About 15 per cent of the population suffers from insomnia at any given time. Regardless of the time of year, your sleep can improve if you follow a few basic rules, says Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick, Chief of Medical & Academic Affairs/Chief of Staff at Hotel Dieu Hospital and medical director of the Kingston General Hospital sleep lab.
- For the sake of your body’s internal clock, get up at the same time each day and limit any daytime snoozes to catnaps (about 10 minutes).
- Reduce activity before sleep and limit caffeine/alcohol intake.
- Avoid light-emitting TVs, smartphones and iPad, which can disrupt the body clock because they emit blue light that slows down or prevents the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
- Sleep in a dark, cool room, about 18 degrees C (65 degrees F)—not always easy in the summer and especially so if you don’t have air conditioning. Try to prevent excessive heat build-up in your bedroom by keeping curtains and windows closed against sunlight and oppressive heat during the day.
- Hot air rises, so think about sleeping on your ground floor or basement instead of upper storey.
- If you don’t have AC, you can put a pan of ice in front of a fan so you’ll be refreshed by a cool, rather than hot, breeze.
- If you find yourself tossing and turning, get up and do something else (read, meditate) and return to your bed when you’re ready to sleep.