If you’re feeling sleep-deprived you’re not alone. So-called ’sleep-stealers’ rob 9 in 10 Canadians of a sound sleep on a regular basis.

Canadians are racking up a huge sleep debt, according to a recent poll. In fact, only one in ten people sleep soundly on a regular basis with an overwhelming majority of women experiencing sleep disturbances.

The culprits? A Harris-Decima poll* identified a number of ’sleep stealers’ including stress, uncomfortable room or bed temperature, insomnia and being awakened by a partner.

“Extended periods of sleep disruption or poor sleep quality can often lead to impaired daytime functioning and depressed mood,” said Dr. Eva Libman, Associate Director of the Behavioural Psychotherapy and Research Unit at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.

How much sleep do you need?

How much sleep you need depends largely on your age. Experts say that infants generally require about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need, on average, about 9 hours. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night is thought to be best, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day.

Older people tend to sleep more lightly and for fewer hours, although they generally need as much sleep as they needed in early adulthood.

In fact, experts say that about half of people over 65 have frequent sleeping problems, such as insomnia. Deep sleep stages for many older people can become short or stop altogether. This could be a normal part of aging, or it could result from medical problems and/or medications.

Older adults may produce and secrete less melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep, according to the National Institute on Ageing. They may also be more sensitive to — and may awaken because of — environmental factors such as noise.

Invest in your sleep portfolio

If you get too little sleep, you create a sleep debt, which is something like overdrawing your bank account. And because our bodies don’t naturally adapt to getting less sleep, the debt eventually needs to be repaid.

We may think we’re used to a sleep-deprived lifestyle, but our mental and physical health still suffers. Sleep deprivation could affect mental alertness and cognitive abilities, impair the immune system, and even increase the risk for obesity and diseases such as diabetes, experts say.

Not surprisingly, there is also a strong link between sleep deprivation and traffic accidents.

10 tips for a good night’s sleep

Fend off the ’sleep-stealers’ with these tips.

Set a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this routine may interrupt your inner ‘circadian clock’ and lead to insomnia. While ’sleeping in’ on weekends may seem like a treat, it can make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.

Don’t eat for at least 2-3 hours before your regular bedtime. Eating too much may make you less comfortable when settling down for bed. It is best to avoid a heavy meal and spicy foods too close to bedtime.

Establish a regular exercise routine. Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise often helps people sleep, although a workout soon before bedtime may interfere with sleep. In addition to making us more alert, our body temperature rises during exercise, and takes as much as 6 hours to begin to drop. Since a cooler body temperature is associated with the onset of sleep, it is better to finish your exercise at least 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.

Watch what you drink. Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant. This includes coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Alcohol tends to keep people in lighter stages of sleep, robbing them of deep and REM sleep. Smokers also tend to sleep lightly and often wake up early because of nicotine withdrawal.

Establish a relaxing bedtime routine. Leave the day’s stresses behind with a warm bath, reading, or another relaxing activity. Avoid arousing activities before bedtime like working, paying bills, engaging in competitive games or family problem solving.

Silence a snoring spouse. Nearly half of Canadians report losing sleep because of a snoring bed partner. (Read more.)

To reduce snoring, try using nasal strips to relieve nasal congestion. Other strategies include sleeping on your side, quitting smoking, and raising the head of your bed by four inches. Avoiding alcohol and sedatives at night, as well increasing humidity to reduce congestion can also help. Note: If the snoring persists, talk to your doctor. Snoring could be a symptom of sleep apnea, a potentially serious health condition.

Control your room temperature. Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep. You may also wish to consider using blackout curtains, eyeshades, earplugs, “white noise,” humidifiers, fans and other devices.

Don’t just lie there.

If you can’t get to sleep, don’t just lie in bed. Instead try reading, watching television, or listening to calming music until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to your sleeplessness.

Rise with the sun. If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.

See a doctor if your sleeping problems continue. If you have trouble falling asleep night after night, or if you always feel tired the next day, then you may have a sleep disorder and should see a physician. Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively.

*Harris/Decima conducted the poll, which was commissioned by Sunbeam, via an online panel (eVox) among a sample of 745 adult Canadians. The margin of error is +/- 3.56 per cent.

Sources: U.S. National Sleep Foundation; National Institute on Ageing; National Institutes of Health, Sunbeam news release, Oct 24, 2007.

Photo ©iStockphoto.com/ ericsphotography

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