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Five Tips from the Sleep Doctor

4/18/2014

10 sheep sleep while a woman awake in bed wonders if they're asleep or dead, who killed them and why

What keeps mystery writers awake at night

I used to spend hours awake in bed at night. My visit to a sleep specialist changed that.

In addition to the usual good advice to cut down on caffeine after noon and on alcohol at night, he offered five suggestions that I hadn't heard before and that really helped me break the habit of sleeplessness.

Turn off the computer 90-120 minutes before your planned sleep time. Exposure to light from monitors lowers melatonin, a hormone that regulates the internal clock and affects the sleep cycle.
Plan to go to sleep during the same one-hour range each night (for example, 10:30- 11:30). However . . .
Don't go to bed unless you’re sleepy. Sit in a comfortable chair and read, knit, do a crossword, or watch something boring on TV (lots of choices there), but don't watch TV in bed. Go to bed when you can't stay awake any longer.
Never stay awake in bed for longer than 20 minutes. Get up and do something else : See #3.
Keep a notebook on your night table to jot down any inspirations that come to you in the middle of the night. Knowing that you won’t forget your brilliant idea by morning makes it easier to fall asleep. This really works!

Please share any tips you have for getting a good night's sleep.

12 Comments

Carolyn Mulford link

4/18/2014 04:08:54 pm

I like to listen to something funny and undemanding on television, I don't say watch because I take off my glasses and, fairly often, fall asleep with the TV on.

Maya link

4/19/2014 02:39:25 am

Funny and undemanding TV sounds like a good formula for sleep. It explains why I doze off while watching Castle, usually just before the murderer is revealed.

Grace Topping

4/19/2014 01:27:25 am

Hi, Maya --

Great tips. When I can't sleep, one thing that works for me everytime is to listen to a recorded book on CD. I put an ear plug in one ear (so as not to disturb my husband), curl up on my other side, and listen to a good mystery. Sometimes I listen for quite awhile; other times it lulls me quickly to sleep. This works better than reading in bed because I know I don't have to switch off the light, which usually wakes me up again. The recorder will turn itself off at the end of the CD. The only down side is that I have to figure out where I lost track of the book when I want to start listening to it again. And I never leave home without a recorded book in my car. Makes any trip go faster. Our library has a wonderful selection of recorded books.
Grace

4/19/2014 02:53:48 am

Hi Grace,
Thanks for a great tip. I never thought of listening to an audio book in bed. They always lull me to sleep in the car unless I'm driving. If I'm in the passenger seat, when I wake up from an audio-book-induced nap, I tell my husband the last thing I remember, and he summarizes what I missed. "Reading" a book takes much less time that way!--Maya

June Shaw link

4/19/2014 01:56:14 am

Thanks for sharing this great advice. I'll share it with others who have a problem sleeping.

Maya

4/19/2014 02:55:00 am

Thanks for commenting, June. I hope the advice helps.--Maya

Alyssa Maxwell link

4/19/2014 03:43:31 am

I also listen to audio books before going to sleep. It's like a bedtime story. And reading with a light on can actually keep me awake longer. Usually I'll feel myself starting to nod off, and then I'll turn it off and go right to sleep. Then I just backtrack a little the next night.

4/19/2014 04:41:53 am

Thanks for your comment, Alyssa. Another vote for audio books as a sleep aid--I should share the "bedtime story" advice with my sleep doctor to add to his bag of tricks.

G.M. Malliet link

4/20/2014 12:30:51 am

I love this cartoon!

Fran Muzio

3/31/2015 04:13:52 pm

I travel a lot, and often find it hard to sleep in a "strange" bed. I solved the problem by taking a "white noise" machine with me when I travel. Most white noise machines are small, some as small as a wallet, and they can be set to play a selected soothing sound, such as surf, rain, wind, stream, birds, etc. I set it to run all night at a very low volume, and it always works like a charm!

Mary Ann Corrigan

4/2/2015 03:18:51 am

Thanks for commenting, Fran. I enjoy listening to the surf on a white noise machine, though I'd rather be somewhere I can hear it by opening a window!

4/2/2015 03:23:38 am

True, most specifically in Hawaii!

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Five Tips from the Sleep Doctor

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