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10 commandments for better sleep
1. Establish a regular bedtime and waking time
We're supposed to get between seven and 10 hours of sleep each night, depending on our age, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that a third of Americans sleep fewer than seven hours a night. It's a global problem too.
Messing with our circadian rhythm, the internal sleep clock that tells us when it's time to sleep and rise, has been linked to hypertension, insulin resistance, diabetes and, most recently, the risk of having a heart attack or heart disease.
Changing your regular sleep-wake time by 90 minutes in either direction, which many of us do on the weekends, doubled the risk of cardiovascular disease over a five-year period. The more days you sleep irregularly, the higher the risk, a study found.
2. Watch your napping
While an occasional short snooze can be healthy, the World Sleep Society's second commandment warns: "If you are in the habit of taking siestas, do not exceed 45 minutes of daytime sleep."
One reason is because we typically enter a "deep sleep" cycle about 30 to 40 minutes into a nap. Waking up from deep sleep produces that "Where am I?" grogginess that is worse than no nap at all. A long nap can also interfere with your body clock, making it more difficult to fall asleep later that night.
3. No alcohol or cigarettes
The third commandment is to "avoid excessive alcohol ingestion four hours before bedtime, and do not smoke."
It's truly a myth that a drink will help you sleep better at night. Instead, it traps you in the lighter stages of sleep and "dramatically reduces the quality of your rest at night," said Rebecca Robbins, a fellow at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in a prior CNN interview.
4. Avoid caffeine six hours before bedtime
Here's a no-brainer: Boycott caffeine at least six hours before your normal bedtime (some experts say nothing after 3 p.m.). And caffeine is in more than just coffee, so the World Sleep Society also warns about tea and many sodas, as well as chocolate.
Yes, chocolate. That cup of hot chocolate you think may help you sleep could contain 25 milligrams of caffeine, while a cup of green or black tea will provide 50 milligrams of caffeine.
5. Avoid eating certain foods
The fifth commandment: "Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods four hours before bedtime."
Heavy and spicy foods may give you heartburn or other digestive issues, thus affecting your ability to get and stay asleep. As for sugar, studies show it's linked to restless, disturbed sleep and may possibly affect hormones that control cravings.
6. Exercise regularly, but not right before bed
Surveys of vigorous exercisers by the National Sleep Foundation show they are almost twice as likely to report high-quality, regular sleep compared to non-exercisers, and sitting for long periods of time is thought to be connected to poor sleep.
While studies haven't proven that exercise just before bed will harm sleep, many experts -- like the World Sleep Society -- recommend avoiding it. Why? Because moderate exercise heats up your core temperature, signaling the body that it's time to be awake, while the release of endorphins is thought to keep some of us alert.
7-10. Improve your sleep environment
Having just the right sleep environment is so important that the remaining four commandments focus on how to do that.
First, keep your bedroom well-ventilated and pick a comfortable sleep temperature setting. Science is pretty much sure that a cool temperature is best, so aim for between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 20 degrees Celsius).
