I
have to admit something—I don’t sleep. Okay, I sleep, but it’s not nearly
enough. I’m lucky if I get seven hours a night, and on the weekends Let’s just
say the number decreases significantly. Judging by the long lines at the sixteen
Starbucks I pass on my way to work, I’m not alone. Work, stress,
and social lives all pose a devastating effect on our precious sleep cycles. The
majority of us are not only lacking necessary sleep hours, but the quality of
our sleep leaves something to be desired. Hoping to curb my morning dullness and
mid-afternoon sleepiness, I consulted two professional sleep experts to find out
how we can achieve the best kind of sleep—sleep that leaves us feeling rested,
alert, and not so dependent on caffeine. Figure out your perfect
number The oft-quoted "eight hours a night" is a rule not unlike
"eight glasses of water a day"—good in theory, but too general. The amount of
sleep one needs varies from person to person. "There is no magic number that
works for everybody," says Dr. Tracy Kuo, a clinical psychiatrist and sleep
disorder specialist at Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic. "As an
individual, you need to figure out what your sleep need is." However, most
doctors recommend getting somewhere between seven to eight hours of sleep. Dr.
Kenneth Weeks, a cardiologist specializing in sleep disorders and their
association with heart problems, suggests shooting for seven-and-a-half hours a
night. A good night’s sleep means we can function with a steady, healthy level
of energy throughout the next day, so find the amount of hours that allows you
to achieve this state. Make sleep a priority
Both Dr. Kuo and Dr. Weeks concur that most of us don’t realize the
importance of sleep, and they caution that this is one of the worst mistakes we
make. "A challenge we all face in modern life is valuing sleep enough,"Dr. Kuo
explains. "Most people take time away from sleep to do things, so they’re not
letting themselves get enough sleep." Sleep restriction has been linked to many
problems including mood disorders like depression and anxiety, weight gain, and
a shorter life expectancy. Just as we have to make time for health-improving and
preventative activities like exercise anti eating well, we should make sure to
incorporate an adequate amount of sleep into our schedules, too.
Limit eating and exercise prior to bedtime Eating a heavy
meal or working out too close to bedtime can cause a poor quality of sleep
because both lead to sleep fragmentation—waking up throughout the night. Dr. Kuo
advises that people "need to have enough time for that activation level caused
by exercise to decrease so that sleep is permitted." Both Kuo and Weeks
recommend eating or exercising no closer than three to four hours before
sleeping. Unfortunately, hectic schedules sometimes demand that
our meal times and gym sessions occur later at night. And, as Dr. Kuo says, "If
you go to bed starving, you’re not going to go to sleep either." Try relaxing as
much as possible after working out; lay down, take deep breaths, and focus on
cooling down your body temperature. As for midnight snack attacks, Dr. Weeks
recommends eating something "that dissolves quickly and won’t sit in the
stomach." He lists warm milk and crackers with a little peanut butter as good
options. Pinpoint the negative effects The best
way to figure out whether or not we’re getting all the sleep we need is to
figure out how a lack of sleep is really affecting our lives. If we don’t
recognize the problems, we probably won’t act on the cause. If feeling tired in
the afternoon is an everyday occurrence, if caffeine is a necessity, if you fall
asleep within five minutes of your head hitting the pillow, you need more sleep]
These are not healthy ways to go through the day, but we fail to recognize them
as serious consequences because they have become part of our everyday realities.
"People often say, ’Oh, sleep is sleep, ’ but sleep is life-saving. It’s
restorative," Dr. Weeks says. It’s wholly necessary for our physical health and
mental well-being, but it’s also one of the things we take for granted the most.
Think about this—when was the last time you woke up feeling ready to go, and
maintained that alert feeling throughout the day Chase that feeling; it’s a
good one. Say no to naps Naps seem like a great
way to catch up on lost sleep—plus, who doesn’t love a good mid-afternoon snooze
(打盹) Sadly, relying on naps too much can only exacerbate (加重) the problem of
nighttime sleep withdrawal. "Power naps are okay once in a while," Dr. Weeks
admits, but he advises minimizing them to no more than thirty minutes. People
who nap longer than thirty minutes often fall into the deep sleep phases, which
can lead to dullness upon waking instead of the restful, wakeful state that was
our intention with the nap. It is possible to catch up on sleep, but instead of
napping after a late night or all-nighter, we should instead focus on getting a
little more sleep over time. "If you .allow yourself a little more opportunity
to sleep, in about six to eight weeks, you can wipe out your sleep debt." It
seems like a lengthy process, but it is the best way for our body to recover
from a lack of sleep, and, unlike naps, it will improve the flow of our sleep
cycle. Create a good sleep setting There’s a
reason why most of us start to feel drowsy as it turns to night. When our eyes
see the skies begin to darken, it signals the pineal gland (脑部的松果腺) to leak some
chemical into the brain, which brings about yawning and dullness. That’s why a
dark room is often recommended for a restful night. Use wave machines or listen
to soothing music to block out street traffic, but don’t fall asleep to the
TV—that can lead to sleep fragmentation. Dr. Weeks also suggests keeping
business and work out of the bedroom. "Use the bedroom for only romance and
sleep," he says. Part of keeping work separate from our sleeping
area means blocking out anxieties and worries, too. They can cause fitful sleep
and nightmares, so try not to think of them prior to bed. However, since that’s
almost impossible for most people, Freud might have a better solution. "Freud
showed evidence that if you move anxieties physically, it’ll move them out of
your brain," Dr. Weeks explains. He suggests writing worries down on a piece of
paper and moving it outside of the room, or at least to the bedside table.
Wherever it’s moved to, your anxieties will hopefully be moved away from your
thoughts and dreams. It seems like lacking sleep is a source of
pride within industrial countries like the United States. If we’re losing sleep,
that supposedly means we’re being more productive and efficient. The truth is
that our bodies and minds become much less efficient the more we deprive
ourselves of sleep. Learning to recognize and combat the daily consequences can
help us avoid the more serious; long-term effects such as depression and weight
gain. Getting the best quality of sleep possible will help us ensure an overall
better quality of life. Dark setting can give a message to the brain to release chemicals that lead to ______.