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Do you have trouble falling asleep? Do you fall asleep easily, then wake up 5 hours later and can't fall back asleep? Do you wake up several times during the night and have trouble staying asleep? If so, you are one of many who experience some form of insomnia and your sleep may be improved by better sleep habits, or what is known as better sleep hygiene!" #oming into hospital can be a stressful time for most people and you may find getting to sleep is difficult during this time" $his is normal, but developing better habits can be very helpful%

Do not nap during the day.

If you are having trouble sleeping at night, try not to nap during the day because you will throw off your body clock and make it even more difficult to sleep at night" If you are feeling especially tired, and feel as if you absolutely must nap, be sure to sleep for less than &' minutes, early in the day" (lso, do not stay in bed for long periods of time if you are not sleeping"

Limit caffeine and alcohol.

(void drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages for &)* hours before bedtime" (lthough alcohol may initially act as a sedative, it can interrupt normal sleep patterns"

Don't smoke.

+icotine is a stimulant and can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep" Expose yourself to bright light/sunlight soon after awakening.

$his will help to regulate your body's natural biological clock" ,ikewise, try to keep your bedroom dark while you are sleeping so that the light will not interfere with your rest"

Exercise early in the day.

$wenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon" -xercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity close to bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult"

Make sure your bed is comfortable.

/ring pillows from home, if you prefer them" #hange your sheets regularly"

Make your bedroom primarily a place for sleeping.

It is not a good idea to use your bed for doing work, studying etc" 0elp your body recogni1e that this is a place for rest or privacy"

Keep your bed area peaceful and comfortable.

2ake sure your room is as well ventilated and the temperature is as comfortable for you as possible" $ell the ward staff if it isn3t" (nd try to keep it 4uiet" 5ou could use a fan or a 6white noise6 machine to help block outside noises"

ide your clock.

( big, illuminated digital clock or one that ticks loudly may cause you to focus on the time and make you feel stressed and anxious" 7lace your clock so you can't see the time when you are in bed or remove a loud one"

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Keep a regular schedule.

$ry to go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday, even on the weekends" 8eeping a regular schedule will help your body expect sleep at the same time each day" Don3t oversleep to make up for a poor night3s sleep 9 doing that for even a couple of days can reset your body clock and make it hard for you to get to sleep at night" (sk the nurses for a sleep chart if you want to monitor it yourself"

!ncorporate bedtime rituals.

,istening to soft music, sipping a cup of herbal tea, etc", cues your body that it's time to slow down and begin to prepare for sleep"

"elax for a while before going to bed.

:pending 4uiet time can make falling asleep easier" $his may include meditation, relaxation and;or breathing exercises, or taking a warm bath a few hours before bedtime" $ry listening to recorded relaxation tapes" Don#t eat a large$ hea%y meal before bed.

$his can cause indigestion and interfere with your normal sleep cycle" Drinking too much fluid before bed can cause you to get up to urinate" $ry to eat your dinner at least two hours before bedtime" Don3t ask visitors to bring in a huge pi11a or takeaway <ust before you are due to go to bed"

&edtime snacks can help.

(n amino acid called tryptophan, found in milk, turkey, and peanuts, helps the brain produce serotonin, a chemical that helps you relax" $ry drinking warm milk or eat a slice of toast with peanut butter or a bowl of cereal before bedtime" 7lus, the warmth may temporarily increase your body temperature and the subse4uent drop may hasten sleep"

'ot down all of your concerns and worries.

(nxiety excites the nervous system, so your brain sends messages to the adrenal glands, making you more alert" =rite down your worries and possible solutions before you go to bed, so you don't need to worry about them in the middle of the night" ( <ournal or 6to do6 list may be very helpful in letting you put away these concerns until the next day when you are fresh"

(o to sleep when you are sleepy.

