Question
My sleep schedule is very hectic due to school and work. For awhile now I've had to give my girlfriend rides to and from work, she typically works from 5pm-12 midnight, but can get off as last as 2am some nights. I work at 7am and would like to get to bed by 10pm and wake by 5 or 6am. My question is, would getting to bed at 10pm, waking up to pick up my girlfriend when she calls me anywhere between midnight at 2am, then getting right back to bed and get another 3-4 hours of sleep be healthy for me? Do you need to get 6-8 straight hours of sleep each night, or would 3-4 hours, then an hour awake, and another 3-4 hours be fine? My body right now is hating it, and it's very hard to get up and get to work by 7am every day. But I know I can train my body to a new sleeping schedule, but would this one be healthy, or should I find a way for my girlfriend to get home on her own?
Answer
Interrupted sleep can ruin your sleep pattern, your wakefulness is impaired, your concentration, you are cranky. You must get 8-10 hours of straight uninterrupted sleep. Not broken sleep. You should go to bed and awaken the same time each day. I am including these tips on insomnia for you even though its not what you have, you may find it hard now to get your sleep cycle back into sync. follow these tips. f
You must go to bed and awaken the same time each day regardless of little or much
sleep you got the night before. This starts to reset your sleep clock
3 hours before bedtime stay away from
tea, coffee, caffeine, caramel colored soda like, coke,pepsi, ginger ale,
or root beer, chocolate and exercise .All these make for restless sleep.Do the following religiously for 4-6 weeks although some have seen changes in as little as 2 weeks.
Make sure room is quiet and dark. When you go to bed if you start to
twist and turn or if you wake up in the middle of the night and cant
go back to sleep, twist and turn for only 20 minutes, then get up, go
into a different room and read a book or magazine only! No computer!
When you start to doze immediately go back into the bedroom.This retrains
the brain into thinking that the bedroom is for restful sleep only. Do
this as many times as you awaken thru the night, it will lesson.
30 minutes before bedtime take a hot bath and immerse hands under the
water.Latest research states that the palms of the hand when immersed
in hot water send signals to the brain to relax. 15 minutes before bedtime\
drink a glass of warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan, a
natural amino acid sleep inducer. Go to sleepnet.com click on disorders
insomnia for more tips. Feel free to email again , Karel
