Struggling to sleep? These tips will get you back to sleeping like a baby

From independent.co.uk

If the pandemic has taken its toll on your shut eye, you’ll need to throw out the bad habits and pick up some new ones, writes Anahad O’Connor

Is your sleep not what it used to be? Does your mind race when your head hits the pillow? Do you wake up at 4am and struggle to fall back asleep? Are you feeling drowsy and sleep-deprived no matter how many hours you spend in bed?

For many people, sleeping poorly was the norm before the pandemic. Then the stress, anxiety and disruptions made our nightly slumber worse, giving rise to terms such as “coronasomnia” to describe the surge in sleep disturbances last year. But recently, sleep experts noticed something that astonished them: more than a year into the pandemic, our collective sleep only continued to deteriorate.

In a survey of thousands of adults last summer, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that 20 per cent of people said they had trouble sleeping because of the pandemic. But when the academy repeated its survey 10 months later, in March, those numbers rose drastically. Roughly 60 per cent of people said they struggled with pandemic-related insomnia, and nearly half reported that the quality of their sleep had diminished — even though infection rates have fallen and the country is opening back up.

“A lot of people thought that our sleep should be getting better because we can see the light at the end of the tunnel — but it’s worse now than it was last year,” says Dr Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep medicine specialist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “People are still really struggling.”

Chronically bad sleep is more than just a nuisance. It weakens the immune system, reduces memory and attention span, and increases the likelihood of chronic conditions such as depression, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The shorter your sleep, studies suggest, the shorter your life span. And for people over 50, sleeping less than six hours a night may even heighten the risk of dementia.

“Over the past year, we’ve had the perfect storm of every possible bad thing that you can do for your sleep,” says Dr Sabra Abbott, an assistant professor of neurology in sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Studies show that in the pandemic, people tended to keep irregular sleep schedules, going to bed far later and sleeping in longer than usual, which can disrupt our circadian rhythms. We slashed our physical activity levels and spent more time indoors; gained weight and drank more alcohol; and erased the lines that separate work and school from our homes and our bedrooms — all of which are damaging to sleep.

Most striking of all, our stress and anxiety levels skyrocketed, which are two of the root causes of insomnia. In a report published in May, the American Psychiatric Association found that a majority of Americans were still anxious about their health, their finances and the possibility of a loved one getting Covid-19. More than half of parents said they were worried about the mental state of their children, and 41 per cent of adults said they had more anxiety today than they did during the first few months of the pandemic.

Not everyone, of course, is suffering from disrupted sleep. A team of international researchers who studied 3 million people in New York, London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Stockholm found that on average, people gained an extra 25 minutes of sleep each night during the pandemic compared with a year earlier. Those who benefited the most were people who naturally tend to go to bed late but no longer had to set an early alarm to commute to work or get their children ready for school, says Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the bestselling book Why We Sleep.

“If there is a success story, it is revenge of the night owls when it comes to Covid and sleep,” Walker says. “The night owls are finally starting to sleep a little more in synchrony with their biology.”

But for millions of others who suffer from insomnia, the extra time in bed can paradoxically make matters worse. When people struggle to fall or stay asleep, their brains associate their beds with stressful experiences. “Your brain learns that your bed is the place where you don’t fall asleep,” Abbott says. “The more time you spend in bed, the more you reinforce that idea.”

One of the standard treatments for insomnia is a strategy called sleep restriction, which makes people better and more efficient sleepers by teaching them to spend less time in bed, not more.

So what more can we do to get our disrupted sleep back on track? Read on.

How to beat insomnia

It’s normal to have trouble sleeping during big changes in your life. But when the sleep disruptions last longer than three months, it can qualify as chronic insomnia, which can have long-term health consequences. One of the most effective treatments is cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT. This approach helps you address the underlying thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are ruining your sleep. Here are some CBT-inspired ways to combat insomnia.

Follow the 25 minute rule

Studies show that in the pandemic, people tended to keep irregular sleep schedules (Getty/iStock)

If you get into bed and can’t fall asleep after 25 minutes, or you wake up at night and can’t get back to sleep after 25 minutes, then don’t stay in bed. Get up and do a quiet activity that calms your mind and makes you drowsy. “Just get up, don’t fret,” Walker says. “If you stay in bed awake for long periods of time, your brain thinks, ‘Every time I get into bed, this is the place where I should be awake.’ And you need to break that association.”

Do any activity that relaxes you. Get up and stretch. Sit on your couch and meditate or read a magazine. Read a book in dim light. Do deep-breathing exercises. Listen to a soothing podcast. You could sit in a chair and draw or knit. Then, when you start to feel drowsy again, get back into bed and try to go to sleep. Just don’t get into bed unless you are tired. “You would never sit at the dinner table waiting to get hungry,” Walker says. “So why would you lie in bed waiting to get sleepy?”

Throw away your worries

Sit down with a blank piece of paper one to two hours before bed each night. Then write down all of your thoughts, especially anything that is bothering you. It could be what you’re going to do at work tomorrow, the phone calls you have to make or the bills you have to pay. “If most of what you’ve written down is stuff that you’re worried about, then crumple up the paper and throw it in the trash — that’s called discharging your thoughts,” says Dr Ilene M. Rosen, a sleep medicine doctor and associate professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The act of dumping your thoughts on a piece of paper and throwing it away is a symbolic gesture that empowers you and calms your mind, Rosen says. “You had those thoughts and now they’re gone.”

