30 Days to Better Sleep: Make Sleep a Priority

As the "30 Days to Better Sleep" blog series draws to a close, there are only a few finishing touches necessary to ensure a good night's sleep. One of the most important is completely within your control: it is the decision to make sleep a priority. Sleep concludes our day. It is, quite literally, the last thing we get to, but it is a finish line that we tend to postpone when necessity or preference dictates. Work, family obligations, and hobbies may intrude on the amount of sleep that we obtain. A late night with friends, a few hours surfing the internet or watching a movie, a project for work; there are endless distractions and diversions that can intrude on our time for sleep. The first task is to consider how much sleep you need and when you should be sleeping. Once these determinations are made, you can recognize an appropriate bedtime and wake time. It can be helpful to draw a line in the sand to conclude your day, a previously described artificial closure. From this point, a period of relaxation called a buffer zone before bedtime should be observed. Then, when it is time to go to bed, the transition to sleep will be eased with a decreased likelihood of suffering from insomnia. The challenge presents in how to preserve your sleep period. How can you protect it from the innumerable intrusions? Enroll your family and friends in these efforts. By including your bed partner in these priorities, he or she can contribute to your adherence. Be kind but firm with others who...
Source: About Sleep Disorders - Category: Sleep Medicine Source Type: news