0. Sleep Hygiene

1. WHAT IS SHORT SLEEP?
Recommended amount of sleep is 7-8 hours/night or 1 hour of sleep for every 2 hours awake (adults)
Current average is 6.7 hours/night
How do you know when you are sleep deprived?
Very dependent on an alarm clock
Feeling sleepy while driving
Being addicted to caffeine
Making mistakes
Forgetting
Feel depressed or “uptight”
Getting sick frequently
Always tired or fatigued

2. WHY DO WE NEED SLEEP? Relaxes, restores and revitalizes our bodies
Repairs the physical body
Consolidates learning and memory
Recharges psychological batteries to maintain emotional balance and well-being
Is as important as good nutrition or exercise in maintaining overall health
Many of the health issues associated with shift work can be traced back to a disruption in the natural course of body rhythms –sleeping during hours other than traditional night time

3. WHAT IS THE PHYSIOLOGY OF SLEEP?
Our natural sleep/wake cycle is stimulated by chemicals released in response to daylight and darkness
Even without light to guide us, our bodies would naturally adapt to a “24 hour” cycle
The onset of sleepiness is linked with increased body temperature
Body temp is lowest between 4-6 am and rises to peak between 7-8 pm
Human “internal clock” rhythms are extremely strong, and very hard to overcome, even among workers who have worked shift work their entire careers

4. HEALTH EFFECTS OF POOR SLEEP
Possibly more prone to chronic diseases, like diabetes, CVD and HTN
GI problems
Minor psychiatric
Sleep disorders
Fatigue

5. GENERAL TIPS FOR GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE
Avoid napping during the day, if your normal sleep period in night time
Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol too close to bedtime
A good exercise program can promote better sleep. Yoga exercises prior to bedtime can promote relaxation
If you sleep during normal night time hours, make sure that you get a lot of natural light during the day to maintain your body’s sleep/wake cycle

6. GENERAL TIPS FOR GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE
Try to establish a bedtime routine, which involves a quiet , relaxing activity
Associate your bed with sleep. Avoid TV, computers, radio or reading while in bed.
Make sure you have a comfortable bed. Invest in a good mattress.
Have the bedroom a little on the cooler side for better sleep.

7. SLEEP MYTHS
Sleep is a time when your body and brain shut down for rest and relaxation.
Truth: The brain may actually become more active with some processes during sleep.
Getting just 1 hour less sleep per night than needed will not have any effect on your daytime functioning.
Truth: Sleep debt can build with continuous short sleeps, and
could affect thinking, reflexes, and cardiovascular health during
the day.
Your body adjust quickly to different sleep schedules.
Truth: It can take more than a week to adjust to altered sleep/wake cycles, since our natural biological clocks work by certain chemical balances to cause wakefulness.

8. SLEEP MYTHS
You can make up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping more on the weekends
Truth: This may relieve part of a sleep debt, but it will not completely make up for lack of sleep during the week. Could also disturb the ability to get back to sleep after the weekend. .
Naps are a waste of time.
Truth: Naps do not substitute for a good night’s sleep, but can be restorative at lengths of no more than 1 hour, and taken around mid-day.
Snoring is a normal part of sleep.
Truth: Snoring, though very common, is not a normal condition and can actually make you more vulnerable to diabetes and heart disease.

9. SLEEP MYTHS The main cause of insomnia is worry.
Truth: Worry or stress could cause a short bout of insomnia, but there are many other causes, more likely, that would cause consistent insomnia.
People need less sleep as they get older.
Truth: Even though older people often get less sleep than they need, the need for effective sleep does not decrease with age.