You know the problem.
You had to stay up one night for one reason or another and didn’t get enough sleep.
You squeeze in a nap the next day but now you can’t sleep at night.
Your sleep cycle has been disrupted and you don’t know how to get it back.
Dr. Tracy Chisholm, a behavioral sleep medicine psychologist with the Portland VA Medical Center, said it’s harder to deal with inadequate sleep when you are tired.
However, there are strategies you can use to get your proper sleep cycle back.
There are three practical steps you can take to get back on your sleep cycle.
1. Change the room where you sleep.
Sometimes, simply sleeping in another room will help you sleep better.
That holds true even if you sleep alone, according to doctors.
It’s a matter of relaxing and not anticipating a sleepless night.
Going to a different room can give your mind a sense of vacation.
2. Prepare for problems.
Things like a hotel, a different time zone, or guests in the home can all contribute to difficulty sleeping.
You can prepare for all these to reduce problems. Take a melatonin pill or timed light exposure.
Shift your schedule a couple of weeks before a trip to adjust to the new time.
Try to go to bed before your guests do so you have time to wind down.
3. Exercise after dinner.
Doctors say regular exercise helps sleep as long as you don’t do it right before bedtime.
Taking a walk after dinner will help relax you and is also known to help digestion, which could also help you sleep.
Conclusion
You don’t have to live with sleepless nights.
Making a plan to address the problem and following through with it will give you the sleep you need.
