Even if you don’t get enough shut-eye, most fixes are easy

From iol.co.za

The serious consequences of sleep deprivation perennially capture society’s attention. And, as kids head back to school, sleep and a lack of it are of particular concern.
Compared to historical norms, how have our contemporary expectations of sleep changed? What are the effects of inadequate sleep? What can be done to optimize the experience of sleep, especially in the context of insomnia?
I am a clinician and sleep researcher who treats people with sleep problems. I think there is little reason to suspect that our collective sleep needs have dramatically changed in the recent past, rooted as they are in immutable physiological processes. We should, however, be paying attention to our sleep needs, and that isn’t as hard as it sounds.

What is sleep anyway?

From a clinical perspective, sleep is defined as a reversible behavioural state of unresponsiveness and perceptual disengagement from the environment. It is dependent on the balance between sleep drive – the desire for sleep that builds during wakefulness and is linked to the accumulation and clearance of chemicals within the brain like adenosine – and the circadian alerting signal. The circadian rhythm coordinates processes of the body to the environmental patterns of light and darkness. Adequate sleep is and always has been restorative to the body. Giving sleep respect, and preserving it to the benefit of health, has not been so permanent.
Researchers have learned more about sleep in the past 100 years than in all the preceding millennia combined.

Sleep needs change over the lifespan

Sleep needs change over one’s lifetime. Toddlers may require 11 to 14 hours of sleep to feel rested and typically take naps.
Through adolescence, the need for sleep diminishes until it approaches the adult average. A typical adult requires from seven to nine hours of sleep nightly to avoid the effects of sleep deprivation. Adults older than 65 years may require just seven to eight hours of sleep.
Surveys suggest that 35 to 40 percent of the adult population sleeps less than seven to eight hours on weekdays. This self-reported sleep data may overestimate the objectively measured sleep obtained by up to one hour, due to time spent falling or getting back to sleep. We are in trouble.
If someone eats too many calories, or too few, the effects on the body become apparent. Unfortunately, there is no “sleep scale” to step onto to gauge the physical tolls of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation, either from not allotting enough time to get sufficient sleep or due to sleep disorders like insomnia, may have important consequences.

Bad for the brain?

Beyond sleepiness, sleep deprivation wreaks havoc on the brain, affecting mood and worsening depression, exacerbating pain and undermining executive functions that affect judgment, planning, organization, concentration, memory and performance. Hormones influencing weight and growth become imbalanced. Immune dysfunction, leading to an increased susceptibility to illness, and a pro-inflammatory state develop.
Sleep deprivation can become deadly, too. The increased risk of fatal traffic accidents associated with lost sleep parallels that linked to alcohol consumption. Those who sleep fewer than five hours per night have two to three times the risk of a heart attack. Chronic sleep loss may slowly undermine the central pillars of health.

Ditch the digital devices, keep a routine

How can we avoid the perils of inadequate sleep?
First, prioritize sleep and ensure that you are obtaining sufficient hours to feel rested. Ensure an easy transition to sleep by maintaining an hour to unwind with relaxing activities before going to bed.
Reserve the bedroom as a space for sleep: leave electronic devices elsewhere.
Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, especially fixing the wake time, including on weekends.
Get 15 to 30 minutes of sunlight upon awakening, or at sunrise.
Always go to bed feeling sleepy, even if that means delaying bedtime a little.
As needed, consider reducing the time in bed if more than 30 minutes is consistently spent awake.
Be physically active.
Moderate the use of alcohol and caffeine.
When sleep problems persist, get help.
If these do not work, consider evaluation by a board-certified sleep physician. Chronic insomnia may respond well to cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. This treatment is increasingly accessible via trained therapists, workshops, online courses and books.
Symptoms such as frequent or early awakenings, excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing, frequent peeing at night, night sweats, teeth grinding, and morning headaches may suggest the presence of sleep apnea. A comprehensive evaluation and appropriate testing may lead to an effective treatment.
Sleep should come naturally. It should never become an additional source of stress.

https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/parenting/even-if-you-dont-get-enough-shut-eye-most-fixes-are-easy-16259063

Not Being Able To Fall Asleep Could Mean Your Body’s Trying To Send You A Message, According To Science

From bustle.com

As a chronic insomnia sufferer, I know what triggers periods of having a hard time getting to sleep. You probably know the common ones, too: some are in our control, like too much caffeine, and some are often out of our control, like a thrown-off sleep schedule and hormone changes. Sometimes, though, surprising things can cause insomnia, so if you can't figure out what's causing your sleeplessness, it's time to pay attention to what your body's trying to tell you when you can't fall asleep.

