Sleep Robbers - And How To Stop Them
Do you think that you are getting enough sleep?
Maybe not. Studies confirmed that most adults have been
depriving themselves of the amounts of sleep needed.
You now may think that: "Half an hour short of sleep won't hurt
me." It does - especially if this becomes habitual.
Each half or even only a quarter of an hour lack of sleep each
night accumulates in time.
You may think that the lack of sleep the night before is
compensated the next night you get enough sleep - but: it
doesn't.
What you owe the night before remains in the IOU list which
piles up each time you lack sleep.
Just how much sleep is enough? Although it varies depending on
the person, it is ideal to consider between seven to eight hours
of sleep as enough for the normal person. Younger people need
more sleep than older ones.
Sleep is vital to overall health and individual functionality,
which is why you have to win back your sleeping time if you lack
it. Here are possible sleep robbers (or habits) that you can
kick out to regain your sleeping time.
The habit of sleeping late usually starts in a subtle way. You
hardly notice you're doing it at first, until it becomes a
habit. Identify the cause. If you can't pinpoint the exact
reasons why you sleep late at night, then chances are, they are
small things or chores that are scattered. Those little
time-consuming things you spend on could be trimmed and if you
review them, the minutes (when accumulated) can turn to an hour
or two which you could devote instead to sleeping.
You may not be able to correct this abruptly; actually it would
be better to adjust gradually. Once you are able to find the
time to retire earlier than usual, it may be difficult to fall
asleep at once because of the change in pattern. Don't worry,
this is normal and only in the first few nights. Once you have
adjusted to your new habit, you will eventually find it easier
to fall asleep early.
Stop your dependency on sleeping aids like alcohol or sleep
inducing pills. These aids may knock you out of your senses
faster but they can cause frequent wakeful periods thus
interrupting your sleep pattern.
If a concern keeps bothering you from getting asleep, try this
method. Get a pen (a marker would be better) and a piece of
paper (big enough to fill in you concern) and write your
concerns on it. Lay it on your side table or tape it on the
wall. You don't go to sleep with your robe on, so it's like
taking your robe off before retiring. In the morning, discard
the paper. Sounds trivial but for some, it works.
A phone (landline or mobile) on the bedside can be very handy
particularly in an emergency. But it can also be downright
annoying, especially when it is set to ring aloud. Take that
phone away from your ear. If you need to keep it, set it on
silent mode. Depending on your line of business or profession,
that phone may or may be not be that important for night calls.
Should its presence fall short of its importance, you're better
off without it during the night. That once in a lifetime call
which you classify as an emergency may not be worth all the
nights you are awakened by a wrong number or a nuisance call.
The possibility that someone might call in the middle of the
night when you're asleep results to an agitated feeling that
alters your sleep pattern, keeping you half asleep
subconsciously.
Your brain monitors and maintains a record of all the hours you
owe it in terms of shortage in sleep. One way or the other,
you'll have to pay for it. You should be thankful it doesn't
charge interest or penalties for late payments. Try your best to
pull yourself out of sleep deficits.