Screens in the bedroom

One reason sleep has suffered this past year is that people are sacrificing their slumber to catch up on all the fun things that they missed out on during the day, such as scrolling through Instagram and watching YouTube videos. This phenomenon, known as revenge bedtime procrastination, is made worse by our attachment to our phones and screens, which often follow us into our beds. (How many times have you been glued to your phone long past your bedtime?)

We all know that we shouldn’t look at bright screens late at night because the blue light they emit tells your brain that it’s time to be awake. But many of us do it anyway. So follow this guideline: if you are going to use your phone or device after your bedtime, then use it only while standing. When you feel like sitting or lying down, you have to put the device away. “You’ll find after about 10 minutes of standing up at your normal bedtime that you’re going to say, ‘I need to lie down’ — and that’s your body telling you that you need to put the phone away and get to sleep,” Walker says.

Daily habits for better sleep

Good sleep starts long before bedtime. Many of the things you do during the day will impact the quality of your slumber. So try these sleep-promoting habits.

Wake up at the same time

Our bodies follow a daily circadian rhythm, and waking up at different times throws it out of whack. It is best to keep your wake-up time consistent. Don’t sleep in, even on weekends. “When the alarm goes off, get out of bed and start your day regardless of how much you’ve slept,” Rosen says. “You may not feel great for a few days, but you’re reinforcing that when you’re in bed, you sleep.” The same goes for your bedtime: keep it consistent. The less you deviate from your normal bed and wake-up times, the better you’ll sleep.

Get sunlight every morning

If you don’t commute to work, it can be easy to spend your entire mornings inside. But exposure to sunlight serves an important purpose: it shuts down the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. “Most brain fog in the morning is caused by continued melatonin production,” says Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and author of The Power of When. “When sunlight hits your eye, it sends a signal to your brain to tell the melatonin faucet to turn off.” Aim to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight first thing every morning.

Make your bed a haven

Working from home — sometimes from our beds — has erased a lot of the boundaries between work and sleep. But turning your mattress into an office can condition your brain to view your bed as a place that makes you stressed and alert, which can lead to insomnia. That’s why sleep experts say you have to reserve your bed for two activities only. “The bed is for sleeping or sex,” Rosen says. “If you’re not doing either of those things, then get out of bed. If you have the luxury of going to a different room, then that’s even better. You have to break the association of being awake in bed.”

Exercise for better sleep

The pandemic led people to cut back on physical activity. But exercise is the easiest way to improve sleep, Breus says. “Sleep is recovery,” he added. “If you don’t have anything to recover from, your sleep isn’t going to be that great.” At least 29 studies have found that daily exercise, regardless of the type or intensity, helps people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, especially among people who are middle-aged or older. According to the Sleep Foundation, people with chronic insomnia can fall asleep about 13 minutes faster and gain up to 20 extra minutes of sleep per night by starting an exercise routine. One caveat: end your exercise at least four hours before bedtime; otherwise, it could interfere with your sleep by raising your core body temperature, Breus says.

Cut off caffeine at 2pm

Caffeine has a half-life of six to eight hours and a quarter-life of about 12 hours. That means that if you drink coffee at 4pm, “you’ll still have a quarter of the caffeine floating around in your brain at 4am,” Breus says. Avoiding caffeine in the evening is a no-brainer. But, ideally, you should steer clear of caffeine after 2pm so your body has enough time to metabolise and clear most of it from your system.

Follow the two-drink rule

If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to two drinks in the evening and stop at least three hours before bed. Alternate each drink with a glass of water. Because alcohol is a sedative, some people drink a nightcap to help them fall asleep faster. But alcohol suppresses rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and causes sleep disruptions, which will worsen the overall quality of your sleep. “The closer you drink to your bedtime, the worse your sleep is going to be,” Breus says.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

https://www.independent.co.uk/health_and_wellbeing/difficult-not-sleeping-insomnia-tips-b1869898.html

Insomnia: "You feel like the only person who's awake on the planet"

From rte.ie

A lot of people experience some sleep disruption and call it insomnia. But beyond the catch-all use of the term, the sleep disorder that results in chronic loss of sleep, can have devastating effects on a person's mental and physical health.

Journalist and author Miranda Levy spoke to Claire Byrne about her own eight year struggle with insomnia, which she’s written about in her new book, The Insomnia Diaries: How I Learned to Sleep Again.

30-50% of people experience some sleep problems, while one in 10 will have chronic insomnia, which is classified as having difficulty sleeping for at least three days a week, for a period greater than three months. Miranda added to the medical definition from her own experience:

"Where it becomes a real problem, is when it goes on and on and it really affects every area of your life."

Many cases of insomnia will have causes that are fairly straightforward: stress, worry, restless leg syndrome or even too much caffeine. In Miranda’s case, she attributes her insomnia directly to a single cause:

"I found out – suddenly, really – that my marriage had come to an end and I had a shock reaction to that. But where most people might get over this – I mean, obviously it’s a big thing – but most people might lose a bit of sleep and gradually get over it, I didn’t and it kind of morphed into a standalone problem."

Dr. Sophie Bostock, a sleep evangelist, who’s written the foreword to Miranda’s book, has spoken about the loneliness of insomnia. It’s something that Miranda understands very well:

"Not only do you feel terrible during the day, at night you feel like the only person who’s awake on the planet. You know, if anyone’s been through this, they’ll know what it’s like, you stare at the numbers. You know, it’s 1:47, then it’s 2:46, then it’s half past 3, then it starts to get light and it’s horribly lonely."

