1、80The university student s guide toGetting a good nights sleep: Why bother?Canadians sleep 1 hour less than 25 years ago, and on any given day, millions of Canadians are deprived of sleep. As society increases incomplexity, more demands are placed on individuals and families. As a result, people fee
2、l that there are not enough hours in the day to do whatneeds to be done. The amount of hours in the day can t be increased. Therefore, to meet the demands on their time, people have to cut thingsout of their schedule. Unfortunately, rather than cutting out events or activities, or not undertaking ne
3、w responsibilities, many people choose tocut out sleep.Experts warn that sleep deprivation is a major health problem in today s society. Some sleep researchers point out that getting enough goodsleep is as important to health as exercising and eating a low-fat diet. Research is revealing that lack o
4、f quality sleep affects health in manyways, including a decrease in memory and a decrease in the brain s ability to function at optimal levels. This means that for students, cuttingout sleep could translate into a decrease in academic performance.Are you getting enough sleep?Sleep needs vary from pe
5、rson to person and from situation to situation. In general, most people need from 6 to 8 hours of quality,uninterrupted sleep each night. One good way to identify how much sleep you need is to find a few days where you can sleep as long as youwish, and do exactly that.sleep. Dont set the alarm. Make
6、 sure that you have not deprived yourself of sleep for the week before. Note howlong you sleep and this will closely approximate the amount of sleep that is best for you.Most people can tell when they haven t had enough sleep. For some, though, it is less clear. Below are a few questions that can he
7、lp youdetermine if you are not getting enough sleep. Answer yes or no to the following questions:1. Do you usually need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning?2. Do you often feel drowsy in warm rooms or during boring meetings,classes or presentations?3. Do you often need a nap to get through the
8、day?4. Do you fall asleep almost as soon as your head hits the pillow at night?5. Do you often fall asleep watching television?6. Do you fall asleep after large meals or after drinking alcohol?7. Do you sleep extra on weekends?8. Do you have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning?If you answe
9、red yes to a few of these questions, you are possibly sleep deprived. If you answered yes to most of the questions, you areprobably sleep deprived.Fortunately, there is one sure way to overcome lack of sleep.get more sleep. One way to make more time for sleep is to figure out what iskeeping you out
10、of your cosy bed. Is it because of poor time management skills? Is it because of taking on too many responsibilities? Onceyou have identified the reason, brainstorm what you can do to change it. For example, build your time management skills or learn to prioritize.Remove or decrease the time spent i
11、n activities or responsibilities that are not important. By getting more sleep you will probably be more alertand motivated to enjoy the things that ARE important.Sleep problemsSleep problems may include trouble falling asleep, trouble, staying asleep, or waking up too early and being unable to fall
12、 back asleep.Insomnia not getting enough restful sleep can be transient, meaning that it lasts anywhere from a few nights to 2 or 3 weeks. It can also bechronic, where a person has poor sleep on most nights for months or even years. Transient insomnia is often the result of stress, which canhappen d
13、uring exams, when a person is experiencing job troubles or relationship problems, or from any situation that seems overwhelming.Learning to manage stress and using relaxation exercises can help treat insomnia that is linked to stress.Both transient and chronic insomnia can be a result of: physical p
14、roblems such as sleep apnea, where aperson stops breathing for a short period of time at night; mental health problems such as depression, or; theuse of medications. If you suspect that a physical problem, a mental health problem, or medications areinterfering with your sleep, you should consult a h
15、ealth care professional.Slepein the lending libraryNo More Sleepless NightsPower Sleep50 Ways to Sleep BetterON THE NET81Tips for getting adequate quality sleepThere are several strategies that a person can use to get a better night s sleep. They include: Establish a routine. When you change the tim
16、ing of your sleep, you affect your circadian rhythm: the internal clock that guides sleeppatterns. Research demonstrates that going to bed late upsets your circadian rhythm, but the time you wake up has an even greater impacton your sleep cycle. More that any other strategy, having a regular schedul
17、e will improve the quality of your sleep. As much as possible, goto bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning, even on weekends. Manage your stress. Stress and sleep problems are strongly linked. Evaluate your experience of stress and learn and use effective stress-
18、management strategies. For more information, check out the Stress Management chapter of this booklet. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant. It can help people fall asleep by slowing down body processes. As the alcohol is eliminated from thebody there is a rebound stimulant effect, which can result
19、 in night-time waking, vivid dreams or fitful sleep. Avoid heavy meals at night. These can contribute to difficulty falling asleep. On the other hand, having a light snack (e.g. cereal, cheeseand crackers) can help. Studies reveal that high carbohydrate meals late in the day can induce sleepiness. A
20、void caffeine late in the day. Caffeine can interfere with your ability to fall asleep and get deep sleep, the type that boosts the immunesystem and allows you to feel refreshed. The average half-life of caffeine is 5 hours, which means that in 5 hours, the level of caffeine in theblood is decreased
21、 by half. This means that significant levels of caffeine can remain in your blood far into the night, when it can interfere withyour ability to have quality sleep. Eliminate caffeine later in the day. You can set a cut-off time of 3 p.m., or even better.noon. Don t nap. If you nap during the day you
22、 may not be sufficiently tired to fall asleep at night. Contain all your sleeping time to one period.However, as people age, night-time sleep decreases in quality. Therefore, napping may be beneficial for the elderly. Get regular exercise. Exercise challenges the body and promotes restorative sleep.
