That's Fit

Do you have trouble sleeping sometimes? Yeah. Me too. Standard recommendations for getting a good night's rest include going to bed at the same time each night, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, exercising regularly, and avoiding daytime naps. It's also good to make your bedroom a restful environment -- not for working or other activities, just for sleeping. Also, avoid using the computer and watching TV just before bed.

But what works for one person, doesn't work for everyone. In my case, it's almost necessary to sleep with the TV on. The main reason I can't sleep at night is I just can't turn my brain off enough to rest. Leaving the TV set on some old re-runs allows me to distract myself enough from worrying but yet not pay too much attention. That way, I'm able to get to sleep. It's odd, and it's completely opposite of the typical suggestions, but it's what works for me.

BBC Health users submitted some tips for beating insomnia. The tips include playing Sudoku, counting backward from 300, and writing down everything that's on your mind. They certainly aren't the most common recommendations, but they must work for the people who sent in the idea. How about you? What are your tips for a better night's sleep?

I'm a night owl. In fact, many nights my night-owlish tendencies merge right into insomnia. My son, on the other hand, is an early bird. We have a rule in our house that says he can't leave his room until 6 a.m. Otherwise, he'd have me up at 5:15 or so every morning. When you pair my late nights with my (unwilling) early mornings, you end up with one tired gal. I try to avoid napping as I worry that it will mess with my ability to sleep at night. According to this article, taking a brief snooze in the afternoon is a healthy thing to do.

I first read about this over on our sister site, DIYLife, and I was happy to see the health perks a short nap can have. Naps can boost alertness, creativity, and mood while reducing stress. Read the article for tips on when and how to nap... it just might do your body good!

"Hi. My name is Maggie and I have insomnia." There's got to be a support group for insomniacs somewhere, right? My guess is they meet at 3 a.m.

I just recently had a bad bout of insomnia where I was only getting an hour or two of sleep a night. My sleep troubles tend to come in fits and starts, however, so the bad stretch has ended and I'm back to sleeping more normally. I do notice that when I'm sleep deprived, my son's behavior changes. I'm less energetic and perhaps a bit shorter-tempered and he starts to react to that. According to a recent study, adolescents can be greatly affected by a parent's insomnia. Not only are the adolescents more prone to insomnia themselves, they're more likely to feel depressed and suicidal.

In the study, nearly 800 adolescents completed a questionnaire. Some of the children had parents with insomnia, others did not. Those who had a parent with a sleep disorder were more than three times as likely to have a sleep disorder themselves. More alarmingly, 17% of children who had a parent with insomnia reported suicidal ideations -- 11.7% more than children who didn't have a parent with insomnia.

To learn more about insomnia, hop over to AOL Body.

It's free, it takes no skill or education, and it's one of the #1 things we can all do to improve our health, yet we never seem to get enough of it. Sleep! Despite all those other qualities, sleep, for millions of Americans, is also one of the most elusive things due to time constraints, stress, and any other number of things that keep us from the getting the deep restful repose we all so desperately want and need.

Making the commitment to make sleep a priority is only the first step -- after that, beating all the sneaky obstacles (like finding the time and "getting in the mood" for sleep) becomes a necessity. Follow these tips to beat whatever sleep problems you are facing and get the best sleep possible, and hence, the best results from your healthy lifestyle and fitness efforts!

At That's Fit, we've discussed the importance of good sleep many times. A restful night's sleep can boost your energy, help manage stress, and can even help you maintain a healthy weight. But there are a lot of notions about good sleep that may or may not be true. To help you decipher fact from fiction, Revolution Health busts some of those sleep myths.

• Myth: Health issues have no relation to sleep. Fact: Other health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and depression can lead to sleeplessness or disrupted sleep patterns.
  
• Myth: The older you get, the less sleep you need. Fact: The average adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep. Older adults may have more disturbed sleep, so a short nap during the day can help them catch up on their body's need for sleep.
• Myth: Snoring isn't harmful. Fact: While, for some people, snoring is nothing but a nuisance, it can be a sign of sleep apnea.
  

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that people who have endured a traumatic event such as war, a violent crime, or abuse sometimes deal with. PTSD includes symptoms such as nightmares, irrational fears, flashbacks, anxiety, and insomnia. It affects about 7.7 million American adults and it can affect children, too.

