

Midlife is often a time of psychological stress: children may be leaving home, a partner may be lost through death or divorce, and roles may be changing at home and work. Who does sleep-maintenance insomnia affect?įor many reasons, women transitioning through midlife may be more vulnerable to sleep disturbances. Like difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night, called sleep-onset insomnia, sleep-maintenance insomnia is more common in women than in men. It often takes the form of sleep-maintenance insomnia - that is, difficulty staying asleep, and in particular, waking too early and struggling to get back to sleep. Insomnia - inability to get the sleep you need to wake up refreshed - is the most common sleep complaint in the United States. Maybe you doze off for an hour or so, but when the alarm clock gets you up for the day, you're far from rested. You toss and turn and worry about not getting enough sleep. You tell yourself you've got to get back to sleep, but thoughts about yesterday's troubles, the coming day's challenges, and all those "must-do's" race through your mind. You wake up and look at the clock: it's 3 a.m.

It probably won’t be too difficult.Sleep-maintenance insomnia common complaint among women at midlife Normally in bed by 10:30 p.m.? Try to make that 9:30 p.m. If you’re running on five hours of shuteye, do your best to catch that up to seven or eight hours in the next night or so, suggests Paruthi. So push back the big talks, suggests Breus.
#Dont sleep gotta stay up full#
Shoot for mid-morning for 15 to 20 minutes-but not too much longer or you’ll feel worse (unless you can score a full sleep cycle, which is 90 minutes, he says).Įver notice when you’re sleepy you’re also annoyed with everyone? Research suggests when we’re lacking sleep, we’re more likely to be overly emotional-and not handle our feelings as well as we might when we’re well rested. “A quick power nap is also a good idea (without the caffeine) on the days you’re sleep deprived,” says Breus. as to not mess with your next night’s sleep. “It will give you the energy boost you need and is good for about four hours.” Make sure to try the trick before 2 p.m. “You will get enough Stage 1 to 2 sleep to help lower your sleep drive, and the caffeine will kick in at around the time you wake up,” he says. Then drink the entire glass quickly and take a 25-minute nap. Just look out for signs like a racing heart or a headache that signal you’ve overdone it, says Paruthi.īreus uses this technique he created with many of his Fortune 100 execs: “If you only got five to six hours of sleep and really need more, get yourself a 6 to 7 ounce cup of drip coffee, and put two to three ice cubes in it to cool it down,” he says. To keep a steady stream of energy, you could also try small doses (around 50 to 100 milligrams) sprinkled in at 9:30 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2:30 p.m., suggests Breus. If you need a little more to finish that project, that’s usually okay, says Paruthi. The powers of caffeine are well known-and since it’s a stimulant, its very purpose is to wake you up. Just be wary of carbs: “These usually increase levels of serotonin, which will calm you down and make you feel more sleepy,” says Michael Breus, Ph.D., a board-certified sleep specialist. So don’t venture away from your usual menu just because you didn’t sleep well, she says. To remind your body everything is normal, it’s important to keep up with regular mealtimes, workout times, and even foods that you usually eat. After all, if you’re awake when your brain and body want to be sleeping, your hormones will be produced a little bit differently, she says. “The most important thing to do is to get back to your daily routine as quickly as possible,” says Paruthi. Follow Your Daily Schedule as Best You Can Play icon The triangle icon that indicates to playĢ.
