Yawning sometimes strikes when you're in class and listening to a lecture. Or, maybe you've fallen asleep at your desk when your boss isn't paying attention. Yawning and daytime sleepiness are common problems, and the urge to sleep is almost too hard to resist. But going to bed at the wrong time can have serious consequences, such as a bad score on a test or a harsh rebuke from your boss, and just isn't worth the pleasure of an inappropriate nap.
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Method 1 of 4: Changing Sleep Habits
Step 1. Have a regular sleep schedule
Create a sleep schedule that requires you to get up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends or holidays. Everyone's sleep needs are different, but on average, you should sleep between seven and nine hours to function optimally while awake.
- There are people who think that one hour of sleep deprivation will not affect their daily functioning or that they can make up for the lack of it on weekends or holidays. However, any changes or shifts to your regular sleep schedule will only have a negative impact on your sleep habits and cause you to yawn a lot during your wake.
- The idea that the body can quickly adjust to different sleep schedules is just a myth. While most people can reset their biological clock, this can only be done with predefined cues, and even so, only one to two hours at most. The body's internal clock takes more than a week to adjust if you're traveling to a place with a very different time zone or changing night shifts.
- Extra sleep at night can not relieve your fatigue during the day. The amount of sleep you get each night is important, but the quality of sleep is more important. You can sleep eight or nine hours at night and not feel refreshed if you don't get good quality sleep.
Step 2. Turn off all electronics and other distractions a few hours before going to bed
Turn off the television, cell phone, iPad, and computer, or remove all electronics from the bedroom altogether. The type of light emitted by electronic screens can stimulate the brain, suppress the production of melatonin (which aids sleep), and disrupt the body's internal clock.
Another option is to schedule the computer to shut itself down. This will automatically shut down your computer and prevent you from working late at night or too close to bedtime. There is a sleep feature on PCs and Macs that you can enable. Similarly, if you want your computer to be ready for use the next morning, you can also schedule a computer startup time
Step 3. Set an alarm to remind you of bedtime
If you tend to get lost in nighttime activities or chats, and forget to stick to a bedtime schedule, you can set an alarm on your phone or computer to remind you that you have 1 hour or 30 minutes to go.
If you prefer to turn off all electronics a few hours before bed, you can use an alarm on your watch or have someone at home remind you to go to bed an hour before your time
Step 4. Do a relaxing activity before bed
You can take a warm bath, read a good book, or have a light chat with your partner. Calming activities will help trigger the brain to begin to relax and stop working.
If you can't sleep, don't just lie down and stare at the ceiling. Instead, engage in calming activities to relax and take your mind off the fact that you're having trouble sleeping. Calming activities may actually help
Step 5. Make sure your room is dark, cool, and quiet
Use curtains or heavy curtains to block light from the windows. Cover all electronic screens, such as televisions or computers, to prevent light from shining in the room. You can also use a sleeping mask to cover your eyes and create darkness which will help you sleep.
If you're having trouble sleeping because of the noise outside the window or your partner's snoring, consider buying good earplugs or a white noise machine
Step 6. Try to wake up with the sun
You can also set an alarm so that bright light enters the room in the morning at the same time every day. Sunlight helps reset the body's internal clock.
Sleep experts recommend one hour of sun exposure for people who have trouble sleeping
Step 7. Avoid going to bed after 3pm
The best time for a nap is usually in the middle of the day, before 3 o'clock. At that time, you may feel sleepy after lunch or a decrease in alertness level. Napping before 3pm won't interfere with your night's sleep.
Nap is quite short, between 10 and 30 minutes. This is to prevent inertia, which is a condition when you feel weak and confused after a nap that is longer than 30 minutes
Step 8. Have a sleep journal
A sleep journal or diary can be very useful to help identify habits that may be making it difficult to sleep. You can also find out if there are symptoms of sleep disorders. Fill in your journal with notes about:
- What time do you sleep and wake up.
- Total hours and sleep quality.
- How long do you spend awake and what do you do. For example, “lying with eyes closed”, “counting sheep”, “reading a book”.
- The type and amount of food and drink you consume before bed.
- Your feelings and moods before bed, such as “happy”, “stressed”, “anxious”.
- Medications you take, such as sleeping pills, including the dose and time you take them.
- Watch for any triggers that start repeating themselves in your sleep journal, and see if there are ways to prevent or limit them. For example, maybe you often don't get a good night's sleep on Fridays after drinking two martinis. Try not to drink at all next Friday and see if you sleep better.
Step 9. Take sleeping pills only when needed
Sleeping pills taken for a short period of time and as directed by your doctor will help you sleep. However, sleeping pills are only a temporary solution. In fact, sleeping pills often actually worsen insomnia and other sleep problems in the long term.
- Use sleeping pills only as needed for short-term situations, such as when you are traveling to many different time zones or while recovering from a medical procedure.
- Using sleeping pills only as needed, not every day, will also prevent dependence on drugs to help you sleep every night.
Step 10. Be aware of over-the-counter medications that can cause insomnia and sleep problems
There are some medications with side effects that can have a negative impact on your sleep patterns and your freshness during the day. Medications that can interfere with sleep include:
- Nasal decongestants.
- Aspirin and other headache medications.
- Painkillers containing caffeine.
- Cold and allergy medicine containing antihistamines.
- If you take one of these medications, try reducing the dose. Or, find an alternative method of dealing with the problem so you can stop taking the drug.
