Sleep Deeply, Live Longer

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Light and time of day also have an effect on the body’s ability to rest. Levels of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our sleep patterns, shoot upward at a specific time each evening, typically about two hours before we regularly go to bed. Levels continue to rise as we slumber, peaking in the early morning hours. Melatonin levels drop off sharply as our body temperature dips to its lowest at about 5 a.m., and we begin to stir toward wakefulness. Studies have shown that exposure to bright light can disrupt this timing and interrupt sleep cycles.

Techniques for Sleeping Well

By understanding the various stages and processes the body undergoes during sleep, we’ll begin to see ways to alter our behavior and promote better sleep. Most importantly, we can work with these natural cycles by following a few simple suggestions. For instance, try to keep a regular bedtime and get up around the same time each morning, including weekends. Also keep lights low in the evening (as safety permits), and sleep in a dark room. When you awaken, head for bright light — draw open the shades and curtains, or go into a brightly lit room until you feel alert.

To promote sleepiness before bed, take a warm bath, or try running your hands and feet under warm water. Gentle stretching or yoga exercises also can help promote relaxation.

Use your bedroom only for sleep and intimate activities — keep the television in another room. You’ll also want to avoid stimulants of any kind if you suffer from sleep troubles, Cole warns. Skip the late afternoon colas and coffee, and cut down on alcohol, too.

“Alcohol may make you feel sleepy at first,” he says, “but the byproducts it gives off as it breaks down in the body will wake you up later.”

Reset Your Clock

Good sleep habits often are enough to help people with minor sleep disturbances get back on track, but for those who suffer from chronic sleep complaints, the very act of trying to sleep can be fraught with anxiety. Some people suffer from physical conditions such as sleep apnea, snoring or restless leg syndrome that may require professional help from a sleep clinic (ask your doctor for a referral).

Cole says a person’s original failure to sleep may have been due to a temporary problem, but once this issue passes, the memory of sleeplessness may remain and become associated with lying in bed. If you have frequent trouble sleeping, he recommends following the regimen below to help reset your body’s biological clock and break any conditioned reflexes you might have developed between your bed and sleep-related stress:

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