Tips for better sleep

I sleep well, The Wife has her struggles. Here’s an article on sleep deficits and tips on sleeping. It begins with a series of rather personal questions:

Do you tend to hit the snooze button on your alarm clock several times before getting out of bed? Does it take you forever, on certain days, to get yourself together before you leave the house? How many mornings have you decided that you need an extra cup of coffee just to get started, or an afternoon slug of espresso to make it through the day?

Do you ever take catnaps at your desk during lunch hour? Are there times when your patience runs so thin that you can barely listen to the stories of a colleague whose company you ordinarily enjoy? Do you recall snapping at your supervisor or your partner only to regret it moments—or days—later? Do you fall asleep in front of the TV when you come home from the lab? These can all be signs of a sleep deficit, which can cause a number of different problems if you choose to overlook them.

The article includes a sidebar with these tips:

• Sleep only as much as you need to feel refreshed the next day.
• Get up at the same time, 7 days a week.
• Exercise regularly.
• Make sure your bedroom is comfortable and free of disturbing light and noise.
• Make sure that your bedroom is at a comfortable temperature during the night.
• Eat regular meals and do not go to bed hungry.
• Avoid excessive fluids in the evening. Cut down on caffeine products.
• Avoid alcohol, especially in the evening.
• Smoking may disturb sleep.
• Don’t take your problems to bed.
• Train yourself to use the bedroom only for sleeping and sexual activity.
• Do not TRY to fall asleep.
• Put the clock under the bed or turn it so that you cannot see it.
• Avoid taking naps.

I recall from a Science News article some years back the importance of having a truly darkened room for sleep. Even minute light sources keep one from enjoying the deepest sleep. If you can’t get the room fully dark (and that’s difficult in cities), a sleep mask can help. The photo shows the best I’ve found: very effective and very comfortable. It has a wide elastic band with a Velcro fastener: once you find the right tension, you don’t undo the Velcro, just slip the band on and off your head.