Method 2 of 4: Changing Your Diet and Exercise
Step 1. Avoid foods that contain tryptophan during the day
Tryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid that the brain converts into serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical that helps sleep. So, avoiding foods that contain tryptophan can help you stay fresh during the day. Among the foods that contain tryptophan are:
- Dairy products
- Banana
- Turkey
- Yogurt
- Wheat Cracker
- Peanut butter
Step 2. Do not consume caffeine four to six hours before bedtime
About half of the caffeine you consume at 7 p.m. is still in your body by 11 p.m. Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, chocolate, carbonated beverages, non-herbal teas, diet pills, and some pain relievers. Limit the amount of coffee you drink a few hours before bedtime, or try to stop drinking coffee completely.
Alcohol also prevents deep sleep and REM sleep. You will only be in a shallow sleep stage so it will be easy to wake up and have difficulty falling asleep again. Avoid drinking alcohol 1-2 hours before bed to ensure you get a good night's sleep
Step 3. Have a light snack a few hours before your normal bedtime
Eating a large meal before bed can cause indigestion that will disrupt the schedule. Choose a light snack, such as fruit, to prevent stomach rumbling at night.
Step 4. Don't drink 90 minutes before bed
Drinking too much before bed can make you wake up to pee. Your body needs 90 minutes to process the fluids you drink, so don't drink a large glass of water right before bed so you don't wake up with a full bladder.
Step 5. Make a commitment to exercise, at least 20 to 30 minutes a day
Daily exercise has been shown to help sleep. However, exercising too close to bedtime can actually interfere with your sleep schedule. Try to exercise about five to six hours before bedtime.
Method 3 of 4: Addressing Specific Sleep Problems
Step 1. Think about environmental issues that might keep you awake
Changes in your life or even your sleeping environment can cause sleep problems. Have you recently moved house? Are you sleeping in a new room or with a new partner? Are you sleeping on a new mattress or pillow? Changes like these, even small ones, can affect levels of anxiety or stress. This will then affect your ability to sleep well.
If you think the problem is the environment, consider using a matress pad to make the mattress more comfortable. Or, place an item from your old room in a new room. Create a sense of calm and security in the bedroom to help
Step 2. Adjust your sleep schedule if you have night shifts
Working odd hours or shifts can mess with your sleep schedule, especially if your shift is a regular one.
- Neutralize shift shifts by adding a 30-minute nap to your sleep schedule and extending your bedtime. You should also only use caffeine at the beginning of a shift to increase alertness at night and rest during the day. Try to minimize the number of shift changes so that your body's internal clock has more time to adjust to your new work schedule.
- You may need to talk to your doctor about prescription short-acting sleeping pills to help you sleep during the day.
Step 3. Follow the rising and setting of the sun if you experience jet lag
Adjusting the new time zone may take a few days or even a week. Traveling eastwards causes more jet lag than traveling westwards because traveling east means shortening the day while the internal clock can better adjust to longer days than shorter days.
- Once you arrive at your destination, reduce your exposure to light at bedtime and increase your exposure to light when you wake up. Spend a lot of time outside to get used to the light in the new time zone.
- Adjust the internal clock by getting enough sleep 2-3 days before the trip. If you're traveling west, make small changes to your sleep schedule by progressively delaying normal sleep and waking hours at 20–30 minute intervals. If you are traveling east, advance your normal waking time by 10-15 minutes a day 2-3 days before your trip and try to advance your bedtime by 10-15 minutes.
- Talk to your doctor about melatonin supplements to neutralize jet lag. Melatonin supplements are considered safe to take for days or weeks, but their effectiveness on jet lag is controversial. According to some studies, taking a melatonin supplement a few days before arriving in a new time zone can help you sleep at the right time. Yet another study found that melatonin did not help relieve jet lag.
Method 4 of 4: Getting a Medical Assessment
Step 1. Check your current medication with your doctor
There are many medications with side effects that keep you up at night or cause sleep problems.
- Consult your doctor if you are taking medication for asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Many of the medications used to treat this problem contain steroids and a compound called theophylline, a stimulant that keeps you up at night.
- If you take heart medications or medications for arthritis, you may experience insomnia and nightmares from these medications.
- You may also have trouble sleeping if you take antidepressants. If you suffer from depression or anxiety, you may also have insomnia or trouble sleeping.
Step 2. Get tested for sleep disorders
Talk to your doctor about specific symptoms or patterns in your sleep problems. If you are irritable or sleepy during the day, have trouble staying awake when sitting still, fall asleep while driving, and need caffeine every day to stay alert, you may have a sleep disorder. There are four main types of sleep disorders, namely:
- Insomnia: The most common sleep complaint. Insomnia is usually a symptom of other problems, such as stress, anxiety, depression, or other health problems. Insomnia can also be caused by lifestyle choices, such as medications used, lack of exercise, jet lag, or caffeine intake.
- Sleep apnea: Occurs when breathing temporarily stops during sleep because the upper airways are blocked. This cessation of breathing interferes with sleep and causes you to wake up frequently at night. Sleep apnea is a serious and potentially life-threatening sleep disorder. If you have this disorder, you should talk to your doctor and have a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. These devices deliver airflow into your airways while you sleep and can treat this disorder.
- Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS): RLS, or restless leg syndrome, is a sleep disorder caused by an irresistible urge to move the arms and legs. This urge usually occurs when you lie down and is caused by an uncomfortable tingling sensation in your arms and legs.
- Narcolepsy: This sleep disorder involves excessive and uncontrolled sleepiness during the day. This disorder is caused by a dysfunction of the mechanisms in the brain that control sleep and wakefulness. If you have narcolepsy, you may experience "drowsiness attacks" that make you fall asleep in the middle of a conversation, while at work, or even while driving.
Step 3. Ask your doctor about a sleep aid center
If your doctor refers you to a sleep assistance center, the specialist will monitor your sleep patterns, brain waves, heart rate, and fast eye movements by monitoring the device you have attached to your body. A sleep specialist will analyze the results of your sleep study and develop a suitable treatment program.