Claire wants to know the what the impact of insomnia is on a daily basis. Miranda hardly knows where to start because sleep deprivation affects so many parts of your life:

"It felt like I was kind of under water, in a different world to everybody else. You know, I couldn’t concentrate, I couldn’t think, I lost my sense of humour almost immediately. And, you know, tired doesn’t cover it, really. It’s like being separate from everybody else and just like a zombie, really."

Miranda’s insomnia led to her losing her job, she had family problems and, naturally, health problems as well. Her GP prescribed her sleeping pills, but although they tend to work to some extent with most people, they weren’t effective with Miranda. Eventually, she was referred to a psychiatrist.

"And then all hell went loose. I was really in the pill factory, you know? And that’s when I really hit problems."

After unsuccessful attempt with therapy and rehab, Miranda checked herself into a psychiatric hospital, but the solution there seemed to be based on giving her more and more pills, so she didn’t hang around.

So, how did she eventually manage to beat the insomnia that had been plaguing her for eight years? There wasn’t a magic bullet, it came down to a number of different things she did to make changes in her life. She moved house.

The drugs she’d been on for so long left her system, improving her mental state and – even on only two or three hours’ sleep a night – she was able to start doing things again:

"I started exercising. I mean, I know people roll their eyes, but it’s really important, especially getting out in the morning. Morning light’s very good for managing melatonin. That’s the hormone in your brain that sort or regulates your body clock. Other things as well. I came across something called cognitive behaviour for insomnia, which has really good strategies."

https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/living/2021/0622/1229637-insomnia-you-feel-like-the-only-person-whos-awake/

The Breathing Trick That Will Have You Asleep In 60 Seconds Flat

From yourtango.com

For those who suffer from insomnia, getting to sleep is a daily struggle. You may try taking sleeping pills, avoid drinking coffee, or stop using your phone a few hours before bed.

But still, nothing seems to work. What do you do? How can you finally fall asleep?

The good news is that there is one technique that may actually help you fall asleep.

Yes, there are many things you can do to fall asleep when insomnia rears its ugly head. But before you take the hard route by changing your mattress or working out, you should try to change how you breathe.

Dr. Andrew Weill created a breathing technique focused on 4-7-8 breathing, or "Relaxing Breath," to fall asleep. It's inspired by yoga and should only take 60 seconds to work.

Imagine: falling asleep in just 60 seconds flat! Sounds too good to be true, right?

Well, luckily the 4-7-8 breathing technique only has six simple steps:

1. Touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue and keep there throughout the exercise.

2. Exhale forcefully to the point where you make a sound similar to a "whoosh."

3. Close your mouth then inhale softly through your nose. Count to four.

4. Hold your breath and count to seven.

5. Repeat step 2 and count to eight as you exhale.

6. Repeat this cycle three times for a total of four breaths.

What makes this technique work?

According to Dr. Weill, "Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing, and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders."

Dr Weill also offers two additional breathing routines to fall asleep.

One routine is stimulating breath or "Bellows Breath." You do this by taking three in-and-out breaths per second through your nose.

After doing this breathing exercise properly, Dr. Weill advises that "you may feel invigorated, comparable to the heightened awareness you feel after a good workout." However, he also warns not to do this technique longer than 15 seconds on your first try.

Here's how to do the Bellows Breath technique:

1. Inhale and exhale rapidly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed but relaxed. Be sure the in-and-out breaths are for the same amount of time, and be mindful that the exercise itself will make noise.

2. Aim for three in-and-out breaths per second. Then, begin breathing normally again after each cycle.

3. Increase your time by about five seconds each time you try this exercise, until you reach one full minute.

Lastly, there is "Breath Counting."

"Breath Counting" is where you inhale, and count while exhaling. You continue this rhythm up to five, then start all over after a small break.

Dr. Weill advises to "let the breath come naturally without trying to influence it. Ideally it will be quiet and slow, but depth and rhythm may vary." He also recommends not counting higher than five, and only counting when you exhale.

Here's how to do the Breath Counting technique:

1. Sit comfortably with a straight back and spine, and head inclined forward slightly. Take a few breaths and close your eyes.

2. To start, count to one as you exhale. Then, when you exhale the next round, count to two. Continue doing this up until five.

3. Begin a new cycle and count to one on the exhale. Repeat the exercise for 10 minutes, using it as a form of meditation.

These techniques are definitely helpful for those struggling with sleep disorders, or who simply can't fall asleep.

https://www.yourtango.com/self/breathing-trick-that-beats-insomnia-60-seconds-flat

Too much REM sleep is bad for us, as is too little

From theguardian.com

Ezra Hewing offers further insight into the right quality of sleep, and why it is so important

Regarding your article “Is sleep a ‘magic pill’ for teen wellness in a mental health crisis?” (8 June), sleep research tells us that good sleep isn’t just about getting enough – the right quality of sleep is key. It has long been known that worrying and stress increase the intensity of REM sleep, when most dreaming occurs, causing it to start earlier on in the night and reducing the deep sleep needed to repair the brain and body. If intense dreaming continues throughout the night, the person wakes up feeling exhausted and lacking in motivation, which researchers – and those who have experienced it – know to be the sleep pattern that characterises depression.

