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Your
lifestyle plays a pivotal part in your sleep patterns. If you have
trouble sleeping try keeping a ‘sleep journal’ for a week to
evaluate your sleeping routine. Try jotting down what time you went
to sleep, how long it took you go fall asleep, how many times you
woke up and how you felt in the
morning.
Share your results with your doctor for help into a treatment plan.
Lifestyle factors that promote healthy sleep are:
Use
your bedroom only for sleep
Have
a regular bedtime routine and sleeping pattern
Exercise
everyday (but not within 4-6 hours of going to bed)
Try
relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga
Lifestyle
factors that inhibit sleep are:
Drinking
caffeine in the evening
Eating
large meals just before going to bed
Smoking
Taking
naps in the day, especially if longer than an hour
(Morgan
K (2003). Daytime activity and risk factors for late-life insomnia.
Journal of Sleep Research, 12(3): 231–238).
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