the Good Night, Insomnia! Blog

No, I’m not telling you that your personal physical hygiene is lacking.  I’m not rude!  “Sleep hygiene” is the term given to a series of recommendations for diet, physical activity and your sleeping environment to encourage natural, restful sleep.   Because of the hormonal changes that occur during menopause, insomnia is a frequent complaint of women going through “the change.”  Many of the drugs taken to alleviate menopause actually aggravate insomnia.  This article outlines the issues faced by women when dealing with menopause and insomnia; and recommends some solutions.  See if they work for you.

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A Japanese study has concluded that drinking alcohol before bed does not help you sleep; and in fact may contribute to sleep disturbance.

The survey determined that an average of 48.3 percent of males and 18.3 percent of females were in the habit of imbibing before bedding down, with the percentages particularly high among men in the 55-59 age group and women age 40 to 44.

Statistics were then formulated to determine the correlation between insomnia and consumption of alcohol at bedtime, and from this it was revealed that a significant number of those consumed alcohol before they slept tended to awaken during the night.

“Some physical factors may be involved,” concedes [physician Yoshitaka] Kaneita, “such as the need to get up to urinate, or waking up due to thirst. But the pattern of drinking at bedtime resulting in interrupted sleep was clear.”

 

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Are you just too keyed up and stressed out to sleep?  It happens to all of us occasionally, and sometimes it can go on for several days or weeks, or (worse) months.  During the holidays, the added tasks of shopping, attending and planning parties and get-togethers, and extra things to do can increase your anxiety and stress levels.  People go to bed later and rise earlier to cram in all the extra goings-on.  Problem is, you may find that it will take several nights of sleep just to recover from one or two sleep-shortened nights.  Here are ten tips to help you deal with stress and insomnia: (more…)

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For all you students out there, like my daughter, who are about to go or are going through final exams for the semester, here’s a few facts and tips courtesy of the University of St. Thomas, MN on sleep, insomnia and academic performance. Good luck on those finals.

Want to get A’s? Then get some Z’s - UST Bulletin Today

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