It seems like everyday there's something in the news about sleep. Here are some great tips from Monday's San Francisco Chronicle. I especially like the one about avoiding bright light up to 3 hours before going to bed -- that means no more late evening workouts at the gym for me if I want to fall asleep easily.
Stanford's Dr. Clete Kushida, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, who has worked in the field of sleep research since 1977, offers these tips to a better night's sleep:
Maintain a regular schedule, getting to bed and rising at the same time as consistently as possible each day, selecting the number of hours of sleep that make you feel best, whether it's seven hours or 10.
Use bright light within five minutes of waking, for 30 minutes, to synchronize your internal clock.
Avoid bright light two to three hours before bedtime, which delays sleep onset. If you read, get just enough light to read and avoid halogen.
Avoid remaining in bed if you can't sleep. After 20 minutes, if you can't sleep or fall back asleep, go into another room and do something else until you feel drowsy.
Avoid reading or watching TV in bed (especially thriller novels or action shows) unless it makes you drowsy.
Avoid napping, unless you nap every day at the same time for the same amount of time or you are tired and about to get behind the wheel of a car.Read the whole article here.
To learn more about insomnia, you can read Stanford Professor Dr. Rachel Manber's paper here.
