Good Sleep Guide
Text of a leaflet used in the practice. Crown copyright 1994.
DURING THE DAY
1 Do not have catnaps during the day.
2 Do not smoke.
3 Do not drink alcohol excessively.
4 Avoid arguments with others; thinking about them may keep you awake.
5 Do not work long hours.
DURING THE EVENING
1 Put the day to rest. Think it through. Tie up "loose" ends in your mind and plan ahead. A notebook may help.
2 Take your mind off the stresses of the day with a relaxing hobby or other non-strenuous activity.
3 Take some light exercise regularly early in the evening. Generally try to keep yourself fit. However, avoid strenuous activity just before bedtime.
4 Wind down during the course of the evening. Do not do anything that is mentally demanding within 90 minutes of bedtime.
5 Do not sleep or doze in the armchair. Keep your sleep for bedtime.
6 Do not drink too much coffee, tea or cola type drinks and only have a light snack for supper. A heavy indigestible meal may delay sleep.
7 Do not drink alcohol to aid your sleep - it usually upsets the sleep pattern quite considerably.
AT BEDTIME
1 Have a warm, milky drink without caffeine, before going to bed.
2 Your bed should be comfortable and sufficiently firm to give good support throughout the night.
3 Ensure that the bedroom is warm, dark and free from distracting outside noises.
4 Go to bed when you are "sleepy tired" and not before.
5 Put the light out when you get into bed
6 Do not read or watch TV in bed. Keep these activities for another room. If you have a radio with a time switch, you may lull your self to sleep with soft music, setting the radio to switch off after 30-60 minutes.
7 Set the alarm to awaken you at the same time every day, seven days a week, at least until your sleep pattern settles down.
8 Let yourself relax and tell yourself that "sleep will come when it's ready". Enjoy relaxing, even if you don't at first fall asleep.
Do not try to fall asleep. Sleep is not something you can switch on deliberately, but if you try to switch it on, you can certainly switch it off.
IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS GETTING TO SLEEP
1 Remember that sleep problems are quite common and they are not as damaging as you might think. Try not to get upset or frustrated.
2 If you are awake in bed for more than 20 minutes, then get up and go into another room.
3 Do something relaxing for a while and don't worry about tomorrow. People usually cope quite well, even after a sleepless night.
4 Go back to sleep when you feel "sleepy tired".
5 Remember the tips from the previous section and use them again.
A good sleep pattern may take a number of weeks to establish. Be confident that you will achieve this in the end by working through the advice given here. Read the document through regularly to ensure that all the advice is being followed.
GENERAL INFORMATION particularly for carers of the elderly.
1 Older people need less sleep at night, particularly if they doze during the day.
2 It is important to have a set time for getting up. The time for going to bed can be more flexible.
3 It is normal for older people to awaken several times during the night. This is not harmful. Being awake does not necessarily mean that the individual is distressed. Resting in bed is almost as good as sleeping.
4 A good night's sleep may follow a sleepless night, without the need to resort to a sleeping pill.
5 Physical symptoms, especially pain, which disturb sleep should be treated in their own right.
The doctor should be alerted to symptoms of anxiety or depression.
A range of activities should be encouraged in order to maintain alertness and interest in life.
Sleeping pills are addictive. They always have to be restricted to occasions when really necessary.
Sleeping pills taken regularly can also lead to the reestablishment of the previous disturbed sleep patterns, i.e. the pill is required to maintain the pattern it was originally prescribed for!
Sleeping pills can have hangover effects the next day causing difficulty with concentration, drowsiness and even falls. Such falls, particularly in the elderly, can lead to serious injury which can be fatal.
The self help organisation Sleep Matters provides support and information leaflets. They can be contacted on 020 8994 9874.
The Sleep Council http://www.sleepcouncil.com/
The Minster Practice, Lichfield
