Tips and best practices to improve your sleep quality

1. Sleep Well
Part 1- How much
sleep do we need?
Part 3- Different stages of
sleep?
Part 4- 3 easy ways to
protect your sleep cycle
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Part 2- What are the 4 basic
principles of a good sleep?
Authentic-Happiness.com

2. How do we recognize the lack of sleep?
2Part 1- How much sleep do we need?
* Irritability
Can cause increased anger.
Can cause increased impatience.
Can increase moodiness.
Can lead to relationship difficulties
* Difficulty in focusing
Decreased performance
in school
physically
at work
when driving

3. 3Part 1- How much sleep do we need?
What are the typical consequences
of sleep deprivation?
* Health issues:
shortened life spans, weight gain
increased risk of heart disease
stomach problems, depression
* Leading to life issues:
increased risk of automobile crashes
decreased work performance and memory lapses
marital, social and employment problems
difficulty learning
100,000
the number of auto deaths per year attributed to
sleepiness- especially among teens (source: Margie
Clark-Kevan)

4. 4
Age and condition Sleep Needs
Newborns (0–2 months) 12 to 18 hours
Infants (3–11 months) 14 to 15 hours
Toddlers (1–3 years) 12 to 14 hours
Preschoolers (3–5 years) 11 to 13 hours
School-age children (5–10 years) 10 to 11 hours
Adolescents (10–17 years) 8.5 to 9.25 hours
Adults, including elderly 7 to 9 hours
Pregnant women 8(+) hours
Consider your average work week:
do you get enough sleep?
Source: "How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?" National Sleep
Foundation
Part 1- How much sleep do we need?

5. Principle #1:
prepare a good sleep during the day
Part 2- Basic principles of a good sleep 5
* We have a 24+ hour sleep-wake cycle.
* We have greater control over how we spend
our daytime hours than our sleep hours.
* Our sleep quality tonight is shaped by how
we spend our day.

6. 6
Principle #2:
sleep is an essential, life sustaining activity
* Purposes of sleep may include repair of body
systems, energy conservation, memory
consolidation, brain development, discharge of
emotions
* Sleep is mediated by an internal timing mechanism
called the Superchiasmatic Nucleus in the
Hypothalamus.
* It is also mediated by environmental cues,
especially natural daylight.
Part 2- Basic principles of a good sleep

7. 7
Principle #3:
your mental activities when going to bed strongly
influence your ability to fall asleep
* Sleep depends on urge to sleep and parasympathetic
nervous system activity (relaxation response).
* Activation of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or
flight) inhibits sleep.
* Ways in which patients respond to insomnia, such as
laying in bed awake, worrying or using their beds for
mental work, condition a response to bedtime,
perpetuating insomnia.
Part 2- Basic principles of a good sleep

8. 8
Principle #4:
daytime sleep is the biggest single sleep killer
* The single most effective sleep intervention is
daytime sleep restriction.
* Sleepiness is a drive state, like hunger and thirst.
* Daytime sleep reduces the urge to sleep at night
just like a snack can ruin your supper.
Part 2- Basic principles of a good sleep

9. Click on the screen

10. Part 3- different stages of sleep 9
Sleep is divided into
two broad types:
* Rapid Eye Movement,
or REM-sleep
75-75% of total sleeping time
relatively little dreaming
* Non-Rapid Eye Movement, NREM or non-REM sleep
20–25% of total sleep time, most memorable dreaming
* Each REM/NREM cycle lasts approx. 90 minutes.

11. Part 3- different stages of sleep 10

12. Part 3- different stages of sleep
the body clock
11

13. Part 4- Easy ways
to protect your sleep cycle
12
* Protect your need for sleep
Ensure that you have 7.5-8 hours set aside for sleep every
day
* Maintain consistent bed- and rising-times.
an erratic sleep schedule messes up your biological clock and
can make getting a full night’s sleep more difficult go to bed
at the same time every night and get up at the same time
every morning
1- Keep a regular schedule
of 7.5-8 hours of sleep

14. Part 4- Easy ways
to protect your sleep cycle
13
* Avoid vigorous exercise before sleep
Avoid active mental activities like browsing the
internet or woking
* Allow a 1 hour relaxing pause because active
state and sleep: bath, reading, meditation, music...
* Avoid late afternoon or evening naps, avoid
eating large meals before bed
* No caffeine or nicotine after 2 pm
Avoid jobs that require late hours
2- Get ready for sleep, avoid strong
physical or mental activities

15. Part 4- Easy ways
to protect your sleep cycle
14
* Use your bed only for sleeping,
associate
your bedroom with relaxation
* Ensure a dark, quiet, cool environment
* Avoid oversleeping or lying in bed for prolonged periods of time after your
sleep is completed
3- Use your bedroom for sleeping only

16. In summary 15
* Take a fair assessment of your sleeping pattern:
How many hours per night?
Are you falling asleep easily?
* How do you use the last hour of the day
before going to bed? Are you active, relaxing?
* Do you need to improve your bedroom to improve your
sleeping conditions? Mattress, darkness, humidity, silence,
relaxing music?

17. Click on the screen

18. * wikipedia.com
* National Sleep Foundation
* World Federation of Sleep Research Societies (WFSRS)
* American Sleep Association (ASA)
* Foldvary-Schaefer, N., Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
* Valfi, H. and P. How to Get a Great Night’s Sleep
* Pressman M and Orr W, Understanding Sleep
* Max, D. T. The Secrets of Sleep National Geographic Magazine 2010
* Psychology World, Stages of Sleep
* Connor, S Revealed: why we need a good night's sleep, The
Independent
Sources and References 16

19. 17Slide Transcripts
Click on "Open speaker notes" in the menu
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