Preliminary research suggests that PTSD patients may benefit from virtual reality psychotherapy. The virtual reality helps patients relive some of their traumatic experiences while in a safe environment. Iraq war veterans took part in the study -- taking medication and using the virtual reality treatments -- and it's helped many of them confront their fears.

Sleep is important for kids. Disturbed sleep can lead to poor school performance and behavior problems. My son is just about to turn 11. He's at his best when he gets about 10 hours of sleep though, more often than not, he wakes up after nine hours. When he gets less than that he is grumpy, unfocused, and defiant for the rest of the day. What makes matters worse is that my son has ADHD, which disrupts his sleep. It's a vicious circle, really. The ADHD makes it harder for him to sleep and a lack of sleep exacerbates his ADHD symptoms.

It turns out that my son is not alone. A recent survey found that more than 73% of kids with ADHD have sleep problems including difficult falling asleep, resistance to sleeping, and still feeling tired after waking up. There are many ways to help your child get proper sleep.

• First and foremost, speak to your doctor if your child has ADHD and is having trouble sleeping. If your child is on ADHD medication it may be worsening his/her ability to get to sleep. Your doctor may have advice for adjusting the medication or even simply modifying the time of day your child takes meds.

If insomnia has you in its wide-eyed grip, try pulling on a pair of wet socks. I've read plenty of tips to sleep like a baby, but never cold, swampy feet.

Julie's Health Blog recently shared this unusual remedy, which is published in the book Health20 by integrative physician Alexa Fleckstein and Roanne Weisman. They don't get credit for the idea -- Sebastian Kneipp, a Bavarian priest and a founder of Naturopathic medicine, introduced the concept over 100 years ago. Here's the chilly regimen:

• Before bed, put on a pair of cotton socks which have been dunked in cold water and lightly wrung.
• Then pull on a pair of dry woolen socks over the wet ones.
• Wrap your feet in a towel and hit the pillow.

Studies show cold feet and insomnia are linked. With this treatment, the cold and wet socks stimulate a rush of blood toward the feet, warming your footsies and bringing on sleep. Fleckstein claims it worked for her. I don't know, going to sleep with the aroma of wet wool and bound feet does not sound appealing. Anyone tried this one?

Medicinal herbs can be welcome relief for stress and it's side effects, including nervousness, anxiety and loss of sleep. Thus the market for consumption via herbal teas and supplements in pill or liquid form. Last week I wrote about the benefits of getting out in the garden to relieve stress. Then I got to thinking, why not include some stress-relieving medicinal herbs while you're at it?

Planting lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower, California poppy, and others in the relatively long list of herbs known for their calming effects would provide a constant supply of remedies and the peace of caring for them. Herbs that provide stress relief are often classified into various categories for treating related ailments, including anxiety, insomnia, nervousness and restlessness. There's also a breakdown of which herbs to use according to potency according to David Hoffmann's book Medical Herbalism. The same article describes such herbs as nervines: a plant remedy with some kind of beneficial effect upon the nervous system. Nervine relaxants are most important in times of stress and confusion, as they can alleviate many of the accompanying symptoms.

If you can't find appropriate plants or seeds at your local nursery, you can buy many of them online. There are also plenty of tips for growing herbs as well as ideas for growing indoors.

I struggle with bouts of insomnia. Right now I'm in a phase where, as exhausted as I am, I'm up through all hours of the night. Then, after I finally catch a few hours of sleep I wake up and walk through the day like a zombie. It's a crossroads of sorts; I'm either going to snap out of it and get back to my normal sleep pattern or I'm going to go into what I call "full-fledged insomnia" and get to the point where I'm not tired at all and can stay up all day and night. It's a frustrating and unhealthy disorder that seeps into all corners of your life. Several years ago my doctor prescribed sleep meds for me, but I had an unusual and uncomfortable reaction. Though my doctor assures me there are other medications that would work better for me, I've been scared of trying them. I choose to manage my insomnia by environment, exercise, and diet. Usually it works, though like right now my insomnia still can rear its ugly head from time to time.

Many celebrities have fessed up to having insomnia, too. With their fast-paced and high-stress lives, it's no wonder. Most recently, Heath Ledger died from an accidental overdose of a combination of sleep meds, an antihistamine, and two pain relievers. In the weeks prior to his death he had openly discussed how desperate he was for sleep.

