Are you tired? Do you wish you had a better night’s sleep? Do you fantasize about all the things you could accomplish with a good night’s rest? You are not alone! The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults have between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, and yet 20% of American adults report that they are getting less than 6 hours of sleep per day on average.
Recently I hosted brunch with a group of friends and we each took turns going around the table describing (in vivid detail) the last time we each had a good night’s rest. Like many busy parents, we are trying to fit so much into our days that our own sleep often gets a lower priority while we care for others.
It is not difficult to see how peaceful sleep can become a rare, (yet wonderful… blissful…) occurrence! If I am not getting enough sleep, I often forget things, become irritable, and have a difficult time focusing and paying attention. Not fun! So I am learning to make sleep a priority, and that means taking a few steps to ensure I get the rest I need.
About one hour prior to going to bed, turn off all electronic devices. Dim the lights, if possible. Making this simple adjustment to my bedtime routine has helped me a lot.
I don’t want to have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Since I aim to be in bed close to 10pm every night, I made 7pm my cut off time for food and drink. Added bonus – this helps with weight control too!
The more physically active I am during the day, the better I sleep at night.
A little light reading before bed is one of my favorite ways to unwind and relax at the end of the day. I just have to make sure to have lights out at a decent hour before I get too sucked in to a bestseller novel, so I usually try to read something a bit more relaxing instead (stay away from intense thrillers)!
Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day (including weekends) helps my body adjust and prepare for a good sleep at night.
If you continue to have trouble falling or staying asleep at night, consider speaking to your healthcare professional about your symptoms, lifestyle, and daily routine.
SILENOR® is a prescription sleep medicine that is used to treat people with insomnia who have trouble staying asleep. Learn more about SILENOR® here.
Important Safety Information
Call your doctor if your insomnia worsens or is not better within 7 to 10 days. This may mean that there is another condition causing your sleep problem.
Be sure that you are able to devote 7 to 8 hours to sleep before being active again. SILENOR® should be taken within 30 minutes of bedtime. Do not take with alcohol or with other medicines that can make you sleepy. If you are on a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or have taken a MAOI within the past two weeks, you should not take SILENOR®. You should not take SILENOR® if you have an eye problem called narrow angle glaucoma that is not being treated, if you have severe urinary retention, or if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in SILENOR®. You should not drive or operate machinery at night after taking SILENOR®. Until you know how you will react to SILENOR®, you should be careful in performing such activities during the day following taking SILENOR®. Before you take SILENOR®, tell your doctor if you have a history of depression, mental illness or suicidal thoughts. You should call your doctor right away if after taking SILENOR® you walk, drive, eat or engage in other activities while asleep. Drowsiness is the most common adverse event observed in clinical trials. For more information, please see the complete Prescribing Information, including the Medication Guide.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Disclosure: I participated in a program on behalf of She Knows/BlogHer for Pernix Therapeutics, the makers of SILENOR®.