First, a quick recap of insomnia facts, because insomnia actually is not always caused by a related problem. Per WebMD, there's two kinds of insomnia: secondary insomnia, which is caused by all the triggers mentioned above, plus others like medications and health problems; and primary insomnia, which is "not directly associated with any other health condition or problem." To judge whether you're experiencing primary or secondary insomnia, you should speak to a healthcare professional who can help you check your health and look at your habits to see which type you may have.

For our purposes, though, we're focusing on secondary insomnia — insomnia that may be caused by something going on in your body. Per the Mayo Clinic, if you're having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, if you're waking up too early, if you're waking up feeling like you haven't actually slept, and if you're groggy during the day, you've likely got insomnia, and it can wreak havoc on your daily routine. The Mayo Clinic says you absolutely need to see a doctor if you notice your insomnia interfering with your everyday life.

                                                             Source: Ashley Batz/Bustle

Also according to the Mayo Clinic, there are some things that increase your chances of having insomnia that don't necessarily mean your body is out of whack. Menopause and pregnancy are commonly associated with insomnia, and if you're over 60 or don't have a regular schedule (say, if you're a shift worker), you can expect to deal with insomnia.

But if you don't tick any of those boxes and you've suddenly started experiencing insomnia, there's a high chance your body is telling you you need to relax. The fact that it's telling you this by keeping you from snoozing may seem strange, since sleep is supposed to be the ultimate relaxation, but, well, that's how it works. If you're stressing out about something going on in your day to day life, you may struggle to sleep, and getting yourself back in order is going to involve some purposeful relaxation, and maybe even looking at removing the source of stress in your life.

While stress can seem like more of a psychological cause of insomnia, there are many medical conditions that can cause insomnia. The National Sleep Foundation lists many potential roots of sleeplessness, including sinus allergies, acid reflux, arthritis, neurological conditions, and chronic pain. All of these should be checked out and treated by a healthcare professional, which can help treat your insomnia. But whether you have a medical condition or you're overstressed, you can do some things to help manage your sleep schedule on your own.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends a few simple ways to cut down on insomnia's chances of striking: Keep your sleep schedule regular, make sure you're getting some exercise, check that your medications don't cause sleeplessness, limit the amount and length of naps you take, limit your caffeine and alcohol use, make sure you're looking out for yourself if you're experiencing chronic pain, and don't eat or drink big meals before bed.

Above all, make sure you're listening to your body. If you've got secondary insomnia, it's for a reason, and helping yourself get back to a regular sleeping routine will involve working to make sure you and your body are as healthy and happy as possible.

https://www.bustle.com/p/not-being-able-to-fall-asleep-could-mean-your-bodys-trying-to-send-you-a-message-according-to-science-9870662

Want to sleep better? Put rude co-workers out of your mind, researchers say

From safetyandhealthmagazine.com

Washington — If experiencing rude or negative behaviour at work keeps you from getting a good night’s sleep, making efforts to “let it go” after you’ve clocked out may help ward off insomnia, according to a recent study from the American Psychological Association.
Researchers asked 699 U.S. Forest Service employees to rate:

• The level of uncivil behaviour they face in the workplace.
• The frequency of negative thoughts they have about their jobs.
• Their insomnia symptoms.
• How much time they spend relaxing after work.

Participants also answered questions about other factors linked to insomnia, including number of hours worked per week, number of children younger than 18 living at home and frequency of alcohol consumption.
Results showed that enduring rude behaviour from colleagues was linked to waking up multiple times a night and other symptoms of insomnia. However, respondents who were able to detach themselves mentally and participate in relaxing activities such as listening to music or going for a walk, did not experience as many insomnia symptoms.