Need help sleeping? Mother Nature may be all you need, say the Ladies Home Journal folks. Try these recommended remedies.

• Soak up the sunshine, preferably between 6:00 and 8:00 AM. Sunlight has a potent effect on your body's internal clock and this can help reset your sleep cycles. The goal: Stay awake all day; sleep all night. Letting the sun in will help you land success.

• Dim the lights, preferably between 7:00 and 8:00 PM. This will help prime your body for sleep. Do dine by candlelight. Don't use your computer at night -- the glare will stimulate your brain instead of calming it.

• Exercise in the evening. Some studies say exercising close to bedtime will leave you wired. But a new one says three workouts a week between 5:00 and 7:00 PM can help improve sleep. Perhaps exercise during these hours creates a pleasant tiredness. Maybe it helps us unwind after hectic days. Regardless, it seems to work.

• Cover your clock. Or at least move it away from your bed. The more you look at your clock during sleepless nights, the more anxiety you'll feel about not sleeping.

• Perfume your pillow. Call it aroma-sleep-therapy. Some fragrances can lead you into slumber. Try lavender or myrrh -- just put a few drops of the oils on a handkerchief and tuck in your pillowcase.

• Relax in the tub. Warm water can ease your body into sound sleep. It relaxes tired muscles and triggers a shift in body temperature -- a cue it's time to doze off.

I've struggled with sleep problems my whole life, and am certainly no stranger to bouts of insomnia. Not sleeping is more than a nuisance -- it can be overwhelmingly difficult to deal with, and it can impact every aspect of your life. So when it comes to sleep tips, I can assure you, I've tried them all. If you're having trouble getting your zzzs in, consider these steps:

• Eat dinner a few hours before bed, and don't eat too much. It's hard to sleep when you body is digesting and your stomach is uncomfortably full. And eating a nutritious diet never hurt either.
  
• Don't drink caffeine after 3pm.
  
• Don't nap -- go for a walk instead, and go to bed a bit earlier. If you must nap, make sure you nap before 3pm.
  
• Get some sort of exercise every day. This was key for me -- I rarely have trouble sleeping when I work out, but when I don't, I feel like I have extra energy at bed time.

I watch the clock every night, knowing that if I don't crawl into bed by my own personal witching hour, I'll never fall asleep. I'm like a kid -- if I get overtired, I just can't seem to doze off.

Being chronically overtired may be one of the reasons that Americans are in dire need of more sleep, though other factors may contribute as well. If you're finding yourself falling well short of the seven hour minimum recommendation most health experts agree on, try one of these 10 strategies for better sleep and see if you can't get more rest:

• reduce anxiety by putting your problems to bed before you go to bed
  
• get more exercise during the day
• reduce light pollution before bed and in the bedroom
• cut the caffiene
• avoid alcohol
• reset your body's clock
• consider taking melatonin
• talk to your doctor about medication
• try cognitive behavioral therapy
• create a sleep debt

It's not easy to beat insomnia. In fact, sometimes it can be terribly frustrating, but if you can do it, your body and your health will thank you.

I never really minded Daylight Savings Time before I was a parent, but now that I am, I wish it would just go away. Kids who aren't old enough to tell time do not like to have their schedules suddenly changed, even if it's only by an hour.

If you have kids or if you're susceptible to sleep troubles, it's a good idea to prepare yourself for Daylight Savings Time, which is coming up this weekend on March 9th. You can minimize issues by gradually changing your schedule, eating meals and going to bed earlier this week, so that when the time changes early Sunday morning, you're already an hour ahead. Eat balanced meals, get plenty of exercise, and avoid napping to help yourself fall asleep more easily.

Having trouble sleeping? If you're a smoker, it might be due in part to your cigarette habit. Recent research that studied apparently healthy smokers and non-smokers found that smokers were more likely to report restless sleep during the night. EEG patterns were also different between the two groups.

Researchers theorize that smoking before bed may make it hard to fall asleep, because nicotine is a stimulant. Later in the evening, nicotine withdrawal kicks in, causing smokers to wake more frequently. Now I understand why every smoker I've ever known needed a cigarette in the morning. If you're thinking of quitting, get head to your doctor for help in setting up your own smoking cessation program.