LEARN TO FACILITATE SLEEP ONSET
Biological clock. If our circadian rhythm is entrained to the 24 hour clock, we should feel sleepy at about the same time every night Also, our ultradian rhythm causes us to feel sleepy about every 90 minutes. Hence when we feel sleepy at night, we should go to bed and sleep, for this is the easiest time to fall asleep. It is a bad idea to finish a book or a television program before going to bed. Remember, for the insomniac, if you stay up a little later in the night and miss the 90 minute window, you may not feel sleepy again for a further 90 minutes or so. If your 90 minute window is at 10 p.m., it does not mean that you will be more sleepy at 10.30 p.m.
Stress management. People who feel stressed, even by an ordinary level of stress, should read chapter 16, Stress and Sleep. Ordinary stress is everyday stress and, if you cannot cope with it and carry it over to your bedtime, it may become the biggest force in opposing your sleep. If you are unable to cope with ordinary stress, it may be a good idea to seek professional help.
How sleepy are you? Sleep deprived people or people who have not been sleeping well for a few days fall asleep easily and deeply. It has been shown that, for the sleep deprived subject, the ultradian rhythm disappears. This means we can fall asleep at any time irrespective of where we are in the circadian or ultradian rhythm. This is the biggest facilitating force to sleep. If you are really sleepy and your body needs the sleep, you will sleep. We all possess a natural in-built mechanism in the brain that allows us to fall asleep regularly every night. Our body has a self-regulatory mechanism that allows us to fall asleep if we have not had sufficient sleep. If you are very sleepy, no matter how hard you want to stay awake you may find it impossible.
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