How Can I Get More Sleep?
by Dr. David L. Wick, D.C.

Because sleep plays such an important role in gaining and maintaining health, I want to provide a few tips for getting sleep that I've collected over the years. These tips will show you many ways you can help yourself become more relaxed and healthfully drowsy at bedtime. I'll also list a number of ways you can help yourself stay asleep longer. Feel free to try as many of these as possible. Here's how you might enjoy better rest:

Preparing the bedroom for sleep--

• Set the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70?F. One of the body's signals to awaken is increasing its temperature. If the temperature in your bedroom is too hot, you may prevent yourself from either falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Make your room as dark as possible and sleep in darkness. The body's pineal gland produces the melatonin and seratonin needed for sleeping. Even small amounts of light might interrupt your circadian rhythm and the work of the pineal gland. As best as you can, eliminate all light from view when you need to sleep. If necessary, consider purchasing blackout drapes to prevent light from coming in from the outside. Also, not using lights if going to the bathroom at night can help assist the pineal gland's work. Any exposure to light may halt the pineal's production of melatonin and disrupt further sleep.
• Remove your alarm clock from view. If possible, avoid using a lit digital alarm clock. Not only might the light disturb sleep, but seeing digits of time passing may cause anxiety. It's best to get an alarm that does not stay lit at night and keep it out of sight.
• Keep electrical devices away from the bed. Alarms and other electrical devices may either transmit electrical fields that might disrupt sleep or produce disruptive sounds. If you must have a certain electrical device in your bedroom, it should be kept several feet away from your bed and turned off if possible.
• Avoid loud alarm clocks. At one time I was certain I needed a loud alarm clock but then realized that it is very stressful to be awoken suddenly by that loud alarm. When getting enough sleep, only a gentle alarm is necessary. Such an alarm will allow one to wake up without being stressed and will allow for more restful sleep.
• Reserve your bed for sleeping. It is often harder to relax and think of the bed as a place for sleeping when you are used to watching TV, reading, or doing work in bed. As best as possible, use it only for sleeping.

Preparing you for sleep--

• Eat a high-protein snack several hours before bed and combine it with a small piece of fruit. The body uses a protein, L-tryptophan, to produce the melatonin and seratonin used for sleep. Eating a little protein several hours before bedtime may help to supply the needed L-tryptophan. By eating a small piece of fruit, one might improve the passage of L-tryptophan through the blood-brain barrier.
• Avoid foods you may be sensitive to. A number of people have sensitivities to certain foods. If these foods are eaten, they may have effects such as congestion, gas, gastrointestinal upset, sleep apnea or a host of other effects.
• Don't drink fluids within 2 hours of bedtime. If you have troubles of getting up and going to the bathroom, avoiding fluids will either reduce the need for getting up or minimize the frequency.
• Avoid caffeine. Many people may not metabolize caffeine correctly and may feel the effects of it long after consuming it. Such people should discontinue use of caffeinated products before the afternoon. Also bear in mind that some medications such as diet pills may contain caffeine.
• Try drinking relaxing herbal teas. Certain herbal teas help to promote relaxation. One of my personal favorites is made up of chamomile. If you have problems with frequent urination, I recommend avoiding all fluids within 2 hours of bedtime, but if you do not have nighttime urination problems, feel free to drink a relaxing herbal tea between 30 minutes and 1 hour before bedtime.
• Avoid alcohol. Alcohol, while making people drowsy, prevents sleepers from reaching the deeper stages of sleep where the body's healing takes place. Also, users of alcohol may often wake as the effects of the alcohol wear off, thereby disturbing their sleep cycles.
• Avoid bedtime snacks. Anything eaten shortly before bedtime needs to be processed by the body. Snacks high in sugars and grains may cause the body to have a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar levels. This can often result in disturbed sleep.
• Be aware of drug effects on sleep. Many different medications may have effects on sleep. Working with your medical doctor may be necessary to avoid adverse influences of prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs on your sleep cycle.
• Exercise regularly. Daily exercise tends to improve sleep. Many experts recommend 30 minutes everyday to achieve this benefit. Be cautious about working out near bedtime, though, as it may keep you awake. Click here for some good basic information about exercise.
• Take a hot bath, shower or sauna shortly before bedtime. The body tends to fall asleep better when at a lower temperature. By raising the body's temperature in the late evening, it generally will fall somewhat by bedtime and help with falling asleep.
• Avoid TV before bed. Although some people seem to fall asleep just fine to the TV, the sights and sounds of it might interfere with the pineal glands production of seratonin and melatonin. Also, if one tends to watch potentially disturbing programming (such as the news) before bedtime, the thoughts developed by those programs may disrupt a peaceful restful state.
• Listen to relaxing CDs or white noise. By playing nature sounds or other relaxing white noise, you may find yourself soothed and ready for sleep. There are also many wonderful relaxing music CDs that will help you relax and unwind after a busy stressful day. I personally recommend Music To De-Stress and Music To Relax from Advanced Brain Technologies. Of course there are many other wonderful options available.
• Read something spiritual and encouraging. I have often found that reading the Bible can help encourage before bedtime. There are also a wide array of other great books available for improving oneself. Such books, if read in modest amounts, may help promote mood and prepare for rest. Avoid reading anything stimulating, though, like mysteries or suspense novels. While such texts are enjoyable, you might unintentionally read for hours rather than sleeping.
• Pray before bedtime. My grandmother once reminded me of the scripture, "Cast your cares upon Him. . ." She said that anytime she had something on her mind that concerned her, she would pray about it and "sleep like a baby."
• Consider journaling. Expressing your thoughts in writing often helps to organize thinking and vent negative emotions. Writing down a few thoughts before bed can often help to set your mind up for greater tranquility.
• Wear socks to bed. This helps to keep the feet, the area of the body with some of the poorest circulation, cozy and warm. If the feet get cold at night, it might result in early waking times or more disruptive sleep.
• Set as early a bedtime as possible. Many of the body systems perform the majority of their recharging and recovering functions between the hours of 11PM and 1AM. According to traditional Chinese acupuncture teachings, the greatest energetic activity of the gall bladder is during that time. Hence, the gall bladder dumps toxins between those hours. If it is not allowed to properly detoxify, the toxins are believed to back up into the liver and then into the entire system, further disrupting health. It's also important to remember that the adrenal glands, which are important for a wide array of body hormonal functions, receive a majority of their recharching during this time.
• Keep bedtimes consistent. Sleep studies have shown that it's best to go to bed and wake up at the same times each day, even on the weekends. The sleep rhythm created by that habit makes it much easier to fall asleep at night and wake rested in the mornings. Many people practicing this habit find themselves waking without much need for an alarm clock. This allows for much more complete rest and less stressful wakeup times.

If all else fails--

You may need to be checked by a doctor for another underlying cause of sleep disturbances. Various psychological, hormonal or glandular issues may need some professional attention.

This article is not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of any illness. Diagnosis and treatment of all health conditions should only be performed by your doctor of chiropractic or other licensed health care professional. Please use this article for informational purposes only. This information does not replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare provider.