Tips For A Good Nights Rest

Many can relate to the lethargic symptoms associated with the lack of a good nights sleep. Without a routine good nights rest the effects of sleeplessness can be felt in daily functioning at both home and work. Sleeplessness can be a factor or symptom in some mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. There are also more significant sleep issues that could be attributed to medical conditions such as sleep apnea or insomnia. It is always encouraged to discuss any sleep related concerns with your medical and mental health providers to help determine the cause and help guide best treatment for you,

Some suggestions to support a good nights sleep:

-put phone and other electronic devices aside for 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime

-as much as possible, keep a consistent bedtime and wake time

-maintain the bed for sleep time only; if you have difficulty falling asleep, get up and do something else, like read on the couch or sweep the kitchen floors

-try calming aromatherapy, such as lavender oils in the bath or linen sprays intended for bed time use.  

-develop a night time routine (think of it like we do for children...a warm bath, glass of milk, read a chapter of a book, and lights out)

-if you are laying in bed and having difficulty falling asleep instead of counting sheep, try something that works your brain differently, like recalling the first and last name of those you attended grade school with, in alphabetical order (e.g., Alison Smith, Bob Brown, Charlie Moore)

-If you happen to be more sensitive to noise within or outside your home, consider purchasing a white noise machine or small fan to drown out any sounds that could prevent you from falling or staying asleep

- With a doctors approval, try an over the counter natural herbal remedy, such as Melatonin, Valerian, or Chamomile to help.

-If you are particularly anxious or depressed there is a likelihood that you will experience some sleep disturbance, so it may be beneficial to consult with your primary doctor or psychiatrist to discuss more medical based interventions to help you get the best rest possible

If you find yourself having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and would like to discuss this with a professional counselor to see how we may be of help, contact us at Gaithersburg Counseling Center at 240-274-5680, admin@healingllc.com or visit our website atwww.healingllc.com

12 Tips for Successful Sleep

Tips for better sleep - try out a few of these techniques and find out which ones work for you!

1. Turn off all electronics one hour before bedtime. This includes computer, TV’s and cell phones. The blue light from the LCD or laptop screen suppresses your body’s natural sleep chemical, Melatonin. Also, the action and engagement on the TV or computer makes your body’s daytime stress chemicals such as adrenaline spike making it difficult to sleep.
2. Establish a night time routine. The last 30-45 minutes before bed should be the same each night. Establishing a routine helps your body know what to expect when bedtime is approaching. This routine will cue your circadian, internal clock, to get ready for sleep.
3. Increase the amount of self-care and relaxation activities in your life. Make sure you are relaxing and taking care of yourself. That might be reading a good book, taking a warm bubble bath or doing some light stretching as you get ready for bed.
4. Exercise early in the day. Getting your heart rate up each day can help improve sleep at night. Try to avoid exercising a few hours before bed, and try to get your work out in the morning or early afternoon. Not only is exercise good for your mood because it boosts the feel good chemicals such as Seratonin, it also decreases stress. Exercising will help your body use its extra energy during the day so you don’t have to lie awake at night.
5. Avoid putting chemicals in your body, especially the chemicals that are stimulants or depressants. This includes alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and other drugs. You might think alcohol will help you sleep because it is a depressant, but while you might fall asleep faster, the quality of sleep is decreased as the alcohol metabolizes.
6. Create the perfect environment. Make sure the bedroom is dark at night, and let light in when morning comes. You may have to turn your alarm clock around so the lights are not facing you or block blinking lights by covering them. Use soft, comfortable sheets and maintain a temperature that is comfortable for you. Creating the proper environment will help you sleep better.
7. Eat, Drink and be sleepy! Be sure to eat small meals throughout the day, the last one a few hours before bed. Also remember to drink water throughout the day and into the evening, just not too much right before bed or you will wake up to use the bathroom.
8. Try some Deep Breathing. Taking even 10 long, deep breaks helps decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, helping to prepare your body for sleep.
9. Practice a Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercise, which incorporates Deep Breathing and working each of the muscles of your body then releasing the tension. You can find step by step guides online or check out the following youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFwCKKa--18.
10. Stop pressuring yourself to go to sleep, focus on the process of relaxing and winding down, the sleep will come. If you push yourself too hard to sleep, for example saying to yourself, “I have to go to sleep in the next 10 minutes or I will be tired tomorrow” it is too much pressure and you will have more trouble sleeping. Try reframing your thought to “I am feeling good, relaxing and getting tired now, and I will fall asleep when it is time to sleep.”
11. If you still find yourself unable to sleep, talking to a counselor can help you alleviate the stressors and anxieties that contribute to your not sleeping. If you would like to set up an appointment with one of our therapists, call 240-274-5680 for more information.
12. Medication can help. If you have tried all these options and still can not sleep, medication can help. There are a range of medications, from more natural options such as Melatonin to prescription medications that can help you get the sleep you need to feel rested and awake during the day.

Try out a few of these techniques and find out which ones work for you!

If you are looking to connect with one of the therapists at our center, we have three wonderful counselors at our practice who specialize in different areas. If you want help individually or as a couple, if you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or depressed and want support managing all of those feelings, and getting help figuring out what to do, call us today for a free consultation. You can call Amy directly at 240-274-5680 or by email at AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com and we can get you set up with a therapist who will be the best fit for you. Visit www.HealingLLC.com for details.

Trouble Sleeping?

Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Do you often lie awake at night, thinking about and worrying about everything you have to do? If so, you are one of many people who has sleep troubles. Because sleep is so important to living a healthy life, we decided to devote the Winter edition of Healing Times to helping you get more sleep! Rest assured, there are many remedies to sleeplessness. The key is finding out which ones work for you.

