Expert gives advice on how to get some Zs
By Eileen M. Adams
Staff Writer

DIXFIELD – Everyone needs a good night’s sleep to maintain optimum health and to do their best. As people age, that good night’s sleep happens less and less often.

About 50 people turned out Tuesday afternoon to learn why sleep isn’t what it used to be, and to learn how they can do something about it. The program was part of a health series presented by Dixfield Elsemore Clinic, Rumford Hospital and Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston.

As people reach their 40s and 50s, the level of seratonin, the “sleep” chemical in the brain, diminishes, said Barbara Aliberti of CMMC.

To make matters worse, when older people get to sleep, they often wake up hours earlier than their bodies require and they sometimes don’t get into the deep sleep cycle needed to produce sufficient rest.

Trouble sleeping is more common in women than in men, prompting many in the research field to believe hormones have a lot to do with sleeping, she added. Younger people frequently reach all four stages of sleep, while the weaker brain waves of older people don’t reach into the deep stages as often.

Aliberti and Dixfield Elsemore Center Physician Assistant David Saphier outlined several do’s and don’t’s that could help people of all ages get the rest they need. With sleep deprivation and the resulting fatigue, people can lose concentration and focus, and become crankier and more irritable.

Getting to bed and getting up at the same hour every day is crucial to the success of a good night’s sleep, said both Aliberti and Saphier. Getting exercise each day is almost equal in importance, but not in the few hours before bed.

“It’s very important to get out in the sunlight, particularly during the winter months,” said Saphier.

Don’t stay in bed more than eight hours, he added, and if someone can’t sleep, don’t stay in bed and toss and turn, watching the clock. Instead, get up and read or do some other relaxing activity, then try to get to sleep again.

Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine a few hours before bedtime. Sometimes the chemicals in hot chocolate can help induce relaxation and sleep.

Aliberti discourages using medicines or herbs to get to sleep. Some medications, she said, might work temporarily, but over the long-term they can alter a person’s ability to sleep.

“It’s easier to alter a lifestyle than to break away from medication,” she said, adding that herbal medicines can interact with other medication.

Saphier said some people have found success with some herbs, such as valerian root and St. John’s Wort, but he cautioned that they aren’t standardized.

Other do’s and don’t’s include:

• Sleep in a dark, quiet room. No television, no computers, no reading in bed.

• Try relaxation tapes such as those with the sounds of birds or water.

• No late night snacks.

• Try to keep a nightly routine during the few hours before bed, whether at home or staying in a motel, hospital or at a friend’s house.

• Shorter naps are better than long naps for ensuring a good night’s rest. The best time to take them is between 2 and 3 p.m.

The next no-cost program in the Elder Issues Series takes place at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 when bladder control will be discussed.

eadams@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link