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Sleep Difficulties

  • Dr. Richard D. Flanagan
  • Mental Health
  • Mental Health
  • Podcasts

Sleep Difficulties

Tips to help you get the rest you need. By Dr. Richard D. Flanagan. This audio file plays for 2 minutes and 9 seconds.

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You toss and turn, arranging pillows for the third time in the last hour. You check your clock to calculate how many more hours you can squeeze in before the alarm blasts you awake. The next day, and probably the day after, you are low on energy and your productivity sags. If this sounds like you nightly routine, you are among two-thirds of Americans who experience sleep difficulties. Luckily, you can take simple steps to help get the sleep your body needs. A good place to start is with a sleep diary to help identify sleep patterns or habits that may be preventing you from getting needed rest. Simply record your sleep practices for seven consecutive days and discuss noticeable problems with your doctor.

Sleep experts suggest the following tips for sheep-counters and warm milk drinkers alike :

First, make plans to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday; but don't go to bed unless you feel drowsy. It's best if you use your bed for sleeping only, not for working or television. Try to exercise daily, but not immediately before bedtime.

Also take steps to control your nighttime environment with quiet surroundings and darkness. Make sure the room is not too hot or chilly, and consider using familiar background noise to help you fall asleep. A fan or even a white noise machine works well. You'll sleep better if you limit or completely eliminate alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, especially before bedtime. If you are hungry, have a light snack but avoid heavy meals before you sleep.

And finally make sure to find a way to relax mentally before bed. Don't use bedtime as worry time. If you can't fall asleep within 30 minutes or if you wake up in the middle of the night, have a plan; get out of bed and engage in a soothing activity, such as light reading, or listening to soft music, or try a warm bath to relax tense muscles

And remember, everybody has an occasional night of insomnia now and then. If sleep troubles continue, talk to your doctor to rule out a possible sleep disorder.

I'm Psychologist Dr. Richard Flanagan.

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More about this Topics

  • Teens and Depression

  • Caring for your mental health

  • Preventing Smoking

  • Beyond the Baby Blues

  • Optimism and Recuperation

Other Topics

    • Dealing with Work Stress
    • Helping Children Cope with Disaster
    • Get Back to the Basics to Find Balance in Life
    • Grounding Techniques to Help Control Anxiety
    • How to Help Yourself or Others Who Are Depressed
    • Regaining Connectivity, Certainty, and Control (International Stress Awareness Day 2021)
    • Coronavirus: Minimizing the Impact & Building Psychological Immunity
    • Supporting Your Child at a Time of Conflict and Crisis (Ukraine War)
    • Keep Calm and Carry On: Maintaining Your Composure Amidst the Pandemic Panic
    • Stress Buster: Managing and Taking Control of Your Life
    • Daily Relaxation Tools
    • Pinpointing Your Sleep Problem
    • Exercise and Depression
    • Talking about suicide
    • Winter Blues