However, if insomnia and nightmares prevent REM sleep from doing the job of reducing cortisol stress hormones and calming emotions from the previous day, the brain’s security officer, the amygdala, is left in a heightened state of arousal. Clinical research shows that depriving someone of REM sleep leaves the amygdala 60% more reactive to emotionally charged events. It is unsurprising, therefore, that Denise Pope reports that insomnia in adolescents increases risk-taking behaviour and impulsivity – this would include the impulse to act on suicidal thoughts. Indeed, insomnia is considered by many sleep studies to be the key risk factor that determines whether a person suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression will experience suicidal thoughts.

 

‘‘If insomnia and nightmares prevent REM sleep from doing the job of reducing cortisol stress hormones and calming emotions, the brain’s security officer, the amygdala, is left in a heightened state of arousal.’ Photograph: Getty/Johner RF

So too much REM sleep is bad for us, as is too little. Public health education should seek not only to emphasise the importance of getting enough sleep, but to explain that the stress from unmet emotional needs can cause depression when we have too much REM sleep, or the impulse to act on suicidal thoughts when we don’t have enough.
Ezra Hewing
Head of Education, Suffolk Mind

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jun/14/too-much-rem-sleep-is-bad-for-us-as-is-too-little

A Lack of Fruits and Vegetables Could Cause Chronic Insomnia

From hourdetroit.com

No apples a day keeps sleep away 

A lack of fruits and vegetables in the diets of young adults could cause chronic insomnia, according to a study of more than 1,400 people in their 20s led by U-M nutritional sciences professor Erica Jansen and published in Sleep Health Journal. The good news, Jansen says, is that it’s easily correctable — by eating five servings a day. A serving is generally understood as between 4 and 6 ounces, according to the Mayo Clinic. “What is unique about our study is that we were able to see that as fruit and vegetable intake changed, insomnia-related sleep characteristics also changed,” Jansen says.

https://www.hourdetroit.com/science-topics/a-lack-of-fruits-and-vegetables-could-cause-chronic-insomnia/

These three fruits are the most effective natural remedies for insomnia

From newsnetnebraska.org

Eat them in the evening to fall asleep quickly and wake up rested

About 10% of the population suffers from insomnia, but the number of those who complain of more or less serious sleep problems is much higher. For less serious cases, before resorting to sleeping pills and other medical treatments, it is a good idea to try less invasive but no less effective solutions. These three fruits are the most effective natural remedies for insomnia and eat them in the evening to fall asleep quickly and wake up refreshed. Let’s talk about apricots, kiwis and bananas. Thanks to its organic composition rich in vitamins and potassium, this fruit has important sedative properties that act on the nervous system, relieve stress and facilitate sleep.

Apricots are very high in magnesium (about 10 mg per 100 grams) and potassium (up to 35 mg per 100 grams). These two values ​​make it an incredible ally in the fight against insomnia: it calms stress, reduces anxiety, and helps us fall asleep early.

 

Kiwis are no exception. Research conducted by the University of Taipei showed that regular consumption of kiwi fruit has a beneficial effect on sleep. A sample of insomniacs was subjected to the experiment, which included eating two kiwifruits per day for four weeks. The result? Insomniacs sleep more easily, wake up refreshed and rested. This is thanks to the antioxidants and Folic acid, which if a deficiency in the body can cause sleep problems.

We close with bananas: a blast of potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins. These three elements, along with tryptophan, give bananas the ability to tone muscles and produce serotonin. This hormone, in addition to improving mood, also fights insomnia.

https://www.newsnetnebraska.org/these-three-fruits-are-the-most-effective-natural-remedies-for-insomnia-and-eat-them-in-the-evening-to-fall-asleep-quickly-and-wake-up-rested/

The Pandemic Messed With Your Sleep. Here’s How to Feel Rested Again

From nytimes.com

You can overcome ‘coronasomnia.’ Experts say it just takes practice building new and better habits

Is your sleep not what it used to be? Does your mind race when your head hits the pillow? Do you wake up at 4 a.m. and struggle to fall back asleep? Are you feeling drowsy and sleep-deprived no matter how many hours you spend in bed?

For many people, sleeping poorly was the norm before the pandemic. Then the stress, anxiety and disruptions made our nightly slumber worse, giving rise to terms like “coronasomnia” to describe the surge in sleep disturbances last year. But recently, sleep experts noticed something that astonished them: More than a year into the pandemic, our collective sleep only continued to deteriorate.

In a survey of thousands of adults last summer, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that 20 percent of Americans said they had trouble sleeping because of the pandemic. But when the academy repeated its survey 10 months later, in March, those numbers rose dramatically. Roughly 60 percent of people said they struggled with pandemic-related insomnia, and nearly half reported that the quality of their sleep had diminished — even though infection rates have fallen and the country is opening back up.

“A lot of people thought that our sleep should be getting better because we can see the light at the end of the tunnel — but it’s worse now than it was last year,” said Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a sleep medicine specialist and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “People are still really struggling.”

Chronically bad sleep is more than just a nuisance. It weakens the immune system, reduces memory and attention span, and increases the likelihood of chronic conditions like depression, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The shorter your sleep, studies suggest, the shorter your life span. And for people over 50, sleeping less than six hours a night may even heighten the risk of dementia.

“Over the past year, we’ve had the perfect storm of every possible bad thing that you can do for your sleep,” said Dr. Sabra Abbott, an assistant professor of neurology in sleep medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Studies show that in the pandemic, people tended to keep irregular sleep schedules, going to bed far later and sleeping in longer than usual, which can disrupt our circadian rhythms. We slashed our physical activity levels and spent more time indoors; gained weight and drank more alcohol; and erased the lines that separate work and school from our homes and our bedrooms — all of which are damaging to sleep.

