Text Box: # The InitiativeText Box: Sleep Tips By Jan Rondeau Sleep is very important to both our physical and mental well– being. Here are some sleep tips which promote a healthy sleep style from personal experience and our friends at the National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org). Take your bedtime medications. Some of us take specific medications in order to promote sleep. It is important to take these medications as prescribed. If you are on a prescribed aspirin regimen, try taking it before you go to bed. It might well help with some of the daily aches and pains due to its analgesic effect. Keep a regular sleep schedule. It is beneficial to go to bed and get up at the same time each night/day. This will allow your body to get in sync with your brain’s normal circadian cycle which balances the sleep and wake times. Avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and can keep you awake. It is recommended that caffeinated products such as tea, coffee, cola, and chocolate not be consumed within six hours of going to sleep. Avoid nicotine. Nicotine is also a stimulant, which makes it more difficult to fall asleep. Smokers furthermore experience nicotine withdrawal during sleep which can disrupt sleep during the sleep cycle and make it difficult to get up. Smoking has also been linked to nightmares (another good reason to give up smoking). Avoid alcohol. Although many people think of alcohol as a sleep aid due to its sedative effects, it can cause sleep disruptions throughout the night. Don’t eat or drink too close to bedtime. Heavy meals within three to five hours of bedtime can make you uncomfortable and unable to sleep, and spicy foods can cause heartburn which can affect your falling to sleep. Try to limit fluid consumption prior to going to bed in order that you are not awakened during sleep time to go to the bathroom. Exercise during the time you are awake. Exercise is, in all, beneficial for a sounder sleep. However, exercise right before sleep can make it more difficult to fall asleep due to increased metabolic rate and increased hormone levels. Use relaxing bedtime rituals. Doing something relaxing on a routine basis can help to fall asleep. Avoid stimulating activities such as work and exercise. Try something which will help to put behind you the day’s activities such as a hot bath, reading, listening to music, or craft work. Text Box: Create a sleep Environment. For most people a good sleep environment is cool, quiet, and dark. A comfort– able mattress is essential to a good sleep environment. If you are still having a hard time falling asleep, give the following ideas a try: Try associating your bed with only sleep and sex. Invest in a comfortable mattress and non-allergenic pillows. The National Sleep foundation recommends that you use a mattress not more than 9 or 10 years, and that you select a degree of firmness or softness that is right for you. Avoid watching the clock. If you are anxious when you try to go to sleep, watching the clock will just make you more anxious by reminding you of how much time that you have remaining to sleep. Limit time for trying to fall asleep. If you can’t fall asleep within 15 minutes, it is best to get up and practice a relaxing activity until you feel sleepy. Keep a sleep diary. If you have trouble getting to sleep on a routine basis, keep a diary and discuss it with your doctor. If these measures, which have helped many people, fail to allow you to obtain a good night’s sleep, you may consider checking yourself out for a sleep disorder. Spending the night at a sleep clinic is similar to staying at a hotel, except that a technician attaches dozens of sensors before you retire for the night and records any sign of sleep apnea, restless leg syn– drome, sleepwalking, or any other condition that would interfere with your slumber. Another recommended Web site: http://www.sleeplessinamerica.org/ (affiliated with DBSA) Text Box: So You Want to Volunteer! No Experience? - That’s OK! - Will Train! Resource Center Staff: General office, welcome visitors, maintain library materials & more. Great opportunity to expand your own knowledge while helping others! Facilitators: Support Groups are our most Important Activity! Learn how to make support groups happen. Community Outreach: Support staff (Presenters) needed for acclaimed DBSA Hospitalization and Awareness Program. Also represent DBSA at health and diversity fairs. Help open the door for those seeking the kind of support we have to offer! For more information about these and other volunteer opportunities, call 477-1515 today!