8 Tips For Sleeping Well To Curb Clinical Depression

I have been reiterating this many times. But, people do not seem to realize that they need to have to get the proper amount of sleep. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you need only five to six hours of sleep a night. Very few people can function well on that little sleep. Most adults need seven to eight and a half hours a night to achieve "optimal" rest, and some studies indicate shortening of the life span with less than normal amounts of sleep.

Researchers believe that sleep is a period of rest and recovery, restoring the brain and body after the physiological stresses of daily activity. Important hormonal and immune system activity happen during sleep. Getting too little sleep can impair your ability to concentrate, cause memory problems, and diminish your overall sense of well-being.

In recent years sleep researchers have begun focusing on the quality as well as the quantity of sleep. Good-quality sleep means that you go to bed drowsy, sleep deeply, and wake up refreshed. Here are some ways to improve your sleep quality:

1. Use your bed only for sleeping and sex. Paying bills, balancing your checkbook, or doing work in bed will make you think of your bed as a stressful place. Doing these activities right before bedtime isn't a good idea either because they might make you too stressed to fall asleep.

2. Take a short nap (if you need one) early in the day. Never nap after 2:00 P.M. or for longer than one hour. Taking long naps late in the day can depress your moods and make it very difficult to fall asleep at night.

3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. You'll be doing this anyway on the Jump Start. Although it's a depressant, alcohol interferes with sleep by disrupting sleep patterns, particularly in the second half of the night. You may fall asleep more easily, but you may wake up several times later in the night because you're sleeping more lightly or you have to urinate. A caffeinated beverage early in the morning will also likely affect your sleep at night. This may be hard to believe, since caffeine's effect seems to wear off within a few hours, but it's a fact.

4. Keep a regular sleep schedule. Go to sleep and wake up around the same time each day. If you go to sleep late and sleep in on two consecutive days (over the weekend, for example), you are unwittingly resetting your body's clock and may experience symptoms similar to jet lag.

5. Don't exercise within three hours of bedtime. Exercise elevates your body temperature and quickens your pulse; this energy boost can last a few hours and make it harder for you to fall asleep.

6. Keep your bedroom cool. Studies show that sleep is improved if the room temperature is on the low side (60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit).

7. Make sure you have a firm, comfortable mattress and pillow.

8. Consider painting your bedroom a soothing color, such as a pastel (pink is known to be relaxing).

By: Jerry Herman Jansen

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Jerry Jason, MD received his degree from the Columbia's Physician and Surgeons in 1995. He is well certified in psychiatry and has achieved advanced proficiency in the areas of chelation therapy from the American College For Advancement of Medicine (ACAM). Find out what depression can do to you by reading Jerry's daily updated blog here!