Your head pounds. You feel unmotivated, irritable, and depressed. You can't concentrate or come up with creative ideas for your project at work. The dinner party you were looking forward to all week suddenly feels like an enormous burden on your dwindling energy reserves. You wish the world would leave you alone, at least until you had a chance to catch up on your sleep. But you can't help feeling this way. The neighbor's dog barked for half of the night, and the rest of the night you were restless and just couldn't seem to get comfortable.
Many environmental and behavioral factors can influence the quality and quantity of your sleep. The good news is that a number of these things are within your power to change. You can create a routine that is more conducive to healthy sleep by implementing the following strategies.
RESOURCES:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
National Sleep Foundation
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/
CANADIAN RESOURCES
Better Sleep Council Canada
http://www.bettersleep.ca/
The Canadian Sleep Society
http://www.css.to/
References:
Goldberg JR. Helping yourself to a good night's sleep. National Sleep Foundation website. Available at: http://www.sleepfoundation.org/. Accessed January 12, 2009.
Sleep hygiene—the healthy habits of good sleep. American Academy of Sleep Medicine website. Available at: http://www.sleepeducation.com/Hygiene.aspx. Accessed January 12, 2009.
Townsend DR. Sleep & Caffeine. American Academy of Sleep Medicine website. Available at: http://www.sleepeducation.com/Topic.aspx?id=45. Updated August 3, 2006. Accessed January 12, 2009.
Yang CM, Spielman AJ, Huang YS. Insomnia. Current Treatment Options in Neurology. 2005,7:373-338.
Last reviewed January 2009 by Judy Chang, MD, FAASM
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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