Changing your lifestyle

To treat insomnia, which can cause physical, mental and emotional problems, the first thing you must do is to adopt healthy habits and to create a positive environment for good sleep.

+ Changing daily habits doesn't happen over night. It's important to have a healthy outlook and consider the negative and positive results of your habits. This outlook will help you change habits and rest better.

To sleep better it's good to:

1. • Avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages for several hours before bedtime. Although alcohol may initially act as a sedative, it can interrupt normal sleep patterns. The same for cigarettes. You may want to consider quitting all together. Smoking congests the respiratory airways and inflames their mucous lining, obstructing the flow of oxygen and contributing to insomnia.
2. • Do not overeat before going to bed, digestive process can disrupt the sleep cycle.
3. • Do not get out of bed when you have trouble sleeping. Do not eat or drink when you can't sleep. It's best to stay lying down, in a warm and dark room.
4. • Don't “catch up” on your sleep during the free days by sleeping more. Some people use their weekend to sleep-in till noon. This kind of behaviour changes your internal biological clock.
5. • Don't go to bed when you have a lot on your mind. If you have a habit of making a to-do-list for the next day, make the list a few hours before going to bed, so you go to bed with a clear head.
6. • Make your bedroom primarily a place for sleeping. It is not a good idea to use your bed for paying bills, doing work, etc. Help your body recognize that this is a place for rest or intimacy.
7. • Don't get up earlier than you normally do. If you wake up before your normal time, you should try to go back to sleep, staying in a dark, warm room.
8. • Wake up when you are supposed to, although you might want to go back to sleep. It's not recommended to take a nap during the day.
9. • Organize your day so that you complete the most taxing activities during the morning or early afternoon, when you have more energy.

1. • Expose yourself to sunlight soon after waking up.
2. • Don't go to bed as soon as you feel tired. It's better to wait until your bedtime and don't alterate your sleep schedule.
3. • Set a regular and active routine, with physical activities and social events, so that your body gets tired from pleasant activities while keeping your head clear.
4. • Make sure to keep a regular schedule for meals, going to bed and waking up.
5. • Don't eat or drink when you should be sleeping, it can send contradictory signals to the biological rhythms.
6. • Exercise during the day, never close to bedtime. You should not exercise for four hours before going to bed.
7. • While you change your routine you should use the part of your day that you are least tired for work, physical and intellectual activities. It's healthy to divide your day into three parts: work, rest and sleep. Over time, your work-rest-sleep routine will normalize to help you be more productive.
8. • These tips will not create any side effects to your health.

HOW LONG SHOULD I SLEEP?

Each person's sleep requirement is different. The average adult functions best with eight hours of sleep a night, but this varies with age and on an individual basis.

1. • Newborns can sleep up to 20 hours a day.
2. • Infants can sleep 16 hours a day.
3. • 6 year old children can sleep 12 hours a day.
4. • Adults can sleep 8 hours a day.
5. • Seniors generally don't need more than 6 hours sleep a day.