Sleep Deprived Vendor

photo © by martin van rensburg (www.rensburg.com)

Help with Sleep Debt

If you are not getting enough sleep, you need to manage your sleep debt. This lesson gives suggestions on how to do this. Your need may be a general need or you may want to know how to deal with a specific problem such as jet lag, shift work, waking up and not getting back to sleep, or living with infants.

General Sleep Debt

1. The first step is knowledge. It's important to know your:

Sleep needs - how much sleep you need per night (see How Much Sleep?).

Best times for action (natural alerting periods) and rest (natural dip in alertness). (see Cycles of Sleep)

Also remember that drowsiness can become sleep in an instant and you don't want that to happen even for microseconds as it can cause accidents.

2. Keep your sleep debt as low as possible. If you know that you will be getting less sleep during exam time or when you travel, make sure you get as much sleep as possible before the event so your sleep debt will be low.

3. Plan what you will do to get enough sleep to function well during the event or recover after it. For instance, if you will be driving for a couple of days and you know you have a natural dip in alertness in the early afternoon, then plan to take a break and nap for 15 minutes during that time. Or if you have to work all night to study or meet a deadline, then plan on taking a day off to catch up on sleep or hire a babysitter to watch the kids while you sleep on the weekend. Don't make appointments during times of high sleep debt because your decisions will be impaired.

4. Take naps. This is the best method for dealing with a sleep crisis. There is so much to say on the subject that I will cover it in napping.

5. Monitor yourself constantly. Be aware when you start to feel drowsy and stop to get even 5 minutes of sleep, especially if you're driving. It's amazing what a difference even a very short nap can make to your level of alertness.

Sleep While Travelling

photo © by Akbar Nemati (www.dusharm.com)

Jet Lag

Jet lag happens when we're out of sync with our biological clock - when our internal clock does not match the external clock. When we consider the number of internal systems (hormones, chemical activity in the brain, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion) that are affected by sleep and our circadian rhythms, it's no wonder we suffer headaches, irritability, stomach upsets, sleepiness, impaired judgment and memory lapses when we disrupt our sleep patterns by traveling across time zones. We will not be able to eliminate jet lag but we can try to minimize its effects. Try whatever suggestions make sense to you.

1. Again, knowledge of how much sleep you (and your children, if you're traveling with them) need, how much sleep debt you've accumulated and when your personal periods of alerting and dips in alerting occur is the first step in dealing with the problem of jet lag.

2. If you will be in the new location for a short time only, try not to disrupt your internal clock but arrange your stay and appointments to maximize your natural alert periods. For instance, if you have to fly from Winnipeg to Stockholm for a meeting, the time difference will be 7 hours. If the meeting is scheduled for 4pm Swedish time, that is 9am Winnipeg time. You will probably be traveling during your normal sleep time so try to sleep on the plane. If that is difficult, and you don't get much sleep, try to plan a nap before attending the meeting. Find out how long it will take you to get from your hotel to the meeting place, then spend the 20 minutes before you have to leave taking a nap. Then, on your way back, you may want to read on the plane instead of sleeping so you won't disrupt your normal schedule.

The point is, if you're flying when you're normally sleeping, then sleep on the plane. Use a sleep mask and a contour pillow to keep your head from flopping. If you're flying when you're normally awake, then don't sleep.

3. If you will be staying for over a week, then it is worthwhile adjusting to the local time. As a general rule, our bodies need a day to adjust for every hour difference in time zone.

4. Set your watch to the new time a couple days before you leave and start adjusting to the new times before you leave. If you're traveling eastward, your bedtimes will be earlier than normal, so start going to bed earlier a couple days before leaving. Darken your room or wear a sleep mask to help your body adjust to the earlier time. Turn on bright lights to wake yourself up earlier. If you're traveling west, your bedtime and rising times will be later. It is generally easier to adjust when you're traveling westward. You will need both strategies because your return journey is in the opposite direction.

5. How much earlier or later you go to bed will depend on how far east or west you're going. If you'll be traveling across four or more time zones, go to bed an hour earlier or later. If less, then try just half an hour.

6. On the flight, act as you would in the destination. Sleep if it's night and stay awake if it's daytime. Continue your schedule of sleeping earlier or later that you started a couple of days before leaving. If you're trying to sleep, tell the attendants not to wake you and wear your seatbelts over any blankets you might use so it's not necessary to disturb you to check. Use earplugs and masks if necessary and have comfortable pillows for everyone, even taking your own familiar ones.

7. Eat lightly, mostly fruit and vegetables so your digestive system will not be overloaded at times that are 'wrong' for it. Drink lots of water.

8. Avoid alcohol and caffeine as they interfere with sleep. If you must have coffee to keep you awake, be sure you don't drink any for at least 3 hours before bedtime.

