Getting Enough Sleep: Your Sleep Prescription

Taking certain measures can help ensure you get an adequate amount of sleep. Follow some of these guidelines to maximize your 8 hours.

Dos: Sleep Promoters

Factor	Prescription
Avoid Sleep Enemies	Avoid sugar, caffeine and other stimulants late in the day. Each person's tolerances may vary, but a general good guideline is to not have any stimulants after 2:30pm.
Create an Optimal Sleep Environment	Use blinds or curtains to shade out unwanted light (E.g., street lights) Ensure that your bedroom is isolated from a lot of noise (E.g. next to the street) Use comfortable linens and pajamas so that you feel relaxed when in bed
Create a Sleep Schedule	Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. This helps to ensure your biological clock maintains a healthy schedule.
Time Activity Appropriately	Exercise in the morning or in the early afternoon. This will ensure that you have enough time to allow your body to calm down from activity so that it can relax.
Relax	Before bedtime, create a relaxation ritual to prepare your mind and body for sleep. Things to consider: Drink herbal tea (Decaffeinated!) Take a bath Listen to soothing music Dim the lights an hour or two before bed-time Write down things you want to get done the next day and put your list aside so that you don't spend time thinking about all you have to do the next day

Sleep Saboteur	Why
Alcohol	Deprives you of REM sleep and the deeper and more restorative stages of sleep Keeps you in the lighter stages of sleep from which you can easily be awakened
Abnormally Hot or Cold Sleeping Environments	Can disrupt your REM sleep During REM sleep, we lose some of our ability to regulate our body temperature
Caffeine	Stimulates parts of the brain Can cause difficulty in falling asleep Can cause you to awake during the night
Heavy Smoking	Sleep is very light Reduces duration of REM sleep Tend to wake up after 3 or 4 hours of sleep due to nicotine withdrawal
Some Medication (those with stimulants such as Diet Pills)	Stimulates parts of the brain Can cause difficulty in falling asleep Can cause you to awake during the night Some can suppress REM Sleep