                                                           Photo: fizkes/iStockphoto

“Incivility in the workplace takes a toll on sleep quality,” Caitlin Demsky, lead author and assistant professor of management at Oakland University in Michigan, said in an April 23 press release. “It does so in part by making people repeatedly think about their negative work experiences. Those who can take mental breaks from this fare better and do not lose as much sleep as those who are less capable of letting go.”
The release also states that “repeated negative thoughts about work” may be connected to other health issues, such as cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure and fatigue.
The researchers recommend that employers implement programs to help reduce rude behaviour at work.
The study was published online April 23 in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/17304-want-to-sleep-better-put-rude-co-workers-out-of-your-mind-researchers-say

Insomnia and night terror

From ejinsight.com

More people are now bothered by insomnia. All over the world, the number of hours of sleep that people are having is declining, according to a recent study. Photo: Reuters

Insomnia does not only refer to not being able to fall asleep. People who have difficulties naturally falling asleep or remaining deeply asleep are also sufferers of insomnia.
We sleep and we dream. Sweet dreams are of course welcomed but nightmares caused by work-life pressure can cause night terror if handled improperly.
Night terror is a kind of sleep disorder most common in children. While nightmares are normal physical phenomena, night terror has to do with complicated physical and mental issues. In some serious cases, the night terror is a psychiatric illness.
Izzy is an adult who has been troubled by night terror for over ten years. She could not sleep well as she often dreamed of being chased by monsters and reacted by screaming and flailing, ending up exhausted.
Some patients who experience realistic dreams even refrain from sleeping for days until their bodies fully collapse and repay their sleeping debt only when they must.
Izzy’s biological clock has been disrupted by her irregular sleeping habits. Sleep deprivation is a vicious cycle and becomes the main reason for Izzy’s night terror.
Experts have first made a melatonin prescription to correct her sleeping pattern. Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the enigmatic pineal gland which regulates the biological clock and helps to fall asleep.
However, the night terror is rarely found in adults and so Izzy’s case has to do with mental issues and should be referred to s psychologist.
Apart from the night terror, other sleep-related illnesses include cataplexy, narcolepsy and somnambulism. Surprisingly, 1 percent to 2 percent of adults walk in their sleep.

http://www.ejinsight.com/20180720-insomnia-and-night-terror/

6 Things No One Tells You About Pregnancy Insomnia

By Nicole Fabian-Weber

Most moms-to-be have heard tales from veteran parents about how they’re never going to sleep again once baby arrives, but what most pregnant women don’t know is that the lack of sleep actually starts while they’re pregnant. Yep, pregnancy insomnia is a real thing and unfortunately it can start at any point during those magical nine months.
Like many pregnancy-related symptoms, insomnia can be chalked up to hormonal changes. That said, even for the most even-keeled of pregnancies, things like heartburn, increased trips to the bathroom, discomfort (who can sleep with that big belly?!), and, of course, pre-baby jitters can all contribute. For many women, pregnancy insomnia hits hardest in the third trimester when getting comfortable is akin to a Herculean feat, but again, it can happen at any point — and there’s no set period for when it ends.

If you’re surprised at how little sleep you’ve been getting during your pregnancy, you’re not alone. Unlike morning sickness and swollen feet, insomnia isn’t one of the more commonly-talked about symptoms of pregnancy. Take heart in knowing, though, that there are few things you can do to alleviate the lack of sleep you’re getting — and that, eventually, it will end.
Here are six things no one tells you about pregnancy insomnia.

1. Pregnancy insomnia doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t fall asleep. That said, it may mean you can’t stay asleep. For many women, falling asleep may be as easy as it’s always been for them — but they might find themselves waking up in the middle of the night without the ability to roll over and drift back.
“I have no problem falling asleep, but I have trouble staying asleep,” What to Expect mom nibarra11 says. “This entire week I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night and I just lay there with my eyes closed. Then I doze in and out. I have migraines now and I think it’s because I’m not getting enough sleep!”

Tossing and turning? If you find yourself wide awake after 20 minutes, get out of bed and read or try to accomplish something small around the house.

2. A consistent routine can be helpful. Having a set drill you go through every night could be the golden ticket for a good night’s sleep. Not only is it soothing, it may help send cues to your body that it’s time for some shut-eye.
“I make sure to eat less acidic food before bed to avoid heartburn and use lots of pillow to support my belly,” says WTE user M4M4EK. “But having a bedtime routine is key. I wind down, put the lights low, and put away any distractions.” M4M4EK also incorporates meditation into her nightly routine on occasion, which can be extremely helpful in calming nerves. In addition to reducing pregnancy stress, meditation and relaxation techniques can help lower blood pressure and give you a more positive outlook. Mom-to-be shananagins86 also recommends meditation, as well as avoiding devices and sugar close to bedtime and having a small stretching routine and foot massage before hitting the hay. Count us in!