Most striking of all, our stress and anxiety levels skyrocketed, which are two of the root causes of insomnia. In a report published in May, the American Psychiatric Association found that a majority of Americans were still anxious about their health, their finances and the possibility of a loved one getting Covid-19. More than half of parents said they were worried about the mental state of their children, and 41 percent of adults said that they had more anxiety today than they did during the first few months of the pandemic.

Not everyone, of course, is suffering from disrupted sleep. A team of international researchers who studied three million people in New York, London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Stockholm found that, on average, people gained an extra 25 minutes of sleep each night during the pandemic compared to a year earlier. Those who benefited the most were people who naturally tend to go to bed late but no longer had to set an early alarm to commute to work or get their children ready for school, said Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of the best-selling book “Why We Sleep.”

“If there is a success story, it is revenge of the night owls when it comes to Covid and sleep,” said Dr. Walker. “The night owls are finally starting to sleep a little more in synchrony with their biology.”

But for millions of others who suffer from insomnia, the extra time in bed can paradoxically make matters worse. When people struggle to fall or stay asleep, their brains associate their beds with stressful experiences. “Your brain learns that your bed is the place where you don’t fall asleep,” Dr. Abbott said. “The more time you spend in bed, the more you reinforce that idea.” One of the standard treatments for insomnia is a strategy called sleep restriction, which makes people better and more efficient sleepers by teaching them to spend less time in bed, not more.

So what more can we do to get our disrupted sleep back on track? Read on. 

How to Beat Insomnia

It’s normal to have trouble sleeping during big changes in your life. But when the sleep disruptions last longer than three months it can qualify as chronic insomnia, which can have long-term health consequences. One of the most effective treatments is cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT. This approach helps you address the underlying thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are ruining your sleep. Here are some CBT-inspired ways to combat insomnia.

Follow the 25-Minute Rule

If you get into bed and can’t fall asleep after 25 minutes, or you wake up at night and can’t get back to sleep after 25 minutes, then don’t stay in bed. Get up and do a quiet activity that calms your mind and makes you drowsy. “Just get up, don’t fret,” Dr. Walker said. “If you stay in bed awake for long periods of time, your brain thinks, ‘Every time I get into bed, this is the place where I should be awake.’ And you need to break that association.”

Do any activity that relaxes you. Get up and stretch. Sit on your couch and meditate or read a magazine. Read a book in dim light. Do deep breathing exercises. Listen to a soothing podcast. You could sit in a chair and draw or knit if you like. Then, when you start to feel drowsy again, get back into bed and try to go to sleep. Just don’t get into bed unless you are tired. “You would never sit at the dinner table waiting to get hungry,” Dr. Walker said. “So why would you lie in bed waiting to get sleepy?”

Throw Away Your Worries

Sit down with a blank piece of paper one to two hours before bed each night. Then write down all of your thoughts, especially anything that is bothering you. It could be what you’re going to do at work tomorrow, the phone calls you have to make, or the bills you have to pay. “If most of what you’ve written down is stuff that you’re worried about, then crumple up the paper and throw it in the trash — that’s called discharging your thoughts,” said Dr. Ilene M. Rosen, a sleep medicine doctor and associate professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The act of dumping your thoughts on a piece of paper and throwing it away is a symbolic gesture that empowers you and calms your mind, said Dr. Rosen. “You had those thoughts and now they’re gone,” she said.

Screens in the Bedroom, Rules of Engagement

One reason sleep has suffered this past year is that people are sacrificing their slumber to catch up on all the fun things that they missed out on during the day, like scrolling through Instagram and watching YouTube videos. This phenomenon, known as revenge bedtime procrastination, is made worse by our attachment to our phones and screens, which often follow us into our beds. (How many times have you been glued to your phone long past your bedtime?)

We all know that we shouldn’t look at bright screens late at night because the blue light that they emit tells your brain that it’s time to be awake. But many of us do it anyway. So follow this guideline: If you are going to use your phone or device after your bedtime, then use it only while standing. When you feel like sitting or lying down, you have to put the device away. “You’ll find after about 10 minutes of standing up at your normal bedtime that you’re going to say, ‘I need to lie down,’ — and that’s your body telling you that you need to put the phone away and get to sleep,” said Dr. Walker.

Daily Habits for Better Sleep

Good sleep starts long before bedtime. Many of the things you do during the day will affect the quality of your slumber. So try these sleep-promoting habits.

Wake up at the same time every morning.

Our bodies follow a daily circadian rhythm, and waking up at different times throws it out of whack. It is best to keep your wake-up time consistent. Don’t sleep in, even on weekends. “When the alarm goes off, get out of bed and start your day regardless of how much you’ve slept,” said Dr. Rosen. “You may not feel great for a few days, but you’re reinforcing that when you’re in bed, you sleep.” The same goes for your bedtime: Keep it consistent. The less you deviate from your normal bed and wake-up times the better you’ll sleep.

Get sunlight every morning.

If you don’t commute to work, it can be easy to spend your entire mornings inside. But exposure to sunlight serves an important purpose: It shuts down the release of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. “Most brain fog in the morning is caused by continued melatonin production,” said Michael Breus, a clinical psychologist and the author of “The Power of When.” “When sunlight hits your eye, it sends a signal to your brain to tell the melatonin faucet to turn off.” Aim to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight first thing every morning.

Make your bed a haven.

