Sleep soundly tonight: how to get all the rest you need.

If you have ever dreamed of sleeping through the night without awakening; if you fall asleep easily when you sit to watch television during the day; or if your spouse has moved to the other end of the house, complaining about your fitful tossing and turning or annoying snores, you have great company. In fact, problems getting enough sleep are at increasingly epidemic proportions,,with more than $500 million spent each year on sleeping aids.

Most of us never think about good sleep... until we awaken feeling exhausted. Yet changes in sleep habits are a common problem as we age. Sleep problems are also commonly associated with stress and anxiety as your mind races with everything you need to do.

A revealing study found that Americans have cut their sleep time by 20 percent in the past century. You may have a colleague who brags about getting by with fewer than four hours of sleep at night--and she may act like she needs more, too! While most adults generally sleep seven to eight hours each night, you may require more. But there are some adults who get by quite well with much less sleep.

No matter how much sleep you get, restful sleep is necessary to help heal and repair our bodies. In fact, some studies have reported that those adults who slept only six hours each night experienced more frequent health problems, and over a period of nine years, these shorter sleepers had a 70 percent higher mortality rate.

Sleep Dreams

Studies have demonstrated that we have a built-in cycle of sleep-wake times. This circadian cycle is actually 25 hours long. Since the cycle is longer than the 24-hour day, some factor must serve to synchronize the body's internal pacemaker with the external clock time. The most important and powerful cue is light.

Upon awakening at the dawn's early light, you continually feel more alert until about 1:00 or 2:00 p.m., when you begin to have a lull or sag in wakefulness. Although many think this dip in alertness is a result of that large plate of pasta you ate for lunch, this is not so. The lull is a natural consequence of your circadian rhythm. Later in the afternoon your alertness improves again until late evening, when you start to experience a wave of sleepiness. With your usual bedtime ritual you will fall asleep until the next morning, when the cycle starts again.

The hormone most closely linked to your circadian system is melatonin, which is made by the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin has been referred to as the hormone of darkness, as its secretion is activated almost immediately after exposure to darkness. Melatonin is also available over the counter in drugstores or health food stores as a sleep aid. Though the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is sponsoring $50 million worth of research on melatonin at this time, the safety of taking this hormone as a supplement is in question.

Sleep Stages

In adults, sleep, is made up of distinct types of stages with specific characteristics defined by brain waves, eye movements, and muscle tension. The two broad categories of sleep include rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM).

During REM sleep we have almost all of our dreams. In NREM sleep there are four stages characterized by different combinations of brain waves, eye movements, and reduced muscle tension. Stages 3 and 4, termed delta sleep, are important, as they are defined by relatively large, slow brain waves, absent eye movements, and reduced muscle tension.

REM sleep is associated with psychological well-being and feeling refreshed upon awakening. If you are deprived of REM sleep, you might complain of irritability and moodiness. Recent studies have shown that delta sleep appears to be the most important for physical recovery. In fact, some researchers suggest this is important for growth and repair of body tissue. If sleep disturbances occur during these stages, you will wake up feeling tired and may complain of muscular aches and pains.

As important as delta sleep is for health, this is the part of sleep that decreases with age and may be absent in healthy elderly males. Sleep disturbances triggered by physical or emotional trauma or by a medical problem can also interfere with delta sleep. Poor sleep can have serious consequences, including reduced productivity at home or work, increased motor vehicle accidents, increased coronary artery disease and heart attacks, increased industrial accidents, increased accidental injuries, and even deaths at work.

I Am Woman; Hear Me Snore

Snoring is one common sleep disturbance that affects more than 40 million people. While more than 60 percent of all men snore by age 60, women are not immune from this nocturnal singing. In fact, more than 40 percent of all women snore by age 60. The number soars dramatically at menopause.

Snoring occurs as a result of airflow limitation and the associate vibration of the soft tissues in the back of the throat. While snoring is annoying and causes poor sleep, it is also a symptom of a very serious medical condition and sleep interrupter called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA involves severe narrowing of the airway with cessation of airflow. With OSA your lungs do not get enough fresh air, so the brain wakes you up just enough to catch your breath and unlock the air passage. Sleep apnea can lead to severe cardiac and pulmonary problems, even death.

Snooze You Can Use

What happens if you try to relax and follow good bedtime hygiene yet still cannot achieve restful sleep? Talk with your doctor. If your doctor suspects that you might have a sleep disorder, you might be referred for a sleep study called a polysomnography. The sleep study will help determine if you have apnea, pure snoring, restless leg syndrome, or some other problem. All of these disorders require specific therapy your doctor can prescribe.

If you have no physiological problem, then check out the following "snooze you can use" to guarantee more restful sleep:

1. Sleep only as much as needed to feel refreshed and healthy the following day, not more. Always awaken at the same time, even if you go to bed late.

2. Eat less sugar, which can cause sudden raises in blood sugar. This may then cause you to wake up in the middle of the night when your blood sugar drops low.

3. Avoid salty foods. Following a reduced sodium diet helps some insomniacs sleep more soundly.

4. A steady daily amount of exercise probably deepens sleep, but do not exercise right before bedtime. Studies show that regular exercise helps you to sleep more soundly.

5. Make sure your bedroom is sound-attenuated. Wear earplugs if you are bothered by noises while sleeping. Some people find that "white noise"--a machine that produces a humming sound or turning the radio to a station that has gone off the air--helps.

6. Eat foods for a calming effect. Dr. Judith Wurtman, a nutrition researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has found that foods that are high in carbohydrates, such as breads, cereal, or pasta, raise the level of serotonin in the brain (serotonin is a mood-elevating brain chemical). When serotonin levels rise, we feel a calming effect and sleep more soundly. Also, eat foods rich in B vitamins such as whole grains, peanuts, bananas, and sunflower seeds, which help to counteract the effects of stress.

7. Take a hot bath well before bedtime. Sleep usually follows the cooling phase of your body's temperature cycle. After your bath, keep the temperature in your bedroom cool to see if you can influence this phase.

8. Spend time outdoors each day, especially during the morning hours, to keep your body's rhythms in harmony. Researchers have found that exposure to daylight and darkness regulates the body's natural secretion of melatonin.

9. Have peace of mind. Anxieties and worries can interfere with healthful sleep, so use prayer or meditation to let your worries go each night.

RELATED ARTICLE: Common Risk Factors for Snoring

Male gender Obesity Alcohol ingestion Use of tranquilizers, muscle

relaxants, or sleeping pills Smoking cigarettes

RELATED ARTICLE: Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Headaches High blood pressure Dry mouth or sore throat upon awakening Depression Poor memory Concentration problems Excessive daytime sleepiness 

RELATED ARTICLE: Easy Zzzz's Checklist

Do any of these common problems affect your sleep? If so, talk with your doctor about solutions.

[] Many, arousals during a

night's sleep

[] Awakening in the middle

of the night

[] Difficulty in getting to sleep

[] Reduction in total sleep time

[] Long awakenings (10 minutes or more) during sleep

[] Restless legs (jerks or movements) during sleep