 |
|
|
 |
||
 |
||
|
|
 |
| wholelife action area> getting to know myself better my working life personal relationships health - mind and body leisure, social and 'me time' mindercises |
learn
about your sleep patterns
Your
quality and quantity of sleep is intrinsically tied up with your overall
health. The question of sleep is however totally individual so there are
no hard and fast rules. Some people thrive on four hours a night, most
of us need an average of eight hours and others require more. Some people
'cat nap' during the day and then complain that they have difficulty sleeping
through the night.
People who indulge in large meals, or intense physical activity, late
at night may also experience sleep disturbance. Then there are those who
unnaturally force themselves to stay awake into the wee small hours for
matters of social convenience and consequently their sleep patterns are
put out. Alcohol is an enigmatic factor when it comes to sleep. Acting
as a depressant on the nervous system, alcohol can make you feel sleepy.
Whereas you may experience no trouble in falling asleep, you may well
toss and turn later in the night as your liver struggles to deal with
the toxins.
Lying in bed at night is often a time for re-assessing the day's events
or even your life events. With the 'wrong' kind of thinking this means
you may start to worry about things that you cannot possibly do anything
about while you are supposed to be sleeping! Stress at work, overwork,
financial worries, family tensions, personal problems can all surface
and disrupt your sleep.
If you are experiencing problems with sleep then play detective on your
particular sleep patterns and what you believe is behind them using the
questions below for guidance. Once you accept what is really going on,
it will be easier to introduce some sleep enhancing measures. Listen
to your body and common sense will tell you what to do. If you
do find yourself sleepless in the middle of the night, it is sometimes
better to read for a while than to force yourself to try and fall asleep.
What is important is that you are physically rested.
- Do
I have trouble getting to sleep at night?
- Do
I wake up in the middle of the night and find it hard to go back to
sleep?
- Do
I worry if I am awake in the middle of the night?
- Do
I follow my body's natural sleep demands?
- Do
I frequently have disturbing dreams?
- Do
I worry about my supposed problems when I lie in bed at night?
- Do
I find my mind racing with ideas when I try to sleep?
- Do
I sleep with a snorer and get disturbed throughout the night?
- Is it possible for me to move to another room if my partner is snoring?
- Is
my bedroom adequately ventilated?
- Am
I usually a comfortable temperature when in bed?
- Is
my bedroom an attractive place to be?
- Do
I often eat a large meal late at night?
- Am
I physically active late at night?
- Do
I drink alcohol late at night?
- Do
I feel generally stressed out and unable to relax?
- Do I worry about the average amount of sleep I currently have, either too much or too little?