Working from home — sometimes from our beds — has erased a lot of the boundaries between work and sleep. But turning your mattress into an office can condition your brain to view your bed as a place that makes you stressed and alert, which can lead to insomnia. That’s why sleep experts say you have to reserve your bed for two activities only. “The bed is for sleeping or sex,” said Dr. Rosen. “If you’re not doing either of those things, then get out of bed. If you have the luxury of going to a different room, then that’s even better. You have to break the association of being awake in bed.”

Exercise for better sleep.

The pandemic led people to cut back on physical activity. But exercise is the easiest way to improve sleep, said Dr. Breus. “Sleep is recovery,” he added. “If you don’t have anything to recover from, your sleep isn’t going to be that great.” At least 29 studies have found that daily exercise, regardless of the type or intensity, helps people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, especially among people who are middle-aged or older. According to the Sleep Foundation, people with chronic insomnia can fall asleep about 13 minutes faster and gain up to 20 extra minutes of sleep per night by starting an exercise routine. One caveat: End your exercise at least four hours before bedtime, otherwise it could interfere with your sleep by raising your core body temperature, said Dr. Breus.

Cut off caffeine at 2 p.m.

Caffeine has a half-life of six to eight hours and a quarter-life of about 12 hours. That means that if you drink coffee at 4 p.m., “you’ll still have a quarter of the caffeine floating around in your brain at 4 a.m.,” said Dr. Breus. Avoiding caffeine in the evening is a no-brainer. But ideally you should steer clear of caffeine after 2 p.m. so your body has enough time to metabolize and clear most of it from your system.

Follow the two-drink rule.

If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to two drinks in the evening and stop at least three hours before bed. Alternate each drink with a glass of water. Because alcohol is a sedative, some people drink a nightcap to help them fall asleep faster. But alcohol suppresses REM sleep and causes sleep disruptions, which will worsen the overall quality of your sleep. “The closer you drink to your bedtime, the worse your sleep is going to be,” said Dr. Breus.

When to Seek Help

The occasional bout of insomnia is nothing to fret about. But if you make changes to your sleep routine and nothing seems to help, then it might be time to see a doctor. A sleep specialist can determine whether you need cognitive behavioural therapy, medication or another treatment. Or it could be the case that you have an underlying sleep disorder, such as restless legs syndrome or sleep apnoea. A doctor would evaluate you to find out.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/how-to-sleep-better.html

How Chronic Insomnia Differs From a Bad Night’s Sleep—and What You Can Do About It

From wellandgood.com

Everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time, especially when things are stressful. But some people lie awake night after night, silently suffering from chronic insomnia. Losing so much sleep can be debilitating and devastating to one’s health, and yet it can be exceptionally difficult to procure treatment outside of sleeping pill prescriptions. What causes this issue, and why are sustainable solutions so elusive? Let’s dive in.

What is insomnia?

Insomnia occurs when someone has difficulty falling or staying asleep, or when they awaken much earlier than they’d like, at least three nights per week, says Shelby Harris, PsyD, a behavioral sleep medicine specialist and author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. For it to be considered chronic, the individual must experience such insomnia for a period of at least three months.

Insomnia is more common than you may think. According to research, 25 percent of Americans experience acute insomnia (e.g., an occasional restless night or a couple of bad nights in a row) each year. Twenty-five percent of those people then develop chronic insomnia, which ultimately affects around 10 percent of the population. It tends to afflict more women than men, says Dr. Harris, at a rate of 3:2, and more people over 65 than under. One-third of those in the 64-80 age demographic utilize some kind of sleep aid, in fact.

What are the causes of insomnia?

Insomnia can have physical and psychological causes. “I always think of it as biopsychosocial,” says Dr. Harris. “Biologically, it could be triggered by hormonal issues [e.g. shifts experienced in perimenopause and menopause], cancer and sometimes cancer treatments, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, diabetes—there are a bunch of medical things that can cause insomnia.”  There may be a genetic component, too, she adds.

Psychological causes, on the other hand, can include things like anxiety and depression. Possessing certain traits can be a risk factor, too. “There’s a predisposed personality that experiences insomnia,” says health and sleep coach Devin Burke, founder of Sleep Science Academy and author of The Sleep Advantage: Optimize Your Night to Win Your Day. “Usually they’re highly intellectual and driven perfectionists.”

Often times, unique stressors—job loss, the death of a loved one, the pandemic—can launch a bout of acute insomnia. “It can be good stressors, too,” says Dr. Harris. “If someone’s excited about getting married or having a new job, it can still lead to insomnia.”

Once an acute bout of insomnia has begun, people tend to engage in behaviours that maintain the insomnia. “People understandably start worrying about their sleep,” Dr. Harris explains. That can lead people to make what are essentially poor decisions: going to bed earlier or sleeping in, napping, drinking caffeine, and so forth. “For many people, that’s actually the stuff that maintains the insomnia when it becomes chronic,” Dr. Harris says. “So even though something [else] might have started it, the stuff you’re doing to try and compensate is actually what’s maintaining it.”

Burke says that the more people try to control their sleep, the more elusive sleep becomes. “I call that ‘the insomniac’s paradox,’ where the harder you try to fix it, the worse it gets,” he says. “When you don’t sleep, your body’s in a stress state, and when your body’s in a stress state, you’re not going to sleep.”

And once insomniacs get into bed for the night, says Burke, they often experience anticipatory anxiety—a fear of not sleeping—which further sabotages their ability to catch zzz’s. “If your stress switch is stuck in the ‘on’ position, you’re not going to turn off,” he says.

