After a long and busy day, there’s nothing that refreshes the body more than 8 hours of restful sleep. Unfortunately, as many as 1 in 4 of us have trouble getting a good night’s sleep. That’s over 70 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The Statistics of Sleep

An April 2008 survey of 1,466 American adults conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that:

1. Over 50% of people surveyed reported that they had trouble either falling asleep, staying asleep, or were waking up too early when asked about their most recent night of sleep.
2. When asked about the previous month, 44% said they had one or more of these problems on more than 8 nights during the month – in other words, more than 25% of the time.
3. More than 25% of those surveyed said it took them 30 min or longer to fall asleep.
4. Over 25% said that they woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep for at least half an hour. Also, many woke up during the night to use the bathroom.
5. Over a third reported that they woke up earlier than they would have liked.

Since sleep is so vital to good health, these statistics are troubling. It turns out that not being able to get enough sleep costs us a lot more than just a couple hours tossing and turning. The NIH estimates that poor sleep may account for up to $16 billion in health-care costs. This figure, although huge just by itself, does not include the cost of lost productivity, mistakes, and accidents caused by people being sleep deprived at school or at work.

Reasons We Can’t Sleep

Why is it that so many of us just can’t get a good night’s sleep? According to the NIH, some of the reasons we can’t seem to sleep through the night include:

1. The 24/7 nature of today’s world. We feel that we have to be constantly “plugged in” reading and sending emails, instant messages, and text messages as well as checking what our friends are up to on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or any of the other social sites. I talked about this in my article “Is Staying Connected Stressing You Out?“
2. Access to continuous entertainment and activities. In today’s electronic society, the sun going down does not signal the end of the day’s activities. We’ve got the Internet, X-boxes, and Movies on Demand, all of which can keep us occupied 24 hours a day.
3. Health issues that interfere with sleep. These include things like Arthritis as well as neck and back pain.

The Consumer Reports Research Center found slightly different reasons. When asked why they weren’t sleeping well, the survey participants gave the following reasons:

1. High stress levels. These included worrying about family issues, financial concerns, health issues, work and commuting, or their reaction to recent news events.
2. Physical pain or discomfort due to arthritis, back, neck, or joint pain, muscle aches.
3. Respiratory conditions such as asthma or a cold.
4. Mood disorders including depression.
5. Other factors including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, hyperthyroidism, ADD, and menopause.

What You Can Do

So what can you do if you happen to be one of the 70 million Americans that just can’t seem to get a full night of restful sleep? Reach for the bottle of sleeping pills? Of Course Not!! Medications should be your last resort, not your first choice. Your body already has enough problems suffering from lack of rest without also having to deal with a bunch of chemicals and their side-effects.

My recommendation is to first do everything you can to create an environment that is naturally conducive to sleep. This includes the following:

• Take a close look at your habits and modify them if you routinely:

1. Take long naps late in the day
2. Eat a big meal late in the day
3. Watch TV in bed, especially the late night news
4. Drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages before going to bed
5. Allow pets or small children to share your bed
6. Go to bed at different times each night
7. Engage in mentally stimulating activities right before bed like playing video games, reading graphic novels, and so on
8. Perform vigorous exercise or other physical activities less than an hour before bed
9. Drink lots of water or other fluids before bed time

• Examine your bedroom itself and make adjustments if it’s:

1. Too hot or too cold at night
2. Too noisy. To counter the effects of background noise, you should try a sound machine that plays soft, rhythmic sounds like rain drops, or a water fall.
3. Not dark enough
4. Too humid or too dry

• Change or replace your mattress if:

1. You’ve slept on the same mattress for more than 8 years
2. You consistently wake up with back pain or sore muscles. As we age, our bodies become more sensitive to pressure points indicating the need for a softer mattress than what you used in your college days.

• Change or replace your pillow if:

1. You consistently wake up with neck pain or sore ears
2. You start snoring so loudly that you repeatedly wake yourself up

• Get and stay in good health.

1. Get regular check ups
2. Exercise regularly
3. Lose some weight

If All Else Fails

If you’ve followed all of the above suggestions and still can’t seem to fall asleep easily, you might want to try some of the “natural,” “herbal,” or other over-the-counter sleep remedies that contain melatonin since these tend to be gentler than prescribed medications. However, be aware that since these types of products are not regulated, their contents and concentrations can vary widely from brand to brand.

Finally, if nothing else seems to be working, see your health-care professional. If they prescribe or recommend medication, follow your doctor’s advice and the instructions on the label to the letter. We Americans tend to believe that if one pill is good, then 2 or 3 pills are even better. This kind of thinking is dangerous. Follow the instructions.

And Finally

There’s a reason that we begin to feel sleepy whenever we’re exhausted or when we get hurt, or sick. Sleep is the body’s way of shutting down all unnecessary functions so that it can begin to heal and repair itself. A good night’s sleep is a critical component to good health. Make sure you’re getting all you need.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

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