Sleep, Stress & Schedules: Tips For Getting Rest

If you're like most people, you probably can't remember the last time you had a good night's sleep. So many things can interrupt healthy sleep: sick children; a stressful day at work; concerns about aging parents, finances and day-to-day issues. For many people, good sleep may feel like just a dream.

About 32% of people feel more tired these days than they did before the pandemic began, according to the results of a HealthDay/Harris Poll survey. About 28% says they're getting less sleep than they did before the pandemic.

Not only that, but the poll results point to deeper anxieties and stresses in the American psyche that are causing fatigue and harming sleep.

“The pandemic has illustrated that people truly have underlying sleep conditions,” said Tapan A. Desai, MD, a pulmonologist with Franciscan Physician Network who practices in Crown Point, Indiana.. “People at home are more in tune with their underlying medical health issues. The pandemic has illustrated that many of us have developed anxiety, which has caused insomnia.”

Stress And Sleep Loss

About 60% of people agreed that they often feel mentally tired even when they haven't been physically active. A similar number (57%) said they can't sleep well because they have too much on their minds, while about half (49%) said they are often too anxious to sleep well.

"Everyone is anxious, they're stressed and what we may not have realized until now is that our whole structure to our day is focused around society," Meredith Cousin, a Franciscan Health neurologist who focuses on sleep medicine, said in an interview with FOX 59 news. "Having set wake time, bed time, lunch time, breaks at lunch, during work. We're all essentially off our routine schedules."

The Harris Poll results indicate that people have been trying on their own to change their routines for better sleep:

• 36% have tried to reduce their stress
• 33% tried to manage their anxiety
• 19% meditated before bed

Resetting Your Daily Routine

"The key is to just really trying to stick to your routine schedule as much as you can," Dr. Cousin said. "Sticking to a routine is the best we can do."

That includes:

• Having a set wake time
• Getting 15 to 20 minute breaks during your day like you do in the workplace or at school
• Exercising
• Having early daylight exposure to reset circadian rhythms. Sunlight helps regulate your daily sleeping patterns.
• Going to bed at a set time

Sleep Help Beyond Schedules

Have a schedule in place but still sleepless? You are not alone. Beyond stress management, the survey respondents routinely turned to these tips to improve their sleep:

• 20% eliminated or reduced caffeine
• 18% have altered their sleeping environment by adding blackout curtains or a white noise machine
• 16% avoided screen time.

Alcohol Stunts Sleep

About 36% of survey respondents said when they drink alcohol they typically sleep better, but sleep experts warn against this approach.

"Some people feel that an alcoholic drink before bedtime or 'nightcap' helps them fall asleep faster, as it is a central nervous system depressant that may induce feelings of relaxation and sleepiness," said Michelle Drerup, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program. "However, overall, it is more disruptive to sleep, particularly in the second half of the night.

"The use of alcohol has been linked to poor sleep quality and decreased REM sleep," Drerup continued. "People with alcohol use disorders commonly experience insomnia symptoms and studies have shown that alcohol use can worsen sleep apnea."

10 Steps To Better Sleep

Check out these 10 steps for a better night's sleep:

1. Limit or eliminate caffeine in your diet. Discontinue caffeine 6 - 8 hours prior to bedtime and minimize total daily use.
2. Add relaxing activities as part of your bedtime routine.
3. Limit or don't drink alcohol in the evening. Alcohol can interfere with deep sleep and with breathing. Also, when the effects of your drink wear off in the middle of the night, you tend to wake up.
4. Exercise regularly but not right before bedtime. Regular exercise in the late afternoon may deepen sleep, however, vigorous exercise within 3-4 hours of bedtime may interfere with sleep.
5. Keep your room cooler at night.
6. Don't use digital screens or watch television for at least one hour before you sleep. Turn off noisy distractions such as TVs and cell phones.
7. Create a comfortable sleeping environment in your bedroom.
8. Use the bedroom for sleep and sexual activity only..
9. Avoid nicotine near bedtime and upon awakening in the middle of the night.
10. Go to bed the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day.

Benefits Of Routine Sleep

Once you get it, it it's amazing what a good night's sleep can do. During sleep, the body produces hormones that:

• Help children grow
• Help children and adults build muscle mass, fight infections and repair cells
• Positively affect how your body uses energy

"Because many adults don't get the recommended eight hours, simply getting more sleep can improve health," said Crystal Hines-Mays, MD, a family physician at Franciscan Physician Network Homewood Health Center. "Sleep is restorative, improves the immune system and helps to remove toxins in the brain."

Not getting enough sleep compromises your health and is associated with several chronic diseases and conditions, including:

• Depression
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Obesity
• High blood pressure

Lack of sleep also interferes with concentration, energy and memories and affects performance. It's also been linked to risk-taking behavior. Some medical issues, called sleep disorders, can be the problem. And for women approaching menopause, hot flashes and hormonal changes can lead to insomnia and increased sleep apnea, too.

Sleep Needs Each Night

So how much sleep is enough? Sleep needs vary from person to person but these recommended guidelines are a good place to start:

• Sleep needed by infants from 0 to 1 years of age range from 12 to 17 hours per day.
• Between the ages of 1 and 5, the amount of necessary sleep ranges between 11 and 14 hours per day.
• After age 5, the amount of sleep needed for optimal health ranges from 8 to 11 hours each day until age 18.
• After age 18, needed sleep is approximately 7 to 9 hours per night
• After age 18, sleep needs don't decline any further as older adults over age 65 still need 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.

These healthy sleep tips are important for the entire family. If you or a family member has persistent trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, talk to your healthcare provider.

HealthDay News contributed information to this article.