Hi everyone! Since my friend requested, i am bringing up this topic. Sleep disorder is very common nowdays due to a lot of reasons and if you think you are the only one having this problem then you are wrong because 20%-40% of all adults experience Insomnia each year.
Take this simple test used to measure excessive daytime sleepiness (a common symptom of sleep disorder) is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale:
Indicate your chance of dozing during the following situations.
0 means no chance of dozing
1 means slight chance of dozing
2 means moderate chance of dozing
3 means high chance of dozing.
Choose any option(from 1 to 3) in the list below:
1. | Sitting and reading | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2. | Watching TV | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3. | Sitting inactive in a public place (i.e. theater) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 4. | As a passenger in a car for an hour without a break | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 5. | Lying down to rest in the afternoon when possible | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 6. | Sitting and talking to someone | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 7. | Sitting quietly after having lunch without alcohol | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Add all your points together. If you got:
1-3 | You are getting enough sleep |
| 4-8 | You tend to be sleepy, but might not have a disorder |
| 9 & over | Your sleepiness suggests a sleep disorder. You could benefit from seeing a sleep specialist. |
Phases of Sleep:
If you want this information please visit http://longevity.about.com/od/sleep/a/sleep_stages.htm
Note: I am skipping the above information here to avoid complexity.
Causes Of Sleep Disorders:
Figure out the root cause by answering these questions to yourself!
Are you under a lot of stress?
Do you struggle with chronic feelings of anxiety or worry?
Have you recently gone through a traumatic experience?
Are you taking any medications that might be affecting your sleep?
Do you have any health problems that may be interfering with sleep?
Is your sleep environment quiet and comfortable?
Do you try to go to bed and get up around the same time every day?
Now that you know the cause its easy to try and eliminate the cause one by one.
Things that destroy your sleep:
1) Caffeine
2) Late night TV or using Computer
3) Stress
4) Forcing yourself to sleep
4) Forcing yourself to sleep
5) Lack of Sunlight exposure
6) Frequent Exercising at sleep place
Things that help you sleep:
1) Exercising regularly
2) Getting Sun exposure
3) Relaxation before sleep
4) Meditation
5) Warm bath at night
6) De-cluttering your mind(I'll get more on this below)
7) Avoiding Caffeine products
What's De-Cluttering your mind about?
Sometimes or Frequently, when you try to sleep you
will have some random and unstoppable thoughts
running through your mind. This is called as Racing
Phenomenon. To reduce Racing we need to remove
those thoughts(called De-Cluttering) from the mind.
To do this follow a simple technique. Do this 10 minutes before you go to bed. Take a piece of
paper and write down some points for the following:
will have some random and unstoppable thoughts
running through your mind. This is called as Racing
Phenomenon. To reduce Racing we need to remove
those thoughts(called De-Cluttering) from the mind.
To do this follow a simple technique. Do this 10 minutes before you go to bed. Take a piece of
paper and write down some points for the following:
1) Your Achievements on this day
2) What positive things happened today
3) What negative things happened today
4)What are plans/tasks for tomorrow
Once you get your list ready, read it once or twice and
then crush and throw the paper in the dustbin. This
simple process helps you to minimize racing so that
you can go to sleep easily.
then crush and throw the paper in the dustbin. This
simple process helps you to minimize racing so that
you can go to sleep easily.
Final Tips on Sleeping Better:
1) Switch off TV, Computer at least 40mins before you go to sleep
2) Avoid taking too much naps during the day
3) If you need an afternoon nap, take a single one(keep it a less than 40min nap)
4) Try to sleep in cycles of 90mins. People say 6
hours of sleep is good, its because 6hours means 60minsx6=90mins x 4! This means that you are getting four 90mins cycle sleep.No wonder its effective!
hours of sleep is good, its because 6hours means 60minsx6=90mins x 4! This means that you are getting four 90mins cycle sleep.No wonder its effective!
5) Try to vary what time you go to bed if you are having sleeping problems(Try +/- 30mins)
6) When trying to sleep, think that i must relax rather than forcing yourself to sleep
7) Warm bath an hour before sleep works well
8) Strictly no caffeine drinks at night
9) Check your diet, sometimes it may be the cause
10) Try to do regular exercising under the sun
11) Declutter your mind before sleeping
12) Dont do exercises at your bed room
13) Simple yoga streches for sleep works well, check
this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lNiQIEfOAU
Once you have established good sleeping habits by doing all thats listed in this blog, you will fall asleep faster. And thats it from me, if you have any queries then ask me below!
Happy Sleeping,
Sameer