3. Try not to worry too much. Yes, it’s easier said than done, but lying in bed worrying about not sleeping is a guaranteed way to make things worse. “I had severe insomnia with my last pregnancy. I tried everything imaginable, and nothing worked. For me, a consistent bedtime routine was the best bet,” notes SMDJTD. “Worrying about not sleeping always makes thing worse. My strategy is just to lie in bed and not worry about not sleeping if doesn't come right away. I just try to think calm, pleasant thoughts, and focus on how comfy my bed feels. I simply relax and tell myself that if I can't sleep, I'll just enjoy resting. After months and months and months, I'm finally falling asleep within 15-30 minutes of hitting the pillow most nights.”

4. Exercise can be a lifesaver. Even though exercise may be the last thing you’re interested in right now, the benefits of exercising during pregnancy are plentiful. Not only will it release endorphins — which will help even out your ever-changing moods and emotions — it will give you a boost of energy during the day and may help you sleep at night. “I tend to have insomnia more frequently on days I don't exercise,” notes Leesey262. “Not that pregnant women need something else to do...but a good workout usually ensures I'll sleep better at night!”

5. Be mindful of your daytime habits. Few things can be more tempting than a 4 p.m. nap when you’re pregnant, but keep in mind that if you indulge in this seductive option, you may wind up paying for it later. “Cutting out all naps helped me massively!” ldobs85 says. “It was hard at the beginning to do because I was so tired, but I sleep really well through the nights again.” On the same token, avoiding caffeine and sweets — which, yes, are very alluring during pregnancy — could help you fall asleep easier at night, as well.

6. The tricks that work for baby may work for you, too. For Immortalkundera, using techniques parents often implement for baby’s bedtime works during pregnancy as well. “I always use a white noise machine at night,” she says. “Additionally, I keep the room cold, stop eating/drinking two hours before bed, and use blackout curtains. I also get to bed as soon as I feel a bit sleepy. And every time I wake up, I tell myself that it's OK to be awake and try not to stress about it.”

Nicole Fabian-Weber lives outside New York City with her husband and three children. Her work has appeared on dozens of websites, including Parents, Livestrong, Romper, Shape, Redbook and Cosmopolitan. She loves yoga, travel, summer — and apparently clichés.

https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/things-no-one-tells-you-pregnancy-insomnia/

How to sleep: Five ways to sleep in hot weather

From express.co.uk

HOW to sleep can be a question many of us ask. This can be caused by hot weather, drinking coffee before bed or stress among other factors. Try these five expert-recommended ways of sleeping to get a better night’s shut-eye and avoid insomnia.

How to sleep could be made possible through ensuring air circulates around the bedroom, said a sleep expert.
Lisa Artis, writing for The Sleep Council, recommended several tips for getting to sleep in soaring temperatures.
“Hot weather can be a nuisance when it comes to bedtime,” she said.
“Temperature has a big impact on the quality of sleep. Ideally bedrooms should be around 16 - 18 degrees but, if at night-time, temperatures remain higher, it can be difficult to achieve that.”
With temperatures tonight expected to hover around 17 - 22 degrees tonight in the south of the UK, according to the Met Office, it may be worth taking steps to get a good night’s sleep.
Try these five methods for sleeping in hot weather.

Keep air circulating
The Sleep Council recommended opening windows and doors to “create a draught”.
This could help air to circulate creating a cooling effect in the bedroom.
No duvet
If you struggle to sleep in hot weather, now may be the time to abandon the duvet entirely.
“Get rid of the duvet and blankets,” advised The Sleep Council, “just use a cotton sheet”.
Additionally, they added a duvet could be used if it had a “low tog rating”.
Pre-bedtime bathing
It may help to have a cool shower or bath before bedtime.
This will help “lower your core body temperature,” they said which could help with more sleep.
The NHS added online having cool baths or “splashing yourself with cool water”, could also help.
Avoid caffeine
Having coffee or other caffeine-laden snacks could contribute to problems sleeping.
“They can all make you feel hot and steamy in the middle of the night through dehydration or over-active digestion,” said The Sleep Council.
This effect may also be produced by drinking alcohol or having a big meal, added The Sleep Council.
Cool the pillowcase
Placing this item of bedding in the fridge before bedtime could also help with sleep.
In a separate post, The Sleep Council advised: “Don’t be a hothead. Put your pillow case in the fridge before bedtime.”

