In this day and age it is becoming increasingly likely that you wont get enough sleep at night. Many people have a hectic lifestyle, juggling a high stress job with family life, and don’t even think about trying to incorporate a social life in there. Every thing is going on so fast these days that no one is ready to rest since they fear if they sleep someone other may go ahead of him. Many have become so intellectual that they are ready to change the rules of nature. They say that sleeping is nothing but waste of time. But those who try to change the rules of almighty have their own troubles.

The rule of the thumb is that the average adult needs approximately 8 hours of sleep per night. This can vary depending on the person though, some may only need 6 hours and other may need 10. Some people will think they need a lot less sleep than this of course. Margaret Thatcher famously needing only 4 hours' sleep a night during her 11 years as the UK Prime minister. However you may think you only need a few hours of sleep but this will probably have health consequences on your body.

It is reported that over 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, with 60% of Americans having problems sleeping a few nights a week. Psychologists and other scientists who study the causes of sleep disorders have shown that such problems can directly or indirectly be tied to abnormalities in the following systems: · Brain and nervous system · Cardiovascular system · Metabolic functions · Immune system.

 Furthermore, unhealthy conditions, disorders and diseases can also cause sleep problems, including: · Pathological sleepiness, insomnia and accidents · Hypertension and elevated cardiovascular risks (MI, stroke) · Emotional disorders (depression, bipolar disorder) · Obesity; metabolic syndrome and diabetes · Alcohol and drug abuse.

 Groups that are at particular risk for sleep deprivation include night shift workers, physicians (average sleep = 6.5 hours a day; residents = 5 hours a day), truck drivers, parents and teenagers. Stress is the number one cause of short-term sleeping difficulties, according to sleep experts. Common triggers include school or job-related pressures, a family or marriage problem and a serious illness or death in the family. Usually the sleep problem disappears when the stressful situation passes. However, if short-term sleep problems such as insomnia are not managed properly from the beginning, they can persist long after the original stress has passed.

Each year the cost of sleep disorders, sleep deprivation and sleepiness, according to the NCSDR, is estimated to be $15.9 million in direct costs and $50 to $100 billion a year in indirect and related costs. And according to the NHSA, falling asleep while driving is responsible for at least 100,000 crashes, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths each year in the United States. Young people in their teens and twenties, who are particularly susceptible to the effects of chronic sleep loss, are involved in more than half of the fall-asleep crashes on the nation's highways each year. Sleep loss also interferes with the learning of young people in our nation's schools, with 60 percent of grade school and high school children reporting that they are tired during the daytime and 15 percent of them admitting to falling asleep in class. The following are some tips on how to try and get the best nights sleep possible.

1) Go to bed and get up about the same time each night and morning. If at times it becomes late to sleep at night try to recover it by sleeping for some more time in morning. Avoid going early in the bed. Go to bed only after you feel sleepy.

2) Do the exercise regularly in the evening some three to four hours before bed. See that you get at least 30 minutes of sunlight exposure daily. Do yoga, meditation and gym early in the morning. This is will help to give energy to work for the whole day. The strained muscles will undoubtedly ask for rest at night.

3) Have a long, warm bath or shower before bedtime. Follow bedtime rituals. Listening to soft music read a book to calm the body. Avoid reading violent news or watching suspense or horror movies that will have brain thinking about.

4) Have warm milk before bedtime. Have dinner about two hours before sleeping. Have water bottle besides you so that you don’t have to walk up to the water pot.

5) The bedroom area should be silent and as far as television is considered should not be in bedroom. The room should have a comfortable atmosphere. Put curtains where the light is piercing in the room. Change the bed sheets regularly. The room should have proper ventilation. Avoid having illuminated clock in bedroom that makes you anxious and keeps you thinking about time.

6) Avoid sleeping in afternoon. Avoid caffeine and nicotine in all forms after lunchtime. Caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate, colas; other soft drinks should be avoided.

7) If you don’t get sleep withinn 10-15 minutes and feel that you can’t get sleep leave the bedroom. Get on with some book or watch television until you feel drowsy.

8) Some people have pills for sleeping try to reduce it and continue till you get rid of it. If not controlled it just becomes a habit. Proper care should therefore be taken and physician should be consulted.

9) Recollect all the activities performed during the day. Note down the worries you are facing and possible ways to achieve the solution. This will remove the burden of your shoulders and so you need not think of it as you go to the bed.

10) Main reason for sleep problems is stress. The relief from tensions and anxieties often eliminates sleep problems.

11) Have light meal before bed. Eating heavily can cause adverse effects.

12) Most people you have to travel across the globe through various time zones in such cases they should practice the timetable of that country in advance so that body gets acquainted to the conditions to be faced in another country.

Some Useful Resources:

National Sleep Foundation
http://www.sleepfoundation.org

American Academy of Sleep Medicine
http://www.aasmnet.org

American Insomnia Association
http://www.americaninsomniaassociation.org

Sleep Research Society
http://www.sleepresearchsociety.org

NIH National Center for Sleep Disorders Research
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Article Written by:

James Smythe
Dolphin Design
Blackpool

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