Did you know that the where we sleep dramatically affects how we sleep? If you have ever asked yourself—how can I sleep better?—one great way is to take a look at your bedroom. Is it warm and inviting, or messy and cramped? Do you have to watch TV before going to sleep? In fact, do you use any electronic devices that have as screen before bed? Many studies have shown that these screens activate the brain in a way that makes it difficult for us to get to sleep.

How are you sheets? Are they fresh? How about your mattress? I mention all these as I am often asked “how can I sleep better?” Before going the sleep medications route, take a look at these revealing results from a recent poll of 1,500 adults conducted by the National Sleep Foundation (as summarized by Dr. Breus):

The results of this survey confirm what I and other sleep experts have been saying for years: the condition of your bedroom really matters, for the quality of your sleep as well as your intimate life and your health. Here are my tips for keeping your bedroom in good shape—or shaping it up, if it’s been neglected:

• Invest in your sleep equipment. A good mattress and quality pillows are important investments in your sleep and health. Replace your pillows every year, and invest in a new mattress at least every 7 years—or whenever your body tells you it’s time.

• Go cool and dark. Your bedroom climate is important. Most of us sleep better in a cool room. And we all benefit from darkness for sleep. Try an electronic curfew about an hour before bed. Disengage from email, phone, and texting. -there’s plenty of research that shows how disruptive these devices are for sleep. Better yet, keep them out of the bedroom altogether. If you fall asleep to the TV, use your TV timer so it turns off after you have fallen asleep.

• Fresh sheets are an easy indulgence. Keep fresh sheets on your bed, wash them often, and invest in an extra set so you can change them frequently. As this survey indicates, fresh sheets are a big draw—they can entice you to bed earlier and help you sleep better once you’re there.

• Pamper. Give yourself a sleep vacation at home! Those sleep-spa getaways are increasingly popular, but you don’t have to leave home to reap the benefits of some sleep-focused down time. Unplug from your regular responsibilities—and your PDA. Sign up for a yoga class or a local spa visit. Follow up these relaxing activities with an afternoon nap and a quiet evening before bed. And think about adding some of these “indulgences” into your regular routine!  ~ read more here

It is very clear that a clean bedroom and an inviting bed make a huge difference in getting a good night’s sleep. One last note: those that said they made their beds every day reported much better sleep than those who did not. Now that is not a very big price to pay to get better sleep.

We all familiar with jet lag, and can see how it may negatively impact our health in the long-term if we fly long distances frequently. The disruption of our sleep patterns has been linked with many negative health consequences, such as obesity and even cancer. But did you know that up to two thirds of the so-called developed world may suffer similar health consequences by staying up later on the weekends?

The new findings suggest that what is being term “social jet lag” — to differentiate it from “travel jet lag” — may be impacting hundreds of thousands of people who stay up a few more hours on the weekends than they would during their work week.

This is how CNN recently broke the bad news to those of use who engage in this apparently risky behavior:

Researchers in Europe have coined the term “social jet lag” to describe the all-too common practice of following a different sleep schedule on weekdays versus the weekend.

Our circadian rhythms are out of sync with our hectic work schedules, the theory goes, so each weekend we’re effectively flying back and forth between time zones without ever leaving the ground.

Social jet lag is “the discrepancy between what our body clock wants us to do and what our social clock wants us to do,” says Till Roenneberg, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Munich’s Institute of Medical Psychology, in Germany. “It almost looks as if people on a Friday evening fly from Paris to New York, and on Monday morning they fly back again.” read more here

Apparently, this disruption can cause alterations in metabolism which can lead to obesity.

This is how Amanda Gardener at the Huffington Post phrased it:

This weekly disruption is more than just a nuisance. In a new study published today in the journal Current Biology, Roenneberg and his colleagues surveyed the sleep habits of more than 65,000 adults and found that people with different weekday and weekend sleep schedules had triple the odds of being overweight. read more here

The findings take into account other variables such as disruptions in eating times, which also are known bad guys when it comes to putting on the weight, as I mentioned in the post on shift workers.

The bad news just keeps piling up—for those of us that revel in irregular sleep patterns.

Many of us who suffer from sleep disorders have tried over the counter and prescription sleep medications. Perhaps you are currently taking one of these now. A recent study has shown that persons who use prescription sleep medications are up to 300% more likely to suffer an early death as compared to those who do not use medications.

It was suggested in the media that Whitney Houston’s death might have been in part due to sleep medications. In any case, it is fairly well established that prescription sleep medications are not intended for long-term use.

If you suffer from chronic insomnia and have tried many sleep medications, and are concerned about the long term implications of their use, you might wish to investigate a what a fairly new medical specialty has to offer–behavioral sleep medicine.

Here is a description of this medical area:

Sleeping pills are a common treatment for people who are unable to sleep well. But a growing number of sleep specialists are using other treatment methods to provide solutions for people with sleep disorders.

Behavioral sleep medicine (BSM) is a branch of clinical sleep medicine. It involves cognitive and behavioral treatments for sleep disorders. Cognitive therapy helps you develop positive thoughts and attitudes about sleeping. Behavioral therapy helps you change actions or habits that hurt your ability to sleep well.

BSM has gained the most ground in the treatment of insomnia. There are a number of proven BSM methods that doctors can use to help the sleepless. One example is relaxation training. This helps you reduce muscle tension and get rid of negative thoughts that hinder your sleep….More at Behavioral Sleep Medicine: Improving Sleep without Pills

I am currently looking into doctors in my area who offer this type of specialized care. Please stay tuned to this blog as I bring out the results from my treatment within this medical area, as I confess I have tried just about every prescription sleep medication and have been ultimately disappointed with the long term results.