Adults need around eight hours sleep a night, according to the NHS.
Failing to get this amount could result in insomnia, which is where someone suffers from an inability to get to sleep.
Symptoms of insomnia include waking up during the night, lying awake at night, and still feeling tired after waking up.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/989169/how-to-get-to-sleep-better-weather-hot-insomnia-heatwave

Say goodnight to insomnia: a guide to modern sleep aids

From thenational.ae

While most of us know that having a phone next to the bed, a television in the bedroom or worse, working from a laptop in bed, isn’t conducive to sound slumber. Getty

If like me, you spent the past couple of nights tossing and turning, running over your schedule for the following day, then worrying about what your poor night’s sleep will mean for the completion of all tasks on your ­current mental list, you’re not alone. In fact, the number of people struggling to get a night of decent rest is rising exponentially, according to the author of Why We Sleep and professor of neuroscience Matthew Walker.

If insomnia plagues you, you’re no longer an anomaly. In today’s society, you’re a part of the 60 per cent of adults who fail to sleep for an undisturbed (and recommended) eight hours. Apparently, our modern lives are to blame for our lack of Zzs. “The modern world is driven by technology, and unbeknown to many, simple daily activities such as reading emails, responding to digital messages and interacting on social media, expose the brain to blue light and stimulate it, suppressing the release of melatonin that helps us to fall to sleep,” says sleep research scientist Teresa Arora.
While most of us know that having a phone next to the bed, a television in the bedroom or worse, working from a laptop in bed, isn’t exactly conducive to sound slumber, many of us do it anyway. It may be second nature to use your mobile as an alarm clock, so why not go one step further and use an app such as Sleep Cycle to measure the quality of your forty winks and then wake you up in the best possible phase to avoid grogginess come morning?
“Given that we live in a digitally interactive society and are keen to try out the latest apps, people seem to be turning to these more and more to help them achieve their goals of following a better diet, exercising more and sleeping better,” says Arora of our obsession with technology as a solution to all our problems. “Generally people know what they need to be doing, but are seeking support – humans are naturally curious and are drawn to new technology that claims to be able to help,” she says.

For those wanting to drown out the annoying hum of the air conditioning, or worse, the incessant internal chatter of our consciousness, nodding off with a phone by the bed or under the pillows might just be the norm. Getting to sleep is now big business with app developers and technological engineers – some industry forecasters are hypothesising that the global sleep tech market will be an $80 billion (Dh293 billion) industry by 2020.
Engineers are already developing technology to counter technology-induced insomnia – think beds such as the Sleep Number 360, which adapts to your head positioning and other movements, and then automatically adjusts the firmness of the mattress to ensure comfort and support.
There are also smart devices such as 2Breathe, which is a sensor you wear around your abdomen. It measures your pulse and guides you to slow down your breathing. It then transforms your breaths into soothing tones, which are delivered wirelessly to your mobile and played back to you, lulling you to sleep. And there are noise-cancelling systems designed to create the ultimate aural soundscape for you to get some shut-eye.

“If you look at MP3s and Apps combined, we have had over 11.5 million downloads to date globally across all titles,” says therapist Andrew Johnson, who is behind the “Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson” app, which guides people gently to a snooze as they listen to it in bed.

“The science is relatively simple,” he says. “When people ‘try’ hard to get to sleep, they actually stop themselves from sleeping. Learning to let go of the struggle is the secret.”
Perhaps this is the reason so many of us are turning to podcasts and sounds apps to distract our busy minds from the sleep issue. “I use the headspace meditation pack for sleep,” says Lisa Stockham, who also uses ‘Calm’, a mindfulness app, intermittently. Meanwhile teacher Matthew Jones is more for the spoken word. “I like to listen to stuff that I know is really long,” he says. “Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcasts are about four hours. They’re often really quite complex and I find I just pass out,” he adds.
Drew Ackerman, also known as “Dearest Scooter” is the man behind the well-known “Sleep with Me” podcast and follow-up series “Game of Drones”.
Creating elaborate fantasy tales, with plenty of preamble, twists and turns, all delivered in dulcet (some would say monotonous) tones, Ackerman is now responsible for putting many of us (myself included) to sleep.
A bedtime story for adults, “Sleep with Me” came about following Ackerman’s struggle with insomnia in childhood. “I’d spend the entire night worrying about the trouble I’d get into the following day at school if I didn’t sleep,” he says. “The only thing that worked was radio shows. They made me forget about not being able to sleep and quelled my anxiety.”