23、 Research shows that a regular exercise regime helpspeople fall asleep faster and stay asleep. Exercise stimulates the body, so don t do it late at night or it may negatively affect sleep. Use the bed only for sex, sleep, or when you are sick. Watching television or eating in bed can alter how a per
24、son perceives his or herbed and possibly make it difficult to fall asleep. Take a warm bath. Falling asleep is connected to a drop in body temperature. Your body temperature drops when you get out of the bathand this helps you fall asleep. Don t worry about not getting much sleep. One study found th
25、at those who worry about their difficulty sleeping start a cycle of negativethoughts that contributes to more problems sleeping. Make your bedroom sleep friendly. The best conditions for sleep are a cool (not too hot or cold), quiet environment. The bed should becomfortable, firm and the right size.
26、 Exposure to light during sleep decreases the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that stimulatessleepiness. Even brief exposure to bright light can disturb the quality of sleep. Make sure your room is dark, with curtains that block out light. Turn your alarm clock to the wall. Some people keep checki
27、ng the clock to follow their sleep (or lack of sleep) progress. As the hourspass, this can contribute to anxiety from not sleeping. Make it a habit to avoid looking at the time. Avoid stimulating activities in the evening. These include exercise, watching a scary movie or reading a really good book.
28、 Instead, dosomething relaxing before bedtime. Don t drink too much liquid in the evening. This can contribute to night-time awakenings to go to the bathroom. Plan worry time. If you are a person who worries about things at bedtime, put some worry time aside in the early evening to get things offyou
29、r mind. Have a pen and paper available to write down all your worries and what you will do about them. Don t spend too much timedoing this or you may get yourself worked up. Fifteen minutes should be sufficient. Also, put a pad and pen next to your bed to write downconcerns that stop you from fallin
30、g asleep when you are in bed. As you put things down on paper, tell yourself that you dont need to thinkabout them anymore since they are already noted and it will do no good to continue worrying. Learn to relax. Relaxation techniques, such as progressive relaxation and meditation, can help you fall
31、 asleep. Consult the StressManagement chapter for more information. Try to stay awake. One study found that trying to stay awake as long as possiblecan have the opposite effect and help people fall asleep. Don t try too hard. If you find that you can t sleep after 20 minutes, get up anddo something
32、relaxing like listening to music or reading something light. After 20minutes or so, go back to bed. Some people find that doing the most boringthing they can think of can put them in the mood for sleep. Avoid sleeping pills. Although sleeping pills can be beneficial in somesituations, their regular
33、use is discouraged. Taking medications to fall asleepdoes not get to the heart of the problem. Rebound insomnia can occur when aperson stops taking sleeping pills. Also, some sleeping pills disturb REM sleep,which is the part of the sleep cycle that is important for feeling refreshed, restedand reju
34、venated in the morning.Sleep problems affect almost everyone at some point in their life. If you haveproblems sleeping for a few days, don t worry. Most people can get by on a fewhours sleep for a short period of time. But if you have had disturbed sleep for amonth or more, and it is affecting your
35、daily functioning, then you should consult aphysician.There are many benefits to be gained from working toimprove the quality of you sleep. These include: A stronger immune system; Improved concentration, problem-solving, andcreativity, leading to better performance; Improved relationships, as lack of sleep can causeirritability; Improved external appearance, as the bodyregenerates skin, blood, and muscles during sleep; Lower risk of many illnesses, including depression,diabetes, heart problems, weight gain and obesity,accidents.the many benefits ofsleep
