InSoMnIaC
Get a Better Night’s Sleep Without Pills
Sleeping pills aren’t for everyone. For some folks, they might interact with medication you’re already taking. For others, sleeping pills can lead to night time falls and daytime dizziness.
So how can you get a good night’s sleep without a prescription? Experts on insomnia in older people say that there are several fundamental tips for those struggling to sleep well without pills. They also point out that the majority of sleeping problems in older people arise from underlying, often treatable conditions like depression, pain from arthritis, restless legs or sleep apnea. Common medications also can interfere with sleep.
Consult a sleep disorders specialist if your sleep problems persist after trying some of these 10 remedies:
1. Exercise - Not only does physical activity promote general health, it helps people sleep. Studies show that if you’re not up to vigorous exercise, even a small increase in daily exertion helps nocturnal sleep. Just don’t climb on the StairMaster within five or six hours of bedtime. Exercise gets the body aroused—and it takes several hours to slow back down.
2. Cut back—or, better, cut out—the daytime napping - “If you must nap, keep it brief and early in the day,” says Donald Bliwise, a professor of neurology at Emory University School of Medicine. If you can’t resist dozing, keep it to 30 minutes or less.
3. Get an hour or two of daily exposure to sunlight - Those who toss and turn, unable to fall asleep at a normal hour, should get sun exposure in the morning. Those who fall asleep too early and want to reset their body clock should get sun exposure late in the afternoon. Natural light synchronizes the inner clock that regulates sleep, nudging the body into wakefulness by day and sleepiness at night. If you live where winter days are short, consider investing in a bright lamp. But remember that no light works as well as Mother Nature, even on an overcast day.
4. Set a sleep schedule, and stick to it - Go to bed at about the same time each night. Set an alarm, and get up at the same time each morning. Experts say it’s essential. “The brain’s sleep center wants a schedule,” says Leah Friedman, a sleep researcher at Stanford University School of Medicine.
5. Ditch the vices late in the day - Big meals close to bedtime can lead to sleep-disturbing heartburn. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that make it harder to get to sleep. And it’s well established that alcohol leads to wakefulness in the middle of the night. A cocktail at 5 p.m. is a lot more conducive to a good night’s sleep than a nightcap.
6. Take a hot bath one to two hours before bedtime - The medical literature shows that, in addition to relaxing you, the cooling of your core body temperature after you leave the bath promotes sleep. Don’t take your bath too close to the time you turn out the lights, because it takes the body an hour or two to cool down.
7. Drink a glass of warm milk at bedtime - Studies have shown that tryptophan, an amino acid contained in milk and other dairy products, promotes sleep. If this portends too many trips to the toilet in the wee hours, try eating a small snack of cheese or yogurt instead.
8. Use night-lights—not normal room lights—to guide your way to the bathroom - Researchers have found that exposing yourself to regular room light in the middle of the night can shift your internal sleep/wake clock, potentially causing you to start waking regularly before the birds.
9. Consider whether a medication might be causing or contributing to your sleep problem - Common culprits include beta-blockers that fight high blood pressure; anti-depressants including both SSRIs and MAO inhibitors; thyroid hormone; and respiratory medicines like albuterol. If you suspect a medicine is interfering with your sleep, talk to your doctor. Switching drugs, lowering the dosage or changing the time of day you take a pill may help.
10. Don’t accept the once-conventional wisdom that people need less sleep as they age - Scientists have debunked this notion, showing that older people do best on seven to eight hours of sleep a night, just like everybody else. “If you’re having difficulty sleeping, don’t assume it’s because you’ve gotten older. See your doctor about getting it fixed,” says Sonia Ancoli-Israel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego.
Source: Meredith Wadman
July 27th, 2006 at 6:23 am
Buti nalang tlga hindi ako insomiac.. kahit maghapon mona akong patulugin,,, makakatulog parin ako pag dating ng gabi… ehehe!! pero iwas nga ako sa afternun napping para mas madaling makatulog sa gabi… iwan din sa coffee of cors… ano pabang sasabihin ko e sinabi mona lahat??
July 27th, 2006 at 9:23 am
insomniac kaya ako? di naman cguro.. pero laging puyat!!! hay.. ang hirap ng panggabi.. sana makahanap na ko ng trabahong pang-umaga naman…
July 27th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
hala… mahirap yan. you have sleeping problems! hehe. we need sleep! our body needs rest! hehe
July 27th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
nagpaparinig ka ba?? hihi.
July 27th, 2006 at 11:54 pm
Ang dami kong naubos na actiped tablets noong may insomnia ako, kesa sleeping pills yun na lang iniinom ko. Effective naman.
