“Counting Sheep”

Do you snore or talk in your sleep?

Sometimes I feel like I have sleep apnea. I know a couple of people who have it and it can have different severity levels. If you don’t know what sleep apnea is, it’s a sleep disorder where you randomly stop and start breathing throughout the night and you don’t notice when you stop breathing. Sounds scary, doesn’t it?! Some signs of possible sleep apnea are snoring loudly and feeling tired even after a full night’s sleep…. Yeah, I have those symptoms.

I am not going to say I have sleep apnea without getting a diagnosis. I pray I don’t have it because I’m too cute to be sleeping with some big breathing machine at night. But I am scheduled for a consultation for a sleep study next month just to make sure. What led me to schedule a sleep study was I sometimes wake myself up in the middle of the night feeling as if I can’t breathe. It has freaked me out a little bit and it happened a few times now so it’s time to get it checked.

I’ll admit that how I sleep at night can depend on what I do leading up to bedtime. Here are some tips on how to fall asleep:

1. Check that temperature! I hate sleeping when it’s too hot. OMG, it drives me crazy. I keep my apartment temperature at 73 or 74 degrees and I still sleep with a ceiling fan on. Your body temperature changes as you fall asleep and when you wake up. If you know your body temperature tends to increase or decrease when you’re sleeping, make sure you adjust the room temperature accordingly and have the appropriate blankets so that you can sleep comfortably.
2. Eliminate distractions and light. I used to think that falling asleep with the TV on at a low volume helped me fall into deep sleep quicker. But then I consciously compared the nights I fell asleep with the TV on to the nights I fell asleep without the TV on, and I found that I felt more rested after the nights without the TV. I guess the sound, even though it isn’t too loud, and the light interferes with your sleep cycles. Watching TV, playing video games, using a cell phone, and social networking can make it significantly harder for you to fall — and stay — asleep.
3. Don’t eat too late. Not eating super late can be good for weight loss because it allows our bodies to fully digest our last meal before laying down. I think it also reduces storing of fat. Those heavy, high-carb meals right before bed are a no-go! Some people follow the rule of eating at least 3-4 hours before they lay down for the night. I am not going to sit here and lie and act like I do that lol, but I think it is a good rule to follow that will help you have a better night’s rest.
4. Avoid naps late in the day. I would never tell someone not to take naps at all; that would be blasphemous! I love me a good nap, especially in the afternoon or right after work. But if you find yourself getting tired late in the evenings, rather than take a nap, I would suggest you push through another hour or 2 and then just go to bed earlier than normal. Your mind and body will probably thank you!

A couple of other tips would be to try a breathing technique to slow your mind/thoughts and calm your body. Take slow and deep breaths for a few minutes and watch your body relax and drift off to sleep. Another thing I would mention is to try to monitor and learn your sleep cycle. It is said that there are 4 stages of sleep: wake, light sleep, deep sleep, REM, and repeat. REM stands for rapid eye movement. Many of us fall asleep at a time our schedules allow and then set an alarm to wake up by a certain time the next morning. But have you ever noticed when your body naturally wakes up like an hour or so before your alarm, and then you force yourself back to sleep until your alarm goes off, but then you wake up feeling unrested?? I think that’s because your body woke up between the REM and the wake stage, and when we force ourselves back to sleep, our alarm wakes us up probably in the deep sleep stage. (I’m no expert in sleep, these are just my observations and generalizations lol).

Do you have a nighttime routine to help you fall asleep? Do you ever have to count sheep to help clear your mind? Do you always have a great night’s sleep and wake up fully rested the next day? Let me know in the comments!

“I lay down and slept; I awoke for the Lord sustained me.” — Psalms 3:5, NKJV.

Moni Jay, Off the Record