Sleep, It Does a Family Good

by Dr. Archibald D. Hart

2010

“A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.” Charlotte Bronte.

In an attempt to help hubby and son#1 become better sleepers, I picked up this book:

Sleep, It Does a Family Good.

Overall, it was quite informative, though I did lose steam in the last chapter.

This is some of what I gleaned:

Our Need for Sleep

God has designed sleep as a fundamental need in our lives. Even though many of us are constantly tired, and know we need more sleep, we still associate sleep with laziness.

The amount of sleep required by each person is different.  Circumstances (vacation vs. stressful situations) impact our need for sleep.

Less than six hours of sleep causes the brain to age faster.

Aim for nine hours of sleep - we sleep in cycles of one and a half hours. This doesn’t mean nine hours of deep sleep, it means nine hours in bed: Part resting our bodies, part in light sleep, part in deep sleep, and part in dream sleep. This cycle takes about one and a half hours and continues throughout the night.

Lack of Sleep

Lack of sleep reduces our ability to cope and manage events of the day. It effects the mood of the whole family.

Too little sleep prevents the brain from getting enough oxygen. It leaves us drowsy with impaired memory and physical performance.

Stress & Sleep

Stress reduction is key to a healthy “sleep switch” and, therefore, healthy sleep.

Stress, anxiety and worry disrupt sleep.

Getting out of bed in the middle of the night makes it more difficult to get back to deep sleep again.

Sleep & Learning

Dream sleep helps the brain rehearse what has been learned. In fact, learning is not complete until we sleep, as this is when newly learned information is made more permanent in the brain.

 

Cramming all night before an exam does not make for optimal learning!

How to Improve Sleep

Reduce caffeine and alcohol. No coffee after 3pm!

Don’t give children (or yourself) challenging tasks right before bedtime, establish and maintain bedtime routines (this provides a sense of security), reduce TV time, avoid bedtime snacks (especially grains and sugars), sleep in complete darkness.

When your mind is overactive: focus your thoughts on something else (ie a project or vacation).

When your mind worries: concentrate on what’s worrying you and soon your brain will let the concern go. As a Christian, give your concern over to God, again and again.

Turn off lights and darken the room before bedtime to help your melatonin kick in.

Relax before bed.

Keep ear plugs and an eye mask handy. 

Too Much Excitement

Dennis Prager, a well-known sociologist and radio host, says that today’s generation has more excitement available to them than any other generation in history. This excitement has become our most dangerous drug today.

Kids don’t know how to relax and have down time.

Marriage & Sleep

Building a happy marriage is about paying attention to detail, including sleep.

Marital happiness lowers the risk of sleep problems and marital strife increases them. Good sleep and marital satisfaction are related!

Bedtime arguments always disrupt sleep. Never discuss a hot topic just before bed!

Love gift: Sacrificing what you want or need in order to fulfill the need of your spouse, including needs associated with sleep. (Taking the love gift concept further, never put conditions on your love gift and never ask for one.)

Making Up Lost Sleep

We have up to seven days to make up for any lost sleep. Try to make up the lost sleep in increments over a few days.

Exercise and Sleep

Lack of physical exercise and exertion can disrupt sleep, but don’t exercise right before bed.

I am not sure if any of these ideas will help in our home, but maybe they'll help in yours.

Reading on…