Health consequences of insomnia

While it may not seem like that big of a deal from the outside—who really sleeps these days, anyway?—insomnia can have severe consequences. In the short term, Dr. Harris and Burke says people can suffer from absenteeism at work and even become unable to maintain employment, they can find their relationships straining or breaking, and they can be more prone to potentially devastating accidents.

Longer-term consequences include memory loss, an increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, mood issues, and increased risk of cardiovascular events and of developing type 2 diabetes. “It really does affect every single aspect of your life—your relationships, your career, your health,” says Burke.

Initially, Burke says most people try supplements such as melatonin and magnesium, but when those fail to fix the problem, they usually resort to pills—because that’s what their physicians prescribe. “Then they start to rely on this pill, which is really meant for temporary relief,” Burke says. “It’s not solving the problem, addressing the root of why you’re experiencing what you’re experiencing.”

Sleep aids come with their own risks, too. For starters, common prescription insomnia medications are “sedative hypnotics.” These sedate you, which isn’t the same as putting you to sleep, and this means you’re not reaping the restorative benefits of an actual night of shuteye. Alarmingly, one study showed that patients taking a sleep aid two to three times per week had a 35 percent increased risk of developing cancer and a five-fold increase in risk of death. The use of over-the-counter medications such as Benadryl and Tylenol PM can lead to side effects such as confusion and constipation, and they’ve been linked to an increased risk of dementia, too.

So if sleeping pills aren’t the answer, what is—and why is that solution rarely recommended to people who seek help from their doctors?

Insomnia treatment

One of the main reasons people have difficulty accessing insomnia treatments outside of sleeping pills, says Burke, is that psychiatrists and physicians tend to lack sleep-specific training. And, Burke notes, there is a lack of specialists—qualified cognitive behavioural therapists who are trained in treating insomnia. He also points out that sleeping pills are a big business, which probably helps to account for their prominence as a treatment. Using them is quicker and easier than engaging in behavioural therapy, too.

Behavioural therapy is, however, the most effective form of treatment for insomnia. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which Dr. Harris practices and which Burke incorporates into his program at Sleep Science Academy, seeks to address the unhelpful behaviours that contribute to insomnia.

But while it’s highly effective, CBT-I can be difficult to obtain. Providers, as noted, are scarce, and insurance rarely covers what typically amounts to two months’ worth of sessions (which can total thousands of dollars).

There are, however, ways to access the concepts behind CBT-I without forking over such large sums of cash. “There are a lot of great apps out there that do CBT for insomnia, and they’re really going to quickly correct some of the behavioural and the cognitive issues that might be going on,” says Dr. Harris.

If you suffer from chronic sleeplessness and aren’t sure where to start in your quest for a good night’s rest, these two sleep pros offer three pieces of insomnia-busting advice below.

3 insomnia tips that are *actually* helpful

1. Spend less time in bed

One of the main techniques employed in CBT-I is sleep restriction, which involves limiting the amount of time you spend in bed. “Stop trying to compensate by sleeping in in the morning and going to bed earlier,” Dr. Harris says. “If you don’t get up at the same time every day, you’re not going to build up hunger for sleep the next night.”

You also want to avoid laying in bed while trying to fall asleep. “You’re anchoring your bed with arousal, anxiety, and wakefulness. That’s not what you want to do,” says Burke. Instead, you should get up and move to, say, the couch to engage in an (ideally screen-free) activity such as reading.  “A lot of people think that getting up is meant to make you sleepy, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I went out on the couch, I sat there and read and I didn’t get sleepy, so it didn’t work’,” Dr. Harris says. “But that’s not the point. The point is that you’re not laying in bed teaching your body that it’s a place to force sleep and be annoyed. Sleep will come when it comes. It might not come when you’re sitting on the couch reading, but at least you’re not trying to force yourself to get sleepy sitting in the bed.”

And even though it can be difficult to refrain after a sleepless night, napping is a no-no, too. Ultimately, you want to stay up as long as possible the day after an insomnia bout in order to best break the cycle, despite extreme exhaustion.

2. Practice acceptance

A lot of the work done with clients at Sleep Science Academy is actually “spiritual” in nature, says Burke. He notes that his coaches spend a lot of time working with clients on the concept of acceptance. This can go pretty deep, but at its simplest level Burke says it’s about practicing acceptance with respect to a night’s sleep. “‘Accepting what is’ would be like accepting that maybe tonight you’re going to have a bad night’s sleep, and truly accepting that and being okay with it,” Burke says. This practice alone can help to alleviate some of the anxiety that perpetuates sleeplessness.

3. Have hope

If you’ve ever suffered from insomnia, especially chronic insomnia, you’re probably aware that it can feel like a hopeless affliction—especially given how difficult it is to access treatment and/or eschew pills for potentially sleepless nights when the world doesn’t stop its demands just because you’re sleep-deprived.

Often times, insomniacs can feel stuck, like they will forever struggle with their sleep. But Burke says this isn’t the case. “It is solvable—I’m helping people solve it every single day, and these are people who’ve had insomnia for decades, who were on sleeping pills for decades,” he says. “Your body has innate wisdom, and sleep is a natural biological process that happens when you remove the barriers to it happening.”

https://www.wellandgood.com/chronic-insomnia-causes-treatment/

Electric headband could put insomnia to bed

From irishnews.com

A nerve-tickling headband is being put to the test as a cure for sleepless nights

A HEADBAND that tickles a nerve in the forehead could help tackle insomnia.

Up to 30 per cent of adults suffer from the condition at some point, which is defined as experiencing difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, waking up too early and poor-quality sleep.

