complain because they sleep "only" five or six hours each night. Yet many of these people awake rested in the morning and function well during the day. Five or six hours of sleep is all they need most of the time. They don't have insomnia.
Other people feel tired after eight hours of sleep. They need more than the "normal" seven to eight hour average. Just one more hour of sleep often gives these people the rest they need.
Experiment to find the amount of sleep you need.
Remember, too, that the amount of sleep you need will vary. Your need for sleep may decrease and your ability to go to sleep may improve when you are exercising regularly and doing things you enjoy and do easily. You may need more sleep and experience more sleeplessness if you are under more stress or as you become less active (e.g., move from an active to a sedentary job, return to the more sedentary role of student after an active summer).

Music helps older people sleep
Posted by David Pescovitz, April 7, 2005 9:20 AM permalink
A new scientific study suggests that older people who have sleep difficulties snooze much better after listening to 45 minutes of quiet music before bed. Researchers studied the sleep patterns of sixty individuals aged 60-83 in Taiwan who had problems sleeping. Compared to the control group, "the 30 who had listened to carefully selected music experienced physical changes that aided restful sleep. These included lower heart and respiratory rates." From the press release:
The music group was able to choose from six tapes that featured soft, slow music. These included one tape of Chinese folk music and five that had been found effective for reducing postoperative pain in research conducted by (Case Western Resever University nursing professor Marion) Good.Good, one of the country's leading researchers of drug-free methods to reduce postoperative pain, has found in previous studies that the combination of relaxation and music relieved postoperative abdominal pain significantly more than painkillers.
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/04/07/music-helps-older-pe.html

Does rain help people sleep?
Not directly, some people think the sound of rain falling is relaxing, and it soothes them to sleep. There is also some evidence that the ionization caused by the falling water helps relax the body. The cold weather when its raining is what drives people to sleep..primarily because its so good to sleep when its cold.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_rain_help_people_sleep
Music helps people sleep - study
As adult get older, sleep can become a problem. Many may find that they are sleeping less, while some will have trouble falling asleep. However a new study has found that listening to soft music at bedtime may help older people to sleep better and for longer.
A team of researchers followed the progress of 60 people with sleep difficulties. All were aged 60 - 83. The participants were split into two groups; a music group and a control group.
The sleep quality of the music group was measured before they started listening to music and then over a three-week period, when soft, slow music was played to them at bedtime. The sleep quality of the control group was also measured.
The participants in the music group were allowed to pick from one of six music tapes. Anyone taking sleep medication or taking part in relaxation techniques, such as meditation, was excluded from the study.
The researchers found that the difference between the two groups was 'clinically significant'. In fact, the music group reported a 26% overall improvement in their sleep during the first week of the study and this figure rose during the following two weeks.
By the end of the study period, those listening to 45 minutes of soft music at bedtime were reporting a 35% improvement in their sleep, compared to the control group.
Overall those in the music group slept for longer and had better sleep, compared to those in the control group. The study found that those who had listened to music had actually experienced physical changes that are known to aid restful sleep, including a lower heart rate and a lower respiratory rate.
"Music is pleasant and safe and the technique we used in our study is quick, easy to learn and is low cost. It is easy to use and does not cause side effects", the researchers said.
Details of this study are published in The Journal of Advanced Nursing.
http://www.irishhealth.com/index.html?level=4&id=7283

Internet, Aerobic Exercise May Help People with Insomnia
Two studies being presented as poster presentations this morning at SLEEP 2008 offer hope to those who suffer from insomnia.A study (ID# 0716) of 44 participants shows that a self-help program delivered via the Internet can significantly improve insomnia in adults. Individuals in the study group had an average age of 45 years, and 77 percent were women.Participants reported having an average of five nights per week of sleep difficulties for about 10 years. The study involved a six-week, structured, interactive, self-guided, and tailored intervention that took traditional face-to-face cognitive behavioral therapy and transformed it for delivery via the Internet.Results show that sleep improved significantly over the six-week period. Sleep efficiency (i.e., the percentage of time in bed spent sleeping) improved from 66 percent to 88 percent. The average nightly total sleep time of the participants increased by 80 minutes.Another study (ID# 0737) of 36 adults with chronic primary insomnia suggests that moderate aerobic exercise can help people with insomnia get some sleep.The study involved 28 women and 8 men with an average age of 44 years. Results show that a 50-minute session of moderate aerobic exercise on a treadmill improved numerous measures of sleep quality. It decreased sleep onset latency (i.e., the amount of time it takes to fall asleep) by 54 percent and decreased wake time in bed by 36 percent after the exercise session.The session of moderate aerobic exercise, which began at 6 p.m., also increased total sleep time by 21 percent and increased sleep efficiency by 18 percent.Similar results were not achieved with either heavy aerobic exercise or moderate strength exercise. Heavy aerobic exercise involved three periods of 10 minutes of exercise on a treadmill alternating with 10 minutes of rest. Strength exercise lasted about 50 minutes and involved: shoulder press, chest press, vertical traction, leg press, leg curl, leg extension, abdominal crunch and lower back.
http://sleepmeeting.blogspot.com/2008/06/internet-aerobic-exercise-may-help.html

Insomnia: Changing your bedtime habits could help relieve insomnia
Many people sleep better when they are on holiday and wish that they could sleep as well all the time. But according to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), it is not only being free of daily worries that can make a difference to sleep. Good bedtime habits can help people to sleep well all year round. Medication provides short-term relief at best.
In information published www.informedhealthonline.orgay on the Institute reports about what bedtime habits could help, how well relaxation techniques work, how sleep changes throughout life and that adults do not generally need eight hours sleep a night. Sleep medication is used less nowadays About 1 out of every 5 adults in industrial countries have problems sleeping at some point in their lives. In order to provide reliable information on this issue, the Institute analysed scientific studies that cover a wide range of research on sleep and insomnia. Sleeping pills - whether herbal or prescription - are being used less than they used to be in countries like Germany. Although products based on herbs like valerian have long been used, the evidence from trials testing their efficacy is far from convincing. "Prescription sleeping pills can be important in certain situations, but they can cause a lot of adverse effects and are not a long-term solution. For older people, sleep medication can increase the risk of falling, as well as interfering with other medicines," warns the Institute's Director, Professor Peter Sawicki. "Sleeping pills are not the best way to solve underlying problems like depression or painful conditions that are interfering with a good night's sleep." The habits that can help people get a better night's sleep Trials have shown that many people could get to sleep a little sooner if they learned relaxation techniques to help them "switch off" when it is time to go to sleep.
Research suggests that a combination of certain habits can help people sleep better. This includes only going to bed when you are tired and ready to go to sleep. Reading and watching TV in bed could actually make it harder to sleep. If people cannot sleep, it is better for them to get out of bed and do something else rather than focusing on trying to sleep. Getting up at the same time every morning can help too. Napping during the day might make it harder for you to sleep at night if you are struggling with chronic insomnia. It is also important to avoid drinking caffeinated drinks and alcohol in the evening. "Most people know that coffee, cola or black tea can interfere with their sleep," says Professor Sawicki . "But many do not realise that alcohol is one of the major causes of a bad night's sleep." Eight hours a night may not be necessary for everyone The Institute also looked at research on what is a normal night's sleep. Studies have shown that as we get older, we actually need less sleep on average. While children and teenagers generally need eight or more hours sleep a night, by the time people are 40, they usually only need seven hours a night. Source: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care
http://www.physorg.com/news138535740.html