What would you give for a good night's sleep?

A new study reported last week at an international sleep conference in Seattle that men and women who slept six or fewer hours a night were about four times more likely to die over the course of 14 years of follow-up then those who slept more than six hours per night.
Furthermore, the National Sleep Foundation recently reported that 20 percent of Americans, up from 13 percent just eight years ago, sleep fewer than six hours a night. It said the lucky few who sleep a full eight hours or more dropped to 28 percent, from 38 percent. There is no reason to believe that Canadians are any different from Americans when it comes to our sleep habits.
Is this news really important to you and me? Are we walking zombies during the day, craving a mid-day snooze?
Here's my take: Would you believe scientists aren't yet really certain why we need sleep at all? One recent and controversial conclusion is that our immune system is being recharged while we sleep. If this were true, it is reason enough why a good night's sleep, however elusive, is most important to maintaining good health.
But we do all agree what happens when we do not get enough sleep. We have low energy, a lack of motivation, concentration problems, daytime drowsiness, headaches and/or mood changes.
What are the causes of sleeplessness or insomnia? Some of the more frequent causes are anxiety, depression, various diseases, excitement, grief, stress and stimulants such as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and food.
So, what can we do to ensure that we sleep deeply and wake up refreshed and rested every day? Eliminating the root cause of the problem is a good start. But in the meantime, I have some ideas for you that have proved successful for others:
Avoid stressful situations before bedtime.
Exercise regularly, but not in the last three hours before going to bed.
Relax by reading, taking a bath, or listening to soothing music before going to bed.
Remove your TV or computer from your bedroom. Otherwise, your brain becomes used to the stimulation and starts to expect it when you are there. This makes it harder for you to fall asleep.
Establish a regular bedtime, but do not go to bed if you feel wide awake.
Avoid using alcohol in the evening. Avoid caffeine for at least four hours before bedtime. Give up smoking, because nicotine is a stimulant.
If you can't fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and do a quiet activity such as reading or listening to music. When you feel sleepy, get back in bed and try again. If not successful in 20 minutes, repeat.
If you do wake up in the middle of the night, do not let that worry you. Some sleep researchers feel that waking up in the middle of the night is normal, even expected. You can decide to read or have a glass of milk to become sleepy again. Milk? Yes, that old tale of a drinking a glass of milk to help you sleep has some scientific merit after all. Milk contains a natural sleep inducer called L-tryptophan. This may help explain why babies sleep so much.
Tonight would be a good time to begin reading that book you've been meaning to start, so relax, enjoy the slower pace before bedtime, and you, too, should be able to "sleep like a baby!"