Regular Daily Routines Enhance Sleep Experience

People are creatures of habit. We tend to engage in similar routines on a daily basis. When we get up and brush our teeth. What we choose to wear and eat for breakfast. How we drive to work. What time we break for lunch. Which television programs we choose to watch at night.  And so on...

But can trusted habits make for a better night's sleep?

It appears so, at least when it comes to older adults. According to a new study just published in the journal Sleep, keeping a daily routine may be associated with a reduced rate of insomnia and improved quality of sleep.

The study was performed on residents of an Israeli retirement community whose mean age was 75. Mind you, this is an age when many people have trouble sleeping due to the negative effects of health conditions and/or medications that can disrupt sound, restful sleep. The fact that these people could experience better sleep just by maintaining regular routines throughout the day is significant: it's relatively easy to work on keeping a daily routine for the purposes of enhancing one's quality of sleep when compared to other options like drugs or therapy.

I'm not surprised by this latest finding. Consider the following:

• The body loves routines. Each one of us maintains a circadian rhythm that dictates our sleep-wake cycles. This rhythm clocks our biological days and takes cues from light and darkness. 
• Routines tend to be calming and expected. They help us hit cruise control so our bodies can operate efficiently without much "thought" or input from us. As noted by the researchers, routine lifestyle rhythms may serve as a protective factor contributing to the maintenance of high-quality sleep.

We all know what it's like when our bodies fall out of synch with our normal routine. We can feel "off," and either overly alert when it's time for bed or exhausted long before bedtime. Look no further than the last time you traveled across time zones and struggled with your sleep, and with feeling refreshed during the daylight hours to understand this.

I don't think this latest study should be a lesson for those in retirement homes. It's for all of us -- at any age. Ask yourself:

• Do you tend to engage in the same activities (eating, working, exercising, etc.) at the same times on most days of the week?
• Do you get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time most days of the week?
• Do you have an established routine for preparing to go to bed? 

If you answered "no" to any of the above, and you don't consider yourself a sound sleeper, then you may want to re-examine your overall daily routine -- or lack thereof.

Routines aren't ruts. They can be gateways to great sleep.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctorâ„¢
www.thesleepdoctor.com

This article on better sleep routines is also available at Dr. Breus's official blog, The Insomnia Blog by Sleep Doctor Michael Breus, PhD.

 

 

 

Follow Dr. Michael J. Breus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thesleepdoctor

Comments

[NancyPeske]

04:50 PM on 05/11/2010

Routines are important, but when a child has great difficulty falling or staying asleep, it might be due to sensory issues. I was scrupulous about a sleep routine for my baby but later realized that without deep pressure input to calm him, he was never going to fall asleep on his own. Then too, if we're deficient in melatonin (which can be a side effect of some medications), falling asleep can be difficult too. But even so, good article--we do have to start with a routine and then, if that's not working, look to the next layer of possibilities for sleep problems.

http://www.sensorysmartparent.com

[GrumpyDudes]

08:27 AM on 05/11/2010

I work from home and over the years I've developed my own well established routines that allow me to focus on work and my home life without either one overstepping the other. And I sleep like a baby. So this was very interesting to read, and something new for me ponder. I have several friends and family members who sleep poorly, so I think I'll do my own "study" and see if their routines or lack thereof could be the reason.

[Yinka Daniel - Elebute]

12:49 PM on 05/10/2010

Sleeping habits these days are somewhat eratic among various professionals given their work schedules that stretches to late night hours in some instances. It is not surprising that one is disoriented from lack of sleep because the body reacts proportionally to the rest it receives or otherwise. The 'soundness' of the body is compromised and headaches or other pains develop to warn the body to take its deserved rest. When adequate rest is observed after a normal day's work, the body can give off the required energy to handle other assignments without pains being experienced.