Sleep is one of the most important determinants of
health. Proper sleep helps to restore
our minds and bodies so that we are able to effectively tackle another
day. However, it is estimated that 1 in 7
people suffer from sleep problems, and non-restorative sleep is a common complaint
I hear from my clients.
As an occupational therapist there are several strategies I
utilize with my clients to help them improve sleep:
Sleep Surfaces –
a good mattress can ensure that your body is aligned when sleeping whether you
sleep on your side, back or front. Often
when we work with people to replace a bad mattress, they are actually more
uncomfortable for the first several days or weeks. This is often the result of their body being
required to re-align when sleeping, when previously it was resting in awkward
positions. If your mattress is too soft,
or sagging, and you are not able to get another, consider using a board under
the mattress to provide support. A good
pillow is also very helpful, but the purchase of this should be based on
personal preference (not on a therapist or sales person telling you which one
you should have). I have a great
Ergocentric Pillow, but previous to that enjoyed my Medi-Flow water-based
pillow that allowed me to adjust the water volume for different amounts of
support.
Sleep Habits – a
consistent sleep routine is essential to teaching your mind and body how to
effectively shut down at the end of the day.
Shift workers can have a terrible time with sleep because of the
unpredictability of their sleep schedule.
If you consider that you need a certain amount of sleep per day (which
can vary by individual), then you should try to get into a routine around those
hours. I read years ago that sleep
cycles are 20 minutes so if you need to nap during the day, consider setting a
timer for 20 minutes so your nap will be restorative, but not too long that it
will impact your sleep at night. If you
are in a routine of napping for long periods during the day, and cannot fall
asleep at a decent evening hour, then consider shortening your nap daily by
small increments to achieve a better balance.
Mind Distractions
– often it is the mind that won’t shut off and this prevents us from falling or
staying asleep. Counting sheep is not
always effective. Consider using a sleep
CD (I recommend Eli Bay), or meditation, relaxation or mindfulness app on your
phone to help your mind focus on a restful place. Some natural remedies like certain
decaffeinated teas can also help to make us feel groggy before bed.
Tracking Sleep –
often when helping clients to develop a new routine, I will ask them to track
their sleep cycles. This can be done simply
on paper. Often, through this exercise,
I find there is no routine and if we can develop and implement a sleep
schedule, improvements in energy, mood, and cognitive function follow. Personally, I use a Sleep Cycle app (.99
cents) to track my sleep habits. This uses
sensors in my cell, when placed above my pillow, to tell me how many hours I
slept for, if I achieved deep sleep, and how my sleep ranks against other
recent nights. But what is even better
about the Sleep Cycle app is that when you sent an alarm, it works to wake you
up when it senses you are in a light sleep.
This reduces “snoozing” and awakens you when you are more likely to
actually get up. This app helped me
develop a new schedule of getting up an hour earlier so that I could achieve my
goal of getting my four legged beast his exercise bright and early!
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