Shereen De Barr (soon to be Smith) DRC 3.2.10 Sleep Hygiene Shereen De Barr (soon to be Smith) DRC 3.2.10

How much do we need? Popular idea is 7-8 hours Studies show we need 4-10 hours Varies in lifetime Newborn – 16 hours 5 yr old – 11 hours Teens – 9 hours 30’s - <8 hours 70’s - <6 hours, and lighter sleep

Tell patients Reminder that lack of sleep will not “hurt” you You will fall asleep eventually Lying calm and relaxed can be as refreshing as sleep Don’t look at the time Tell yourself you don’t care if you sleep or not Think pleasant thoughts – holiday/lottery winner

Worries keeping you up Get out of bed Sit somewhere comfortable Write down the problems on your mind Take each problem and write solutions Write steps to reach solutions Write obstacles you fear may prevent steps Say “ok, that’s it for now. I can’t do anything more about it this time of night. I won’t worry till morning. UNWIND – 30mins reading/music Back to bed

Good Habits Don’t sleep in the day, max 25mins Recognise you may not actually need more sleep Surroundings Food and Drink Avoid Cigarettes Avoid Alcohol Consistency Pre-sleep routine Tiredness Activity

Surroundings Too noisy? Too quiet? Too light? Too dark? fan/white noise/earplugs/music Too light? Too dark? TURN OFF MOBILE/computer/lights Mattress comfort Only use bed for sleep and sex, don’t associate the bed with work Too hot? Experiment with windows open, low temp better, as body cools, goes to sleep

NO TV Television actually stimulates the mind, rather than relaxing it Late night TV often violent Light and noise Wean off if you are used to it, better in long run

Diet Avoid eating a large meal within two hours of bed. Make dinnertime earlier in the evening avoid heavy, rich foods as bedtime snacks A light snack before bed can help promote sleep Glass of warm milk and half a sandwich Whole-grain, low-sugar cereal A banana and a cup of hot chamomile tea Drinking lots of fluid may result in frequent bathroom trips throughout the night

Diet Absolutely NO tea, coffee, hot chocolate or coca cola within 4 hours of bed – affects sleep 10-12 hrs after drinking Absolutely No cigarettes within 4 hours of bed – but nicotine withdrawal can wake you up.. Don’t drink alcohol

Exercise Exercise in morning or early afternoon Good for mental health Causes increased tiredness

Consistency Go to bed and wake up at same time each day Make your bedtime when you feel tired Don’t break this routine on weekends, lie-ins reset your body-clock If you want to change your bedtime, small increments, 15 minutes earlier or later each day

Don’t go to bed too Early Do something mildly stimulating to prevent yourself from falling asleep too early If you push though that window, you’ll catch your second wind soon and be able to stay awake until your normal bedtime—and sleep through the night

Getting back to Sleep Deep breathing Progressive muscle relaxation Visualizing a peaceful, restful place Stay relaxed Do a quiet activity – reading, writing, ironing Concentrate on relaxing, not stressing

References Patient.co.uk Mentor on the web (EMIS)