Best Way to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Your body has its own biological clock that regulates your activity and alertness. When this clock is on schedule, your body slows down naturally for sleep at night and speeds up again in the morning. But depression disrupts this nat­ural clock. It interrupts your sleep and makes you feel rest­less because your body is getting mixed messages about whether it’s daytime or nighttime.

Your sleep rhythm can also be upset by circumstances other than your depression, such as medical problems, pain, alcohol or drugs, late-night coffee drinking, or changes in your sleep schedule. Any of these can interact with depression and make your symptoms worse.

Dos, and DONTs for restful sleep

Don’t Use Caffeine

When your sleep cycle is already upset, even small amounts of caffeine can interfere with restful sleep. The best amount of caffeine is none. If you feel you can’t give it up completely, limit yourself to one cup of coffee in the morning. Be sure to avoid caffeine in the late afternoon or evening. And remember that some soft drinks contain caf­feine, as does chocolate. You may be tempted to pick your­self up with caffeine after a poor night’s sleep, but it’s best to avoid those caffeine jolts to your system.

Don’t Drink Alcohol

Alcohol’s effects on sleep can be deceiving. Alcohol has a relaxing effect for the first few hours, but once this seda­tion wears off, you’ll feel more anxious and jittery. If you drink in the evening, you may find yourself waking in the middle of the night. Regular drinking can make sleep prob­lems worse. If you’re having trouble sleeping, don’t try to use alcohol to bring on sleep.

Do Exercise

Regular exercise can help restore your normal sleep pat­tern. Even walking for only 20 to 30 minutes several times a week will help. Try not to exercise close to bedtime: evening exercise can leave you feeling too charged up to fall asleep easily.

Do Establish a Bedtime Routine

Setting up a regular procedure for retiring is one way of telling your biological clock, “It’s time for bed now.” Slow down as bedtime approaches. Stick to quiet, relaxing activities for at least an hour beforehand.

About Sleeping Pills

Sleeping pills can help you sleep, but only for a short while. Sleeping medication can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and time spent awake during the night. After 2 or 3 weeks of regular use, however, your body adjusts to the drug’s effects.

This causes two problems. First, the medication doesn’t work as well (and you may be tempted to take more). Second, when you try to stop, you may go through a period of even worse insomnia or anxiety—a withdrawal reaction known as rebound insomnia. Used regu­larly, sleeping pills can also depress your mood, reduce your energy, and disrupt your memory and concentration. Because these effects build up slowly over time, you might not realize what the medication is doing.

Your doctor may prescribe sleeping pills, to be used for a brief period. If you still feel you need sleeping pills after 2 weeks, discuss the situation with your doctor.