Sleep Problems

Sleep Problems

When to call a doctor

1. You regularly take sleeping pills and cannot stop taking them.

2. You think a medicine or a health problem is causing sleep problems.

3 You or your partner snores loudly & often feel extremely sleepy during the day.

4. You your partner or your child often stops breathing, gasps and chokes during sleep.

5. Your child snores, has trouble breathing while asleep, sleeps restlessly & wakes up often, or is very sleepy during the s=day.

6.You often wake up because your legs move or get cramps

7. A full month of self care does not solve your sleep problem

Tips for better sleep

Try this 7 step formula for 2 weeks :

1. Do relaxing activities in the evening.Read but not in bed.Take a warm bath.Or do some slow easy stretches

2. Use your bed for sleeping and sex only. Do not eat, watch TV, read or work in bed.

3. Sleep only at bedtime.Do not take naps, especially in the late afternoons and evening

4.Go to bed only when you feel sleepy

5. If you wake for more than 15 minutes, get up, leave the room and do something relaxing

6. gett up at the same time every day even on weekends

These tips may help too :

1. Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool.Try using a sleep mask & earplugs. Or try a noise machine that makes relaxing sounds like waterfalls or the ocean.

2. Get regular exercise.But dont do a hard workout within 2 hours of going to bed.

3. Avoid alcohol and smoking beforebedtime.Limit caffeine and avoid it afternoon

4.Avoid foods that upset your stomach.

5. Drink a glass of warm milkat bedtime. But dont drink more than one glass of fluid before you go to bed, or you may have to get up in the night

6. Review all your prescription & non prescription medicines with a pharmacists to rule out side effects that affect your sleep.

7. Also anxiety & depression can upset your sleep