Ten Tips Towards Experiencing a Good Night's Sleep
Expert advice from Janice Raffa, RN, BSN, Highmark Inc.
PITTSBURGH, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Sleep affects how you feel, your relationships, your productivity and your quality of life. Whether you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too soon; with a few changes in your habits and your sleep environment, you can look forward to a more sound sleep and a refreshed morning.
1. Always maintain a regular sleep schedule, including on the weekends. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day even if you haven't slept well.
2. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, such as soaking in a hot bath, reading a book, playing a quiet game or listening to soothing music.
3. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, comfortable, cool and quiet. This also includes sleeping on a comfortable mattress and pillow and minimizing noise in the house.
4. Remove all work materials, personal digital assistants, computers and televisions out of your sleeping environment.
5. Avoid heavy meals close to bedtime. Try eating tryptophan-rich foods, such as milk, cheese, peanuts, as a light snack at least two hours before bedtime.
6. Whether it's vigorous or moderate, get some sort of exercise everyday.
7. Limit your caffeine consumption, avoid tobacco use and alcohol late in the evening.
8. If watching the clock makes you anxious about sleeping or waking, turn the clock so you can't see it or put it in a drawer.
9. Try journaling early in the day to help you express joy or vent feelings and frustrations, gain insight and solve problems so you don't carry anxious thoughts to bed.
10. If you can't fall asleep, or you wake up in the middle of the night, get out of bed and go to another room until you feel sleepy.
If a good night's sleep continues to elude you, keep track of your sleep and lifestyle habits in a sleep diary to try and identify any patterns that may be contributing to poor sleep.
Highmark Offers Help for the Sleep Deprived Members
Highmark offers free online help for the sleep deprived. Overcoming(tm) Insomnia is an online sleep improvement program that offers tailored recommendations and clinically proven techniques to help members improve their sleep. Login today to enroll.
This program and other health and wellness programs are available free to Highmark members and for a nominal fee, to non-Highmark members through local community centers and hospitals. For program locations, call 1-800-879-2217.
About the expert
Janice Raffa, RN, BSN is a Program Development and Implementation Strategist for Highmark Inc. In this position, she is responsible for the development of educational materials for community and worksite groups.
She holds a bachelor's degree in Nursing from Penn State University and previously worked as a Clinical Outcomes Consultant in the Quality Management division of Highmark. She continues to work as a pediatric nurse at Green Tree Pediatrics in Green Tree, Pa.
About Highmark Inc.
As one of the leading health insurers in Pennsylvania, Highmark Inc.'s mission is to provide access to affordable, quality health care enabling individuals to live longer, healthier lives. Based in Pittsburgh, Highmark serves 4.8 million people through the company's health care benefits business. Highmark contributes millions of dollars to help keep quality health care programs affordable and to support community-based programs that work to improve people's health. Highmark exerts an enormous economic impact throughout Pennsylvania. A recent study states that Highmark's positive impact exceeded $2.5 billion. The company provides the resources to give its members a greater hand in their health.
Highmark Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. For more information, visit www.highmark.com.
SOURCE Highmark Inc.
Share this article