Pag di ako uminom sigurado nagtatawag na ng salah sa umaga ,gising pa rin ako.
July 28th, 2006 at 4:34 am
sex - napaka-epektib na pampatulog!
July 28th, 2006 at 6:29 am
nice tip, makakatulong ito sa akin, hirap akong matulog. thnx.
July 28th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
cool! mapuslan ko gid ni, hay night owl gid bala ko. gin copy ko gid ba. hehe
July 28th, 2006 at 7:54 pm
ay naku ang pag2log ata ang d ko problema.. kc ang problema ko panu magising at napaka antukin kong tao.. and i agree with all of the above esp the exercise, sobrang sarap ng 2log m after ng work out.
btw, down ang site ko ngyn kya ako muna sisilip silip d2. happy wkend
July 29th, 2006 at 3:14 am
Oras ng tulog ko 1:00am, pero nagigising ako ng 8:30am or sometimes 9:00am… oks lang ba ‘yun, mahaba-haba rin naman oras ng tulog ko eh.
Anyway… nice post, malaki tulong niyan sa mga hirap makatulog. Happy weekend!
July 29th, 2006 at 6:18 am
hmmm…. akmang akma ito sa akin pare
July 29th, 2006 at 3:17 pm
pa-meme ka kay ate. hehehe.
July 29th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Agree ako kay KU 100% pero kung la kang ka-patner, “aliwin” mo na lang ang sarili mo’t garatisadong ang himbing ng tulog mo, hehehe
July 30th, 2006 at 1:40 am
BOO! hehe. musta? tagal kong di nakadalaw dito ah.
July 30th, 2006 at 5:56 am
@tk, takaw tulog ka pala hahaha. . cge iwas na lang ng iwas sa winawasiwas ni fafa piolo mo hehe..
@karmi, mahirap talaga pang-gabi ang duty… nakakaapekto rin sa kalusugan… pero sanayan lng din
@ralphT, yup yooo ryt men
@vanny, di ako nagpaparinig hehe… basahin mo lang hehe
@ann, mabuti wala namang side effects ung ininom mong tablets.. aabutan ka nga ng salah pag ganun hahaha
@ka uro, ayos yan hahaha… kaya lang walang kaulayaw d2 eh
@cruise, walang anuman… sa dami mo sigurong iniisip na raket kaya hirap kang matulog
@swann, mapuslan gid huh!
bukaw ka gali hahaha.. cge print mo pa 
@yen, lagi ka sa gimikan kaya antukin ka nyahahaha… at ano pa… hmmm naghaharap pa ba kayo ni jose? hehehe
kaya pala di maopen eh… iangat mo na…
@wendy, nakupo iba pa rin ung maaga matulog… tapos mag-almusal sa umaga..
@jane, ayos ba mare ko hehe
@din-din, kanino? sinong ate hehehe
@anony, hahaha.. sige maglalaro na lang ako mag-isa hehe… bugbugin ko sarili ko
@lianne, eiiiy sis… tagal mo nga di nakadalaw ah.. musta na lady warrior?
July 30th, 2006 at 9:21 am
a glass of red wine bago matulog
July 30th, 2006 at 9:36 am
warm milk saka ano ….milk heheh
July 30th, 2006 at 1:44 pm
Whenever I can’t get to sleep, I just grab a book and read and read until eventually I fall asleep. I’m too lazy to get out of bed to fix my self a glass of warm milk.
July 31st, 2006 at 3:43 am
di ko na kailangan ng pills. sobra ako matulog eh HAHA. dumaan lang po~:)
July 31st, 2006 at 4:33 am
Papano iwawasiwas ni PIolo ang gusto nyang iwasiwas e ang layo kaya… congrats panalo pala kyo!
July 31st, 2006 at 6:31 am
naku!insomiac akooo!masubukan nga to.
July 31st, 2006 at 7:51 am
@vikinger, ayos yan ah… penge nga ng isang bote ng wine.. red or white?
@kd, anong milk na naman yan hehehe mainit init ba?
@jhay, ayos din yan pampaantok din.
@rina, masama din ang sobra tulog.. di na healthy
@tk, honga pala ano wala pa si fafa piolo mo…
salamat sa suporta nyo… salamat sa cheers..
@ev, gawin mo wag lang subukan hehehe…
July 31st, 2006 at 10:31 am
hindi naman effective yan sa akin eh!
July 31st, 2006 at 1:25 pm
bakit wala ba? kala ko meron… hhhmmm… :p
July 31st, 2006 at 3:18 pm
…good tips dear, i need it
thanx and sana makapasok na itong comment ko kase pag hindi sasabunutan na kita 