Improving Your Sleep

Insufficient or poor quality sleep can leave you more irritable, tired and less able to cope with daily stressors. Therefore, improving your sleep can help to reduce anxiety. Of course, anxiety can impact your quality of sleep as well, so by using other techniques mentioned in RegulateAnxiety.com, you can improve sleep as well.

Here are some suggestions to try:

• Consider establishing a “get ready for bed routine” before going to bed every night (performing the same activities every night to condition the mind for sleep - brushing teeth, picking out clothes for the next day, etc.)
• Keep caffeine intake to a minimum (e.g., coffee, cola sodas, etc.) and/or stop use by early afternoon.
• Sleep on a comfortable bed (or make it more comfortable with a foam pad).
• Adjust room temperature to a comfortable level (Cooler may be more conducive to sleep).
• If there are any noises that wake you up at night, consider getting soft foam earplugs to block out noise.
• Establish a regular bedtime and sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time everyday.
• Try to do relaxing or mindless activities before going to bed. Anything that stimulates you (e.g., a book that you can't put down, discussing important life issues, etc.) may cause you to think or obsess and prevent you from falling asleep.
• Exercise in the late afternoon to early evening (at least 3 hours before bedtime). Don't exercise too close to bedtime as this may stimulate you.
• If possible, avoid naps during the day. If you do nap, avoid napping after 2 p.m. and allow yourself at most a 30-minute nap a day.
• Go to bed and if you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something that you find relaxing. Avoid trying too hard to get to sleep.

• If you worry while lying in bed (many people worry at night since this may be the only time they are not busy or occupied with things to do) you can try several techniques:

1. Write these thoughts/worries down on paper as a way to get them "out of your mind"; you can then go back over them at another time.
2. Distract yourself from your thoughts. The main thing to remember is to keep your attention on a mindless, repetitive, or boring task and avoid thoughts of everything else. You can use a variety of techniques like:

• Relaxation methods: Tense-and-release muscles; Breathing - either try regular breaths or count the breaths; Imagery - Picture yourself in a relaxing place visualizing sights, sounds, touch (e.g., the beach.)
• Counting: Yes, the old cliche about counting sheep can work (or just skip the sheep and count); Or try to count backwards from 100 or any other large number.
• Repeat a word or phrase at every exhalation of breath. For example, you can repeat a word like “sleep,” “calm,” “relax” or any other relaxing word that you wish.

• Put alarm clocks out of site (A time-free environment is conducive to falling asleep).
• Take a hot bath 2-4 hours before going to bed (leads to cooling of the body around midnight resulting in better sleeping).
• Try warm milk or a light snack before bed (hunger can disrupt sleep) but avoid rich foods.
• Make sure you have a dark sleep environment. Consider using a sleep mask to block out light.
• Increase exposure to bright light and natural light during the day and early evening to help regulate your circadian rhythm.
• Try to associate bed with sleep and sex only; avoid other activities like bill paying, arguments, eating, reading, etc.