9. Remember that bright light and exercise can help to reset your internal clock so use this knowledge to your advantage. If you need to be alert, walk briskly and expose yourself to bright light. Otherwise, wear sunglasses to dim the light and don't exert yourself more than necessary.

10. Taking melatonin can also help. It's best to ask your doctor about this but some people have found it useful. In North America, melatonin is available as a supplement in health food stores while in Europe and many countries it's sold as a medicine. Buy from a large, reputable firm because the purity of the product varies considerably. 2-5 mg for 2 to 4 nights on arrival has been found to be helpful.

11. Wear comfortable clothing. No need to upset your body further with being uncomfortable.

12. Take short naps when you're sleepy.

Wolves' Moon

photo © by Sascha Beck

Shift Work

If we pay attention to our biological clock/circadian rhythm, we will sleep well and all the other activities of our lives will function more effectively. This makes life difficult for shift workers whose rhythms regularly get out of sync.

I'd like to pay tribute to the many workers who have to do shift work - the workmen who plow the snow from our roads in winter, the nurses who care for patients around the clock, policemen who patrol our streets, factory workers who supply us with goods, and so many more. Thanks for your efforts, especially when they play havoc with the regular rhythm of your lives.

Here are a (very) few suggestions for dealing with changes in shifts.

Try to have your shifts rotate in a clockwise fashion so a day shift is followed by an afternoon shift which is then followed by a night shift and finally back to a day shift. Also, have your shifts last at least 3 weeks to give yourself time to adapt to them. Suggest these things to your employer as studies have shown productivity will increase and absenteeism will decrease if they are followed.

Plan to hire a taxi to take you home so you won't be driving while drowsy.

Wear sunglasses to keep out light so you can sleep more readily when you get home.

Use blackout curtains in your bedroom. (These do more than keep out the light - they can insulate a room as well.) Or use a comfortable sleep mask to simulate the darkness of night.

Use earplugs to drown out noise. If you find these uncomfortable, have 'white noise' like a fan running or a radio set to static in your room. Or, if you like, use an indoor water fountain or soothing music to help you sleep.

Make sure your family is aware of how important adequate sleep is for you and cooperates to let you have the time, space and quiet you need.

Mother and Child Sleeping

Living with Infants

Getting enough sleep when you have young babies is very difficult.

The best advice is to nap when your child naps. Although you will want a long night's sleep, napping with your child will keep you going until your baby sleeps longer.

If the house looks a mess, either let it be messy and excuse it by knowing your health is more important or

hire someone to clean for you. Sometimes friends who offer to help will be willing to clean the kitchen and living room or get the laundry done. This sleepless phase won't last forever.

Take the baby out for a walk. This will give you a change of scenery and some exercise which will help you sleep better when you get the chance. Babies seem to enjoy it, too.

Can't get back to sleep?

Trouble Getting to Sleep or Waking and Not Getting Back to Sleep

If trouble with sleep happens frequently, your best course of action is probably to visit a sleep clinic or sleep specialist. But if this is an occasional occurrence, there are some steps that might help.

1. Some experts say you should not lie awake in bed longer than 25 minutes because your mind should associate bed with sleep. They say you should get up and do something. This is helpful if you are awake because you're anxious because of something that needs to be done - like paying bills or preparing for the next day. Doing the ironing or preparing that speech or reading that report will settle your mind and allow you to sleep later.

2. Other experts say you should stay in bed and rest. Resting is not as refreshing as sleep but it is better than being active. But don't fret while you lie awake. You cannot force yourself to sleep so think of something pleasant or try some of the relaxation exercises that can be done lying in bed. (See Sleep and Stress.)

3. Experiment:

Try eliminating certain foods that you think might increase your sleeplessness - like coffee and chocolate - or eat them only before noon.
See if eating your evening meal earlier helps. Digestion of heavy meals may be interfering with a good sleep. Some people say eating cheese before bedtime gives them nightmares and then they can't sleep for the rest of the night.
Alcohol is another culprit. Don't drink near bedtime
Try exercising at an earlier time.
If you nap, cut out your nap to see if you can sleep better at night.
Try wearing a sleep mask or darken your room.
Try earplugs or mask any noise with "white" noise - like a fan running - or play soft, soothing music.
Use an essential oil diffuser and diffuse a calming scent into the room, or simply put some lavender on a cotton ball in the room.
If you sleep with a partner, try sleeping alone. This is not practical for some people if there are no other beds available, but if you have an extra bed, try sleeping alone and see if it makes a difference. Your relationship with your partner may improve if you have refreshing sleep each night!
Try lots of different things until you find something that works for you.

Contents