Do You Want to Enjoy a Sound Sleep?

YOU go to bed and turn off the light. You look forward to enjoying a sound, refreshing sleep. Instead, you remain wide awake! You toss and turn. You hear sounds from the neighborhood. You think of the things you must do in the morning.

Finally, you fall into a fitful sleep, only to be rudely awakened by the alarm clock. It is time to get up! And you get up and go to work, irritable and depressed, perhaps taking extra cups of coffee to get through the day.

Have you experienced this at times? It is claimed that 40 to 50 percent of the people in the industrial world do not sleep well. Those so afflicted will likely agree with the ancient Egyptian inscription that states that one of the three forms of torment on earth is to lie in bed and not be able to sleep.

The Sleep Function

In a 24-hour day, six to eight hours are used for sleep by most persons, more by the very young and somewhat less by those up in years.

Normally we go through a cycle of four stages of sleep. First, we fall into a lighter form and gradually reach stage four, the deepest stage. Soon we shift to the first stage again and repeat this cycle a couple of times. The rest of the night we go through stages one to three and back to one until a total of about five cycles have been made, each taking from 90 to 110 minutes.

These stages basically involve two states of sleep known as quiet sleep and active, or dream, sleep. During quiet, or NREM (No Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the pulse, respiration and blood pressure are relatively low and steady. This quiet sleep provides for physical recuperation. Skeletal muscles are restored and waste products are removed from them. The central nervous system restores control of muscles, glands and other body systems. Also, certain proteins are synthesized to be used in brain restoration during the following period of active sleep.

Active sleep, or REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, takes up about 25 percent of our total sleeping time. It is the state wherein the pulse, respiration, blood pressure and other body functions are more active and irregular. This is when most of our dreaming takes place, most of which we never remember. These dreams are accompanied by rapid movements of the eyes from side to side. During REM sleep, the chemical substances synthesized during the previous quiet sleep are now used to restore physical sensitivity to certain brain functions. There is much mental activity. The mind is processing, sorting and filing away the information and impressions received during the previous day, and is readying itself to receive new impressions the following day. If the mind is deprived of this reorganizing process for a long period of time, it becomes cluttered, fuzzy and disorganized.

Why Those Sleepless Nights?

Some forms of physical illness can interfere with proper sleep, though this is not often the case. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, may be a direct cause of some sleeplessness. A calcium deficiency might be the cause. Also, eating too much salt can stimulate the nervous system and increase both the blood pressure and the gathering of fluids in the body, inhibiting sleep.

Drinking caffeine-containing beverages, such as coffee, tea or colas, can overstimulate a person and prevent sleep, even for some who limit their intake of these to the early part of the day. Any other type of stimulation just before sleeping time​—excessive physical exertion, watching exciting entertainment, such as on TV, or reading exciting books—​can interfere with proper sleep. Eating a heavy meal too late in the evening may disturb sleep. Crowding too much work and recreational activities into each day is often a cause of sleep problems. Taking a daytime nap can also disrupt the regular night sleeping cycle.

Anxiety and worry are common causes of sleeplessness. Since prolonged sleeplessness increases anxiety and worry, this quickly becomes a vicious cycle.

Aids to Falling Asleep

What can be done to induce sleep? An important thing is to begin a regular and conscious “winding down” as you near your time for sleep. Avoid viewing exciting movies or TV programs, reading exciting books or having stimulating discussions. Do not eat a heavy meal. Avoid excessive physical exertion.

The winding-down routine can include a short brisk walk, a warm bath or merely reading some lighter material that is not stimulating. Sleep-inducing remedies include drinking warm milk, buttermilk, a little wine, or herb teas of hops, mint or chamomile. One method is to eat a large apple, chewing it slowly before going to bed. Perhaps most of these things are beneficial primarily because they have become related to the presleep winding down, though milk, buttermilk or other dairy products contain calcium, which seems to help. They also contain a substance called tryptophan that produces serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is known as the sleep serum.

Some have found it good to practice relaxing various muscle groups, such as in the face, hands, arms, stomach, legs or toes after going to bed. Tense the muscles for a few seconds and then relax them completely for some seconds, one set of muscles at a time. Some persons have been helped by getting a massage of the back, legs and feet at bedtime.

To supplement this presleep ritual there is a need for some physical exertion every day. If you do not have work that is physically exerting, then do some form of recreational exercise, though not late in the evening.

If this is not possible, at least take a brisk walk of 15 to 30 minutes twice a day. If you have shopping or other errands, walk if it is possible. Take the stairs (both up and down) instead of the elevator. Physical tiredness can contribute to a better quality of sleep.

