November 1995

Health News

Nearly two-thirds of all sleepers complain about the quality of their sleep. The following factors can affect the quality of sleep:

• Alcohol can affect both dreams and the deepest sleep stage. Make your drink with dinner the last of the evening.
• The room temperature should be between 60 and 65 degrees.
• Aches and pains from strenuous exercise can keep you awake.
• The effects of caffeine often last six to seven hours.
• Nicotine can discourage sleep.
• An irregular schedule can disrupt the body's regular rhythm and affect sleep.

Some pre-bedtime tips are:

• Relax before bedtime ( take a bath, read, enjoy milk and cookies).
• If you are in the habit of taking a daytime nap, eliminate it.
• Put off you bedtime. The longer you wait, the more likely you'll sleep well.
• Set your alarm an hour earlier than usual, so that you will be more tired the following night. Then, over time, move the alarm setting forward in 15-minute increments until you are sleeping through the night. Slowly extend your sleep period until you have recaptured the time lost.