Stop Sleeping Problems! - Tricks and techniques to a good night sleep

We spend a third of our life sleeping. A study by David Myers found the average amount of sleep we get each night is decreasing. In 1942 people on average were sleeping 7.5 hours per night. His 2001 study found people on average are sleeping 6.7 hours per night. What has changed?

There's nothing more frustrating then feeling tired, then lying down in bed and not being able to sleep. I spent many nights like this, tossing and turning, feeling tired but not being able to do anything about it. It's even more frustrating when you are sharing the bed with someone who falls asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow.

There are some sleeping disorders in which these tricks would not be of much use for, however my aim is to help those who are like myself. I can spend all night tossing and turning, especially during times of stress.

The first and most important tip, is don't read in bed, or watch tv in bed, or use the bed for anything other than sleeping and sex.. sex is okay. Maybe people believe by reading in bed, they will become tired and drift off to sleep. And for some people this works. However, if you are like me and find yourself not being able to fall asleep after reading in bed each night, then this might be a key.

Our bodies are very routine driven and are quick to associate certain places with certain events. Idealy you want your body to asocciate the bed and bedroom with sleep. By reading (or watching tv) in bed, you're teaching your body the bed is no more for sleeping than the couch is.  And for sensitive sleepers like me, this can be enough to leave you tossing and turning all night.

I have found I can read in bed maybe one or two nights, but by the third night my body has associated the bed with reading, and it takes me much longer to fall asleep. This is different for everyone I'm sure, but it's worth experimenting with.

The fact that caffine can keep us awake at night is not a secret. However, you need to learn how sensitive you personally are to caffine, and avoid having it late in the day if you are highly sensitive to it.

The average half-life of caffene for a non-smoking adult is 3-4 hours. A half-life means the amount of time it takes for the body to eliminate half of the consumed caffine. One surprise I discovered while researching this topic was the extended half-life of caffine for women taking oral contraceptives. See below.

Several factors can lengthen caffeine's half-life, such as some medications, liver diseases, pregnancy, and the level of enzymes in the liver needed for caffeine metabolism. The half-life of caffeine in a pregnant women is 18-20 hours; the half-life in women taking oral contraceptives is up to 13 hours. Source: Erowid

Caffine is not only present in coffee, it is also in tea, iced tea (Nestea), chocolate, and many softdrinks. A more concise list can be found here.

• Our bodies thrive on routine - maintaining the same time for going to sleep and waking up will help ensure a good night sleep
• Try not to think about anything that will stress you out - difficult perhaps, but necessary
• Make your room as dark and quiet as possible
• Give your brain a chance to relax before you go to bed. Don't study right until you go to bed.
• A hot bath can help you drift off, since sleep is normally preceded by a drop in body temperature, the drop in body temperature after a bath can be a cue to your body that it's time to sleep. Source.