Turn the clock face so you can't see it.Įstablish a relaxing routine before bedtime. Consider meditation, a warm shower, listening to quiet music, or some simple stretches to loosen muscles. If you need a snack in the evening, eat a small serving of something you know won't disturb your digestion, such as applesauce, yogurt, cereal and milk, or toast and jam.ĭon't watch the clock. Watching the sleepless minutes pass makes it harder to fall back to sleep in the wee hours.
To block out noises, use a fan or other appliance that produces a steady "white noise." Make sure your mattress is comfortable.Įat sensibly. Finish dinner several hours before bedtime. Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary. Reserve it for sleep, intimacy, and restful activities such as meditation and reading for pleasure. Once you determine how much time in bed you need, go to bed each night and get up each morning at the same time. Set a sleep schedule. A regular sleep schedule helps synchronize your sleep/wake cycle. But avoid exercise within a few hours of bedtime. (And no falling asleep in front of the television!)Įxercise. Getting regular aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, or swimming can help you fall asleep faster, get more deep sleep, and awaken less often during the night. Don't nap at all in the evening before you go to bed. Nicotine makes it harder to fall asleep and harder to stay asleep.ĭon't nap if you can avoid it. If you can't stay awake in the afternoon, take a 15- to 20-minute nap - that's usually long enough to improve alertness but not so long that you feel groggy afterward. Alcohol interferes with deep sleep and can interfere with breathing. Limit alcohol to no more than one drink a day, preferably taken at least two hours before bedtime. Caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical thought to promote sleep. or altogether, if you're especially caffeine-sensitive. Stay away from stimulants. Avoid caffeinated beverages (coffee, many teas, chocolate, and some soft drinks) after 1 or 2 p.m. (See "Sleep hygiene tips.") Sleep hygiene tips It's especially important to develop habits that promote healthful sleep, a collection of practices called sleep hygiene. Cognitive and behavioral techniques have proven effective, and you should usually try them before considering medications. Whatever the original cause, difficulty staying asleep often gives rise to worry over not getting enough sleep, and a vicious cycle develops in which this worry itself becomes the main source of insomnia.įortunately, there are many things you can do to remedy sleep-maintenance insomnia. and they're not really meant to sleep more than six or seven hours, but they're in bed early trying, and they awaken early." Karen Carlson, who conducts classes on improving women's sleep quality at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, "What sometimes happens is that women are going to bed early trying to sleep and then they wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. (Depression is strongly associated with chronic early morning awakening and inability to get back to sleep.) And though their role in awakenings and sleep arousals is still controversial, hot flashes may compound a woman's difficulty in staying or falling back asleep.Īnother problem is that as we grow older, the normal sleep cycle becomes shorter, and we spend less time in deep sleep. Health problems - pain, depression, or a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea - may be part of the picture as well. Midlife is often a time of psychological stress: children may be leaving home, a partner may be lost through death or divorce, and roles may be changing at home and work. Who does sleep-maintenance insomnia affect?įor many reasons, women transitioning through midlife may be more vulnerable to sleep disturbances.
Like difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night, called sleep-onset insomnia, sleep-maintenance insomnia is more common in women than in men. It often takes the form of sleep-maintenance insomnia - that is, difficulty staying asleep, and in particular, waking too early and struggling to get back to sleep. Insomnia - inability to get the sleep you need to wake up refreshed - is the most common sleep complaint in the United States. Maybe you doze off for an hour or so, but when the alarm clock gets you up for the day, you're far from rested.
You toss and turn and worry about not getting enough sleep. You tell yourself you've got to get back to sleep, but thoughts about yesterday's troubles, the coming day's challenges, and all those "must-do's" race through your mind. You wake up and look at the clock: it's 3 a.m. Sleep-maintenance insomnia common complaint among women at midlife
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