If this occurs for three nights a week or more, and continues for more than three months, it is known as chronic insomnia, which is associated with depression, high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Chronic insomnia also increases the chance of an accident by four-and-a-half times because of daytime sleepiness.

While stress and worry are the main causes of insomnia, other factors can play a part.

Certain medical conditions are associated with insomnia including arthritis (because of the pain) and sleep apnoea (where your breathing stops and starts while you are asleep).

Medicines, including cold remedies, steroids and some blood pressure drugs can also disturb sleep, putting people over the age of 60 at greater risk, because they are more likely to have health problems.

Advice to tackle it includes having a warm bath before bed (the drop in body temperature afterwards is a trigger for sleep) and ensuring the bedroom is dark and quiet with no distractions.

Treatments for the problem include cognitive behavioural therapy, a talking treatment to help change behaviour.

Sleeping pills can also be effective, but come with the risk of a range of side-effects, including constipation, dizziness and headache. They can be addictive so should only be used short-term.

Up to 30 per cent of adults suffer from insomnia at some point

The new device, which is worn around the head, emits gentle electrical pulses via an adhesive electrode to stimulate the trigeminal nerve, the nerve responsible for sensation in the face.

Stimulating or 'tickling' the nerve in this way is thought to lower levels of noradrenaline, a chemical messenger that keeps the body in a high state of alert, preparing it for action.

In people who sleep well, production of noradrenaline is lowest during sleep, and peaks during times of stress. It's thought in insomnia, levels may remain raised at night.

The device is already approved in the United States to treat migraines; stimulating the nerve is thought to interfere with pain signals.

In a study of 16 patients, that was published in the journal Headache in 2014, the device reduced head pain by 46 per cent.

Scientists came up with the idea of using it for insomnia after some migraine users reported feeling sleepy after treatment.

In a new trial, at Saint Vincent's Hospital in Suwon in Korea, 20 patients with insomnia will have the treatment for 20 minutes a day for four weeks.

Guy Leschziner, a consultant neurologist and a professor of neurology and sleep medicine at King's College London, says any new treatment for insomnia "would be very welcome", adding: "We know that these sorts of devices can influence brain function in other contexts, so it is plausible that these devices may also affect sleep."

https://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/health/2021/06/03/news/electric-headband-could-put-insomnia-to-bed-2337647/

A weighted blanket is not just for winter – in fact, I tried one to soothe my anxiety and I've never slept better

From glamourmagazine.co.uk

By Georgia Trodd and Lottie Winter

I'm one of those people who always sleeps with a duvet, even when it's hotter than hell outside. I burrow down hamster-style, wearing an eye mask and ear plugs every night and every nap, without exception. I create a literal security blanket, without which I feel exposed and unable to relax. So, when a friend recommended I try a weighted blanket, I was instantly intrigued.

What is a weighted blanket?

Different to an electric blanket, a weighted blanket is a specially designed blanket that has been weighed down with pellets, which are evenly distributed across the blanket.

What are the benefits of a weighted blanket?

The premise behind it is the same as the reasons for swaddling a baby - it keeps you still and supported while you sleep. Studies have also shown that the gentle pressure reduces the body's level of stress hormone cortisol and boosts the production of serotonin, which is the naturally occurring chemical that regulates mood and sleep patterns. Both swaddling and weighted blanket use are forms of Deep Touch Pressure (DTP), which researchers have shown has a "calming effect on the alleviation of anxiety". In other words, it's like a giant, full-body hug, which, in a time where national social distancing has been in implemented for over a year, we could all do with. In fact, research has shown that our skin can become "hungry" due to chronic lack of touch, resulting in a number of mental health issues such as loneliness. Could this blanket serve as the solution?

                                       Getty Images

Do weighted blankets work?

I opted for the Mela Comfort Blanket, which recently launched in the UK and is now stocked at Oliver Bonas after roaring success in the states. "We wanted to create Mela Comfort to not only tackle the growing problem of sleep deficiency using natural methods, but to also use business for good by giving back to projects that we feel passionately about in the mental health space. For every weighted blanket we sell, we donate a portion of our profits to help fund mental health research”, says Matthew King, Co-Founder at Mela Comfort.

The blankets weigh between 15lb - 20lb, and are available in a range of sizes to fit all beds. I chose the 15lb option, which I was glad for when it arrived. Turns out, 15lb is kind of heavy. Top tip: order it to be delivered to your home and not to your office like I did. It's not exactly travel-friendly.

The blankets are weighed with SGS certified glass pellets, which are evenly distributed. It comes with the softest, micro-fibre cover, which while not to my aesthetic taste, feels beyond heavenly. It's like being cuddled by a huge velvet cloud. As I climbed into bed, I knew that it was the start of the rest of my sleeping life. It felt instantly relaxing, soothing and safe.

Weighted blankets aren't just for winter - they offer a new way for people to help switch off, calm their mind & get the crucial sleep needed to be the best we can," says Samuel Hochland, Co-Founder at Mela Comfort. "It's amazing that something low-tech can have such profound positive effects."

I woke feeling refreshed having slept deeply and undisturbed. But above all, I felt relaxed.

There are plenty of other options to choose from, especially weight wise. This aqua one from Amazon comes with a matching sleep mask for the ultimate naptime experience, or this one from Oliver Bonas is crafted from vegan silk. You could even go higher-end with this option from Gravity - the experience is, of course, down to your preference.

https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/best-weighted-blankets-anxiety