In this blog, we will get down to basics and discuss the topic of sleep and in the next blog 12 solutions to your sleep problems. If you have a friend or family member who you think could benefit from learning about getting better sleep, please feel free to forward this newsletter to them.

We hope the information in this blog will help empower you to have the courage to change what is not working for you and embrace what is. This will, in turn help you live your life in a more fulfilling and meaningful way.

Remember: "May sleep envelop you as a bed sheet floating gently down, tickling your skin and removing every worry. Reminding you to consider only this moment." -Jeb Dickerson

While sleeping, the body is able to reenergize and recuperate. In addition, sleep helps your immune system stay strong. When you are asleep, your brain can process the events and stressors of the day, leaving you less overwhelmed with life if you get the proper amount of sleep. On the other hand, getting too little sleep can cause irritability, and/or a diminished capacity to handle stress, which can in turn lead to both physical and emotional issues.

Stayed tuned for 12 Tips for Improved Sleep, posted in February! If you have any comments or suggestions for what you want to see in our next blog, please send them to AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com. Visit www.HealingLLC.com/cso for details.

Take Good Care,
Amy L. Hooper
Director, Another Look at Healing, LLC

Quiz: How much do you know about sleep?

Quiz published by: NIH Medline Plus Summer 2007 Issue: Volume 2 Number 3 Pages 18 - 19. http://www.nlm.nih.gov

Use this brief, time-saving questionnaire to help determine how much you know about sleep and to learn a few new facts.

TRUE OR FALSE ?

_____1. Sleep is a time when your body and brain shut down for rest and relaxation.

_____2. If you regularly doze off unintentionally during the day, you may need more than just a good night's sleep.

_____3. If you snore loudly and persistently at night and are sleepy during the day, you may have a sleep disorder.

_____4. Opening the car window or turning the radio up will keep the drowsy driver awake.

_____5. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder marked by "sleep attacks."

_____6. The primary cause of insomnia is worry.

_____7. One cause of not getting enough sleep is restless legs syndrome.

_____8. The body has a natural ability to adjust to different sleep schedules such as working different shifts or traveling through multiple time zones quickly.

_____9. People need less sleep as they grow older.

_____10. More people doze off at the wheel of a car in the early morning or midafternoon than in the evening.

Snooze You Can Use—
Sleep Quiz Answers

1. False is correct. Although it is a time when your body rests and restores its energy levels, sleep is an active state that affects both your physical and mental well being.

2. True is correct. Many people doze off unintentionally during the day despite getting their usual night of sleep. This could be a sign of a sleep disorder.

3. True is correct. Persistent loud snoring at night and daytime sleepiness are the main symptoms of a common and serious sleep disorder, sleep apnea. Another symptom is frequent long pauses in breathing during sleep, followed by choking and gasping for breath.

4. False is correct. Opening the car window or turning the radio up may arouse a drowsy driver briefly, but this won't keep that person alert behind the wheel. Even mild drowsiness is enough to reduce concentration and reaction time. The sleep-deprived driver may nod off for a couple of seconds at a time without even knowing it—enough time to kill himself or someone else.

5. True is correct. People with narcolepsy fall asleep uncontrollably—at any time of the day, in all types of situations—regardless of the amount or quality of sleep they've had the night before. Narcolepsy is characterized by these 'sleep attacks,' as well as by daytime sleepiness, episodes of muscle weakness or paralysis, and disrupted nighttime sleep.

6. False is correct. Insomnia has many different causes, including physical and mental conditions and stress. Insomnia is the perception that you don't get enough sleep because you can't fall asleep or stay asleep or get back to sleep once you've awakened during the night. It affects people of all ages, usually for just an occasional night or two, but sometimes for weeks, months, or even years.

7. True is correct. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a medical condition distinguished by tingling sensations in the legs—and sometimes the arms—while sitting or lying still, especially at bedtime. The person with RLS needs to constantly stretch or move the legs to try to relieve these uncomfortable or painful symptoms. As a result, he or she has difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and usually feels extremely sleepy and unable to function fully during the day. Good sleep habits and medication can help the person with RLS.

8. False is correct. The human body's biological clock programs each person to feel sleepy during the nighttime hours and to be active during the daylight hours. So people who work the night shift and try to sleep during the day are constantly fighting their biological clocks. This puts them at risk of error and accident at work and of disturbed sleep. Sleeping during the day in a dark, quiet bedroom and getting exposure to sufficient bright light at the right time can help improve daytime alertness.

9. False is correct. As we get older, we don't need less sleep, but we often get less sleep. That's because our ability to sleep for long periods of time and to get into the deep restful stages of sleep decreases with age. Older people have more fragile sleep and are more easily disturbed by light, noise, and pain. They also may have medical conditions that contribute to sleep problems. Going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every morning, getting exposure to natural outdoor light during the day, and sleeping in a cool, dark, quiet place at night may help.

10. True is the correct answer. Our bodies are programmed by our biological clock to experience two natural periods of sleepiness during the 24-hour day, regardless of the amount of sleep we've had in the previous 24 hours. The primary period is between about midnight and 7:00 a.m. A second period of less intense sleepiness is in the midafternoon, between about 1:00 and 3:00. This means that we are more at risk of falling asleep at the wheel at these times than in the evening--especially if we haven't been getting enough sleep.

If you are looking to get some help with your sleeping or other issues but are not sure where to start, call us today for a free consultation. You can call Amy directly at 240-274-5680 or by email at AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com and we can get you set up with a therapist that will be the best fit for you. Visit www.HealingLLC.com for details.