if initially makes you sleepy. “Alcohol can actually help you get to sleep,” Kohler says, “but once you metabolize the alcohol it destroys the quality of sleep.” Popper more bluntly put it: “Using alcohol to assist in sleep is a really bad idea.” If you’re looking for a good pre-bed snack, try a high-fat, high-protein food, such as cheese.
All right, so you’ve worked out, you’ve eaten right – what
else factors into a good night’s sleep? Well if you want to be sleep-ready come bedtime, it’s important to not go to bed overstimulated. “You need to get the brain so that it will shut off so you can get to sleep,” Kohler says. Video games, computer programs, and action-packed movies or TV shows are all things to avoid just before bed. In fact, “in the one to two hours before your desired bedtime, you really want to keep light as dim as possible,” Shives says. “When you get light at 11 o’clock at night, it’s telling your brain it’s time to get up and feed the chickens, and can really just turn on the wrong neurotransmitters.”
In general, the majority of sleep professionals seem to
agree it’s best to avoid using the bedroom for anything that isn’t sleep. “Break the association of the bedroom from wakefulness,” Popper says. “So that means no wake-time activities in the bed.”
In the end, getting the most out of sleep depends on you
and your own personal habits and preferences. What type of mattress to buy, how many blankets you use, the temperature at which you keep your bedroom – it’s all a matter of comfort, and opinion.
Sleep tight!
6 Bedroom Fixes For a Better Night’s Sleep
1 2
3 4 5 6
January/February 2012
Do your best to keep light in the bedroom to a minimum. Avoid overhead light if you can, and when reading, use a book light or, better yet,
listen to an audiobook.
If you don’t have a personal preference, try keeping the bedroom cooler rather than warm- er – it mimics the descent in cooling of body
temperature we experience when we sleep. “Most people report they feel better with a cool environ- ment,” says Dr. Lisa Shives, medical director at Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Ill.
Too much light infiltrating your bedroom? Try blackout shades, which should be available at your local furniture or hardware store, in
addition to online retailers.
Is your spouse a snorer? A good pair of ear- plugs makes for a simple, cheap solution. It might take time to adapt to wearing them at night, but it will be worth it in the long run.
If external noises are the problem, there are plenty of remedies, including white-noise machines or smartphone apps. Just be sure to
find one that works for you.
As tempting as it may be to sleep with your favorite furry friends, it’s best to keep pets out of the bedroom. “Pets are a very common cause
of awakening at night, by jumping on the bed and barking or meowing,” says Dr. Ronald Popper, of the Academy of Sleep Medicine in Darien, Ill.
Health Connections
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