If you take one or more naps during the day, try eliminating these for a while. This may help you to develop a more regular sleep pattern at night.

The matter of avoiding worry and anxiety is not easy to remedy, but it is worth the effort to try. It is suggested that you practice what has been called the ‘habit of thinking about right things at the right time.’ Do the best you can during the day to work out problems and then try not to worry any longer. As you lie down to sleep, let your mind dwell on good, upbuilding and thankful thoughts.

Many doctors agree that a mere presleep winding down is not enough in itself. They encourage a sound, balanced life that will contribute to mental and physical well-being. This includes a life with a proper balance of work, sleep and relaxation (including physical exercise), a proper balance in eating habits, avoiding overindulgence; a life free from the anxieties and frustrations caused by greed, jealousy and ambition; and we might add, a life free from the unhappiness resulting from immorality.

Sleep-inducing Medicines

What about the use of sleep-inducing medicines? While these may be necessary at times, practically all specialists on sleeplessness warn strongly against their habitual use. To continue effective, the dosage often has to be increased, with the danger of addiction. For some, the effects continue the next day, so the sufferer then needs some stimulant in order to get through the day. This results in sleeplessness the following night. Besides, tests show that habitual users of such medicines suffer as many sleepless nights as nonusing insomniacs.

In addition, sleep-inducing medicines may inhibit the sleep function, especially disturbing the important active or dream sleep that helps the brain and the mind to recuperate. The same can be said of the use of strong alcoholic drinks. While a little wine might help some persons to relax, alcohol in larger quantities could inhibit the brain-restoring active sleep.

Value of Bible Counsel

Many readers will observe that the principles outlined for sound sleeping correspond with those recommended in the Bible for sound living. They may think of Jesus’ counsel in the Sermon on the Mount: “Never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties.” (Matthew 6:31-34) Or Bible readers may recall the counsel of the apostle Paul at Ephesians 4:26: “Be wrathful, and yet do not sin; let the sun not set with you in a provoked state.” Or, with regard to economic worries, note the counsel at Hebrews 13:5: “Let your manner of life be free of the love of money, while you are content with the present things. For he has said: ‘I will by no means leave you nor by any means forsake you.’”

Many have found that the real basis for avoiding anxiety is to have confidence that there is a God who has created all things and who has everything under control. He will see to it that all injustices are corrected in due time. This confidence is expressed in Psalm 37:1-5, where we read: “Do not show yourself heated up because of the evildoers. . . . Trust in Jehovah . . . Roll upon Jehovah your way, and rely upon him, and he himself will act.” That this confidence can actually contribute to sound sleep is expressed by one who experienced it, the psalmist David, who said: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you yourself alone, O Jehovah, make me dwell in security.”​—Psalm 4:8.

When Sleep Fails to Come

But what if, in spite of applying good counsel, you either cannot fall asleep or wake up and begin to toss and turn, unable to fall asleep again? Don’t get agitated; don’t fight it. This will only make matters worse. Try to relax and think of upbuilding things.

Of course, if there is something on your conscience that needs to be brought to the surface and corrected, you can just as well use the time to think matters through and determine what you will do about it the following day. But don’t start looking for worries. Be happy that you are at least resting. Remember, occasional loss of sleep does no harm. The most noticeable effect of prolonged loss of sleep is that you will soon have difficulty in staying awake.

Following a night with very poor sleep, the temptation will be to sleep over the next morning or to take a long nap later in the day. But that can disrupt your sleep pattern. You will simply push the sleep-wake cycle farther and farther around the clock, not being able to sleep when you should and not being able to stay awake when you should. In most cases it is better to get up at your normal time, do a little exercise, get dressed and get on with the day’s activities. Normally you will be tired enough that evening to fall asleep when your sleep time comes, and if not, then you will the following night.

You begin to train yourself for a regular wake-sleep pattern by first always getting up at your usual time, regardless of how poorly you have slept. Then develop a regular winding-down process each day as you near your bedtime to aid you in falling asleep. And remember, if you have difficulty falling asleep, don’t worry. As one authority stated: “Nobody dies of insomnia, and no one can stay awake forever.”

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Among causes of sleeplessness: worry; too much work or recreation in a day; eating heavy meal or drinking caffeine-containing beverages late in evening; stimulating TV programs or reading matter before bedtime

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Some aids to sounder sleep: developing right attitude toward life; some exercise each day; avoiding overindulgence in food and drink; warm bath, some herb teas, warm milk; light reading before bed