He insists the popularity of his show is hinged on the fact that “kids get bedtime stories, but adults don’t”. Unlike guided meditation or sleep sounds, “Sleep with Me” offers listeners a distraction. Ackerman says that the whole point is to give the mind something else to focus on to relieve some of the pressure we put on ourselves to finally doze off.
What might be problematic about our digital sleep aid solutions, says Arora, is that we then become too reliant on that one thing that helps us get to sleep. “The curious phase [with the latest sleep technology] expires very quickly and people move on to the next thing rather than self-reflecting and thinking about identifying the underlying problem, Arora says. “Delays in falling to sleep are very common and the underlying causes are not always identified or addressed, despite this being a crucial element to change.”
Before looking at giving the brain a distraction in the form of digital sleep aids, then, it may well be worth having a digital detox come bedtime. Arora’s advice is to practise good ‘sleep hygiene’. Try setting and maintaining regular times to wake up and go to sleep, cut out caffeine, nicotine and screens before lights-out and spend two hours in wind-down mode before settling down for bed.
And if all else fails, you can always go back to the old-favourite – the bedtime story.

https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/wellbeing/say-goodnight-to-insomnia-a-guide-to-modern-sleep-aids-1.750177

Insomnia: Can You Make Up for Lost Sleep on Weekends?

From clevelandclinic.org

Q: Is It OK for me to catch up on lost sleep over the weekend?

A: In the past, sleep experts believed it was impossible to catch up on the sleep you lose — that once you’ve lost it, it’s gone.

But a recent long-term study found that folks who slept four, five or six hours during the week, then caught up on weekends, lived longer than those who remained sleep-deprived all week long.
So you can catch up to some degree on weekends. However, sometimes people who catch up on sleep on the weekend will oversleep.

And it turns out that oversleeping has some of the same consequences as undersleeping:

• Oversleeping is associated with depression, which is linked to a host of other health problems.
• Research suggests that oversleeping can make people groggy and cognitively impaired.
• Studies suggest oversleeping increases risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity as much as undersleeping, because toxins and inflammatory markers build up.

So it’s really best to aim for a stable sleep time, bedtime and wake time every day of the week. This will help you get the regular sleep needed to restore your brain and every cell in your body.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/insomnia-can-you-make-up-for-lost-sleep-on-weekends/

4 ways to get better sleep

From health24.com

Getting a good night's sleep is difficult in today's busy world. Try these useful tips to get the most out of your sleep.

Insomnia affects up to 15% of Americans, but sleeping pills aren't the only – or the best – answer.
30%–40% of South African adults suffer from insomnia, according to the South African Society of Sleep Medicine (SASSM).
Only 15% of these patients recognise it as a chronic disorder.

A good sleep routine, exercise and mindfulness are all ways to get the restorative sleep you need.

1. Set up a daily sleep pattern by going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning. Yes, even on the weekends.

2. Keep your bedroom peaceful, dark and on the cool side. Take out all electronics, and stop using them at least one hour before you turn in. They emit a type of light that interferes with your natural body rhythms, prompting you to stay alert when you should be winding down.

3. Exercising vigorously in the morning leads to better sleep at night. But if your only free time is later in the day, such workouts don't seem to interfere with sleep as previously thought.

4. Stubborn sleeplessness may respond to mindfulness meditation, which can focus specifically on insomnia or stress reduction. Mindfulness techniques can target the thought patterns that perpetuate insomnia. According to research, working with a therapist and practicing meditation at home for 30 to 45 minutes nearly every day helps people get better sleep. And there are also self-help books available if you want to try it on your own.

