by John G Thomas

Created on: May 03, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

According to scientists at the national sleep foundation in the United States adults need between 7-9 hours of sleep per night to maintain optimum health.

Getting less than enough sleep has dramatic negative effects on memory, coordination, alertness, problem solving and over all general health. Not to mention the overwhelming tiredness, bad mood and lack of concentration that manifest as the day wears on. But what is interfering with our valuable shut eye? In this article I will look at five of the ways that the average American is managing to ruin their sleep.

1) One of the biggest culprits keeping many people awake at night is caffeine. Consuming to many caffeinated beverages during the day or just before bed will play havoc with your sleep pattern. Think about how much coffee, soda, tea, you drink throughout the day. A small reduction in caffeine intake will help improve your quality of sleep and reduce the time it takes you to fall asleep. The reason caffeine effects sleep is the simple fact that caffeine is a stimulant and inhibits the release of hormones that tell your brain you are tired.

2) Many people like nothing more than after work drinks or maybe wine with their evening meal but alcohol can affect sleep. It is a common misconception that alcohol will help sleep as it initially makes you feel relaxed and is in fact a sedative. However, alcohol disturbs sleep later in the night and you may find yourself waking up and then not being able to get back to sleep again.

3) We live in the age of electronic entertainment. Playing computer games and staying up late watching TV means that your brain is over stimulated when you do go to bed. You will find it hard to relax. Before going to bed leave plenty of time to wind down and to slowly relax letting your brain register that it is almost time for sleep.

4) When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879 he probably did not imagine the effect that artificial light would have on our natural body clocks. Having bright lights on at home will trick the brain into believing that it is still daylight.

5) The final and most common ailment to interrupt sleep is worry and stress. Everyone at some point in their lives has laid in bed worrying with thoughts whirling around stopping you from being able to relax. With the current recession and financial worry it is no wonder that some people are finding it difficult to sleep. Trying relaxation methods such as meditation or try one of the many herbal supplements on the market, such as the natural sedative Valerian, which will help you to relax and drift off into sleep.

Sleep is incredibly important to our overall functioning and many studies are taking place into sleep and the effects of sleep deprivation. A recent study has concluded that men who get less than 7 hours of sleep per night have 26% higher death rate than those who get 7 or more hours sleep.

Making small changes to your evening routine can greatly improve your chances of a good-nights sleep and leave you feeling healthy, happy and ready to take on the world.

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