30 Days to Better Sleep: Go to Bed Only When Sleepy

After carefully considering the difference between sleepiness and fatigue, you can now make an important choice: go to bed only when sleepy. Among people who suffer from difficulty falling asleep, a common occurrence as part of insomnia, this can be a life-changing decision. It also may defy common practice. In early life, there is no decision made about when to go to sleep. A sleepy child is soon asleep. When the desire for sleep comes, no matter the timing, it is quickly indulged. As we get older, sleep becomes complicated by our behaviors. We may choose to stay awake, even fight sleepiness, to pursue pastimes. Alternatively, if we have trouble sleeping and feel like we need more sleep, we may go to bed early. We may stop listening to our body's natural cues. Sleepiness or drowsiness is a cue to get ready to sleep. We should naturally prepare ourselves by settling down into bed. We make ourselves comfortable and, if everything goes to plan, we are soon asleep. In contrast, other descriptions of how we feel - fatigue, tiredness, and exhaustion - may not reflect a desire for sleep if they do not promptly proceed into sleep. Therefore, if we crawl into bed feeling fatigued, this may not result in sleep. Instead, we may be setting ourselves up for insomnia. People with insomnia often complain of feeling fatigued or tired, but if given the opportunity to sleep, they will struggle mightily. Insomniacs cannot routinely take naps, for instance. If they lie down to rest in the af...
Source: About Sleep Disorders - Category: Sleep Medicine Source Type: news