So what should you do in those late evening hours before you start feeling sleepy? Try to engage in relaxing activities for at least an hour before bedtime. This means nothing too stimulating, such as working, answering e-mails, making telephone calls, or anything stressful. Instead, consider meditation, relaxation exercises, stretching or yoga, deep breathing, engaging in quiet conversation with a family member or friend, or taking a warm bath. You might also read a book, listen to music, or possibly watch TV—but not in your bedroom, and only if these aren’t too stimulating. And if you choose to read or watch television before bed and continue having trouble sleeping, you should experiment with doing different activities before bed. It’s important to establish a nightly routine that’s calming in nature, without the pressures and stress that your daytime hours may include. If you find it difficult to unwind and achieve a calm, relaxed state at the end of the day, you’ll find it helpful to start practicing the relaxation exercises in chapter 5. They’ll help you relax your muscles, breathe more deeply, and feel calm. Like so many other things in life, practice makes perfect, so the more you practice relaxing your mind and body, the better you’ll be at it. Relaxation techniques are particularly helpful when you’re having trouble sleeping due to feeling too wound up or on edge. They can help you relax and achieve the calm state necessary for falling asleep both in the evening hours before bedtime and also if you can’t sleep in the middle of the night.

how exposure to light affects sleep

Light is one of the primary external factors exerting an influence on circadian rhythms, and the amount of exposure you have to light each day can definitely affect your sleep. This includes both sunlight and artificial lighting. Our brains naturally produce melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone, when it’s dark. If you’re exposed to bright light in the evening hours or if you have significant exposure to sunlight in the afternoon and early evening hours, it can decrease or delay your production of melatonin. The answer is not to simply take melatonin supplements, though that may seem tempting, especially since it’s readily available over the counter. But remember, supplemental melatonin isn’t regulated by the FDA, nor has it been proven effective for insomnia. So rather than taking supplements, you want to alter your environment so your brain produces melatonin naturally in response to darkness. Let’s take a look at how this works with sleep disorders related to a disrupted circadian rhythm: delayed sleep phase disorder and advanced sleep phase disorder.

improve your sleep environment

Your sleep environment is very important. Make sure that your bedroom is dark and quiet. If you’re having trouble sleeping, the last thing you need is environmental stimuli, such as outside noises or lights peeking through your curtains, interfering with your sleep as well. Room temperature can also affect your sleep. You’ll fall asleep easier and be more likely to stay asleep when the room is a comfortable tempera¬ture. Studies have shown that an ideal sleeping environment is neither too hot nor too cold (Glotzbach and Heller 2000; Roehrs, Zorick, and Roth 2000). Likewise, it’s important to sleep on a mattress that’s comfortable for you. People’s preferences in mattresses and how well they sleep on different surfaces vary widely, so it isn’t a matter of choosing a particular model or style. Instead, try to find a mattress that’s comfortable for you, and consider replacing your current mattress if it’s old and no longer offers good support. In addition to these obvious environmental factors, other aspects of your sleeping situation can also play a role in how well you sleep. For example, Katie has her computer and desk in her bedroom and says that she can easily switch gears from trying to fall asleep to working. Many people who work from home find it difficult to separate their work from the rest of their lives. If you work from home, it’s important that your office not be in your bedroom. Otherwise it’s far too easy to work or think about working at night, rather than engaging in sleep-promoting activities. Plus, those who work from home typically spend many more hours doing work-related activities than they would if they went somewhere else to work each day. It’s important to give yourself the time and space you need to relax and wind down, rather than going straight from work mode to sleep mode. Having a separate room for your office is important, and ideally you should shut the door of your home office each day to signal the end of your workday. Checking your e-mail and listening to voicemail can wait until the next day; don’t engage in these or other work activities right before bedtime or in the middle of the night.

If your sleep partner stays up later than you, try to minimize household noise. For example, if your partner watches TV at night, ask your partner to wear headphones or watch TV in a room far enough from your bedroom that the noise won’t disturb you. Ideally, your partner shouldn’t be watching TV in your bedroom, as this can be distracting to you and make it harder to fall asleep. Similarly, if people in your house are playing video games, listening to music, or doing other activities that may disturb you at night, try to find an alternative time for them to do these things or at least have them do these activities in a part of the house where you won’t be disturbed. If your partner snores, try wearing earplugs. This may help for other environmental noises as well. Similarly, putting a white noise machine in your bedroom can decrease the likelihood that you’ll be disturbed by ambient noise in your home. If your partner gets into bed later than you, it’s important that the room remain dark and that your partner doesn’t make much noise in the room while getting ready for bed.

excerpt from The Insomnia Workbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Getting the Sleep You Need by Stephanie A. Silberman Ph.D., DABSM