=hen you feel tired at night or in the evening, go to bed" If you feel tired in the daytime try not to sleep more than a short nap as this will affect your night3s sleep"

Medication

If you have tried all the suggestions above and the relaxation techni4ues to help you sleep, but still cannot sleep >and haven3t slept for . consecutive days whilst in hospital? your Doctor may consider prescribing a tablet to help you sleep" :leeping tablets are known as hypnotics or sedati%es" $hey can be very helpful for sleep when taken in the short term 9 usually .)& weeks" If sleeping tablets are taking for longer than .)& weeks% ) ) ) they may stop working >you may find they no longer help you sleep?, they can become addictive >you may find you cannot do without them?, it can be very hard to stop taking them or @come off3 them >you may get withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop taking them?"

$his is why they should not be taken any longer than * weeks" $hey can also make some people feel irritable and tired the next day" :leeping tablets include a group of drugs called ben)odia)epines. -xamples of ben)odia)epines are dia)epam$ lora)epam$ nitra)epam$ lormeta)epam >as you can see, the ben1odia1epines have similar sounding names?" (t 7rospect 7ark 0ospital, we generally prescribe a tablet from a different group of hypnotics, called3 *+hypnotics#. $his group includes )opiclone, )olpidem and )aleplon" *opiclone is the main hypnotic used at 7rospect 7ark 0ospital" $he dose will either be &"A5mg at night or A"5mg at night" 5ou will be offered up to a total of 1* tablets of either strength during your stay in hospital" $ry not to depend on the )opiclone every night 9 only take it if you cannot sleep at all and if the suggestions for helping you sleep have not worked" If you are already taking a sleeping tablet before coming into hospital, you will not be offered )opiclone as well" !t is important to let the staff here know if you are pregnant as )opiclone may not be suitable for you or your baby.

,%oid -o%er+the+counter- sleep aids$

2ake sure that your prescribed medications do not cause insomnia" 5our ward pharmacist can check this for you" +ot all supplements or over)the)counter 6sleep aids6 are effective" :ome can interfere with other medicines you may be taking" (ntihistamines, for example, have a long duration of action and can cause excess drowsiness the next day" ,lways talk to staff if you ha%e any concerns or .uestions. &e sure to let us know if you are taking any o%er+the+counter remedies that you ha%e brought into hospital with you. 5

Do %isuali)ation.

Bocus all your attention on your toes or visuali1e walking down an endless stairwell" $hinking about repetitive or mindless things will help your brain to shut down and ad<ust to sleep"

(et out of bed if unable to sleep.

Don3t lie in bed awake" Co into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy" =orrying about falling asleep actually keeps many people awake"

Don't do anything stimulating.

Don't read anything <ob related or watch a stimulating $D program >commercials and news shows tend to be alerting?" Don't expose yourself to bright light" $he light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up"

(et up and ha%e a milky drink.

2ilk contains tryptophan, a ma<or building block for making serotonin, a neurotransmitter, which sends messages between nerve cells and causes feelings of sleepiness" -ating foods containing tryptophan raise the levels of serotonin produced in the body, which in turn increase a person's feeling of sleepiness" It is best to eat tryptophan on an empty stomach" Boods that contain a notable amount of tryptophan are% milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream, chicken, cashews, soy beans and tuna"

/onsider changing your bedtime.

If you are experiencing sleeplessness or insomnia consistently, think about going to bed later so that the time you spend in bed is spent sleeping" If you are only getting five hours of sleep at night, figure out what time you need to get up and subtract five hours >for example, if you want to get up at E%'' am, go to bed at 1%'' am?" $his may seem counterproductive and, at first, you may be depriving yourself of some sleep, but it can help train your body to sleep consistently while in bed" =hen you are spending all of your time in bed sleeping, you can gradually sleep more, by adding 15 minutes at a time" 7lan this carefully with your care team so that they can support you"

,earn about your sleep patterns and habits by keeping a daily sleep diary" It should include

$ime you went to bed and woke upF $otal sleep hoursF Guality of sleepF $imes that you were awake during the night and what you did >e"g" stayed in bed with eyes closed or got up, had a glass of milk, meditated?F (mount of caffeine or alcohol you consumed and times of consumptionF $ypes of food and drink and times of consumptionF Beelings ) happiness, sadness, stress, anxietyF Drugs or medications taken, amounts taken and times of consumption"