Sleeping with lights out Insomnia feeds on the minor details of modern life, like the soft blue glow from a cell phone, PDA, or digital clock resting on your bedside table. The short waves of blue light may interfere with sleep. Tip: Turn off TVs, computers, and other blue light producers an hour before sleep. Cover any blue displays you can’t shut off. Avoid naps Napping makes matters worse if you have trouble falling asleep. But if you must nap, keep it brief, 20 minutes or less — and do it early in the day. Any shut-eye within eight hours of your bedtime can sabotage a good night’s sleep. Tip: When an afternoon slump hits, go for a short walk, drink a glass of ice water, or call a friend. Block the clock When you glance at the clock in the wee hours of the night, your sleep will suffer. You worry about how few hours are left before your busy day begins. Clock watchers should put their alarm in a drawer, under the bed, or turn it away from view. Tip: Use black tape for the blue LED digital clocks on the bedroom DVR. Put your neck in neutral If you wake tired with a stiff neck, blame your pillow. Pillows that are too fat or too flat cause problems. Your pillow should be just the right size to support your neck in a neutral position. For side sleepers, the nose should align with the center of the body. Stomach sleeping twists the neck and is best avoided. Tip: Keep your neck neutral before bed, too. Don’t crane your neck to watch TV. WebMD
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 09:00:02 +0000