If these techniques aren't enough to overcome insomnia and get you the sleep you need, you may want to investigate cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT. By working with this type of trained therapist, you'll learn how to change the negative thoughts that could be at the root of your sleep problem. In fact, there are CBT techniques aimed specifically at insomnia.

https://www.health24.com/Medical/Sleep/Health-tips/4-ways-to-get-better-sleep-20180710

Stanford Sleep Expert Expresses Concern About Hardcore World Cup Fans

From inverse.com

"You’ll recover, depending on what your team did."

As we near the final stages of the World Cup tournament, the stakes are only getting higher. For starters, England won their first knockout game in 12 years to advance to the quarter-final. Perennial powerhouses Germany and Spain are out, and the title seems wide open. Now as the action reaches a climax, some viewers have started to notice that watching the tournament is taking a toll on their bodies — and scientists are a bit concerned.

To keep up with every game, fans — especially those in Asian time zones — have to pull intermittent all nighters. Things won’t be getting better anytime soon: In China, the remainder of the World Cup games will begin between 10 pm and 2 am. According to Jamie Zeitzer, Ph.D., a circadian physiologist at Stanford’s Centre for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, staying up to watch these games can mess with your circadian rhythm and lead to some short-term health issues.

“If they stayed up consistently every night, that would be okay,” Zeitzer tells Inverse. “But typically what people do it stay up for a couple nights and then flip back to their day schedule. It’s the flipping back and forth that actually puts them at greater risk.”

Your circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock. It’s been described as a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle that tells your body when it needs to store energy and when it needs to expend it. A typical “low point” in this sleep wake cycle is between 2 am and 4 am — conveniently, when many World Cup games will air in Asia.

Fans who power through this cycle to watch a game or two every few days may throw off the way that their bodies regulate certain physiological factors, like glucose level. This, in turn, can trigger sugar cravings during the day, because they body enters a type of crisis mode, believing that it won’t have adequate time to rest and store energy for the next day.

“We imagine that the body is saying, ok, well, if you’re up at night there’s got to be a reason that you’re up and you’re probably going to need a lot of energy,” Zeitzer says. “So people tend to crave more sugars and fats. And this can happen even after a single night of sleep disruption.”

Continuous patterns of irregular sleep like this are risk factors for conditions like type two diabetes, Zeitzer says, but this isn’t likely to be an issue for World Cup fans who miss a night or two of sleep to catch the quarter final. Instead, short-term flipping between timezones puts them at risk for certain work-related injury, and just generally feeling sub-par, like one World Cup enthusiast in Japan noted in the Asahi Shimbun after watching several rounds of group play:

“I have been sort of under the weather since last week, and I know why. This is the price I am paying for staying up well past midnight to watch World Cup soccer games on television.”

Even though all the Asia-based teams have been eliminated from the tournament, previous viewership data from the 2014 World Cup suggests that this won’t stop hardcore fans in Asian time zones from watching A total of 487.8 million people watched the World Cup Final in 2014 — and of those, 53.2 million were in China (this audience share was second only to host-nation Brazil).

While Zeitzer notes that a regular sleep pattern post-World Cup will be enough to restore circadian balance, the wounds of staying up to watch your team lose in the finals may run even deeper. “You’ll recover,” he jokes, “depending on what your team did.”

https://www.inverse.com/article/46753-sleep-world-cup-quarter-final

Tips on stopping insomnia and getting some sleep

From wtnh.com

(ABC News) - For some, getting sleep has always been a challenge, and working overnight hours doesn't help.
Diane Macedo with ABC News headed to BlueSleep to see Dr. Jordan Stern to see if could fix her insomnia.
It turned out, she was doing everything wrong.
For starters she'd go to bed as soon as she got home. But between three shows, that varies from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., not counting extra shoots.
"It's important to have a routine schedule because your brain has a routine schedule," said Dr. Stern. "And all of the cells in your body have a 24-hour cycle.
Her second mistake was staying in bed even when she couldn't sleep.
"After 20 minutes, get out of bed. Do something that is relaxing and when you start feeling sleepy, then get back into bed," he added.
The doctor said to make up for lack of sleep, take long naps later in the day.
"So ideally, you shouldn't nap no longer than 20 minutes, and try to keep it at least six to seven hours before you go to sleep," he said.
Even Marcedo's pyjamas were wrong.
"The issue with pyjamas is that they can probably cause overheating," he added.

https://www.wtnh.com/news/health/tips-on-stopping-insomnia-and-getting-some-sleep/1284832840