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Old Feb 23, 2017, 3:56 pm
  #8  
lwildernorva
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
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I've found my sleep overall improved by paying more attention to "sleep hygiene," as my doctor had recommended, without identifying any particular resources that might help me. When I was in London last year, I stopped in a bookstore and saw a relatively new book (and for purposes of physical book sales, perhaps limited to the UK) called "Sleep" by Nick Littlehales. I checked with Nook/Amazon, and it was available electronically: https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Myth-Ho.../dp/B01ISFAU1W.

Any other good book on the subject would be as valuable, and it's arguable that Littlehales oversells his point--although once you think of a bedroom as just a place to sleep, you knock out a lot of other things that can disrupt sleep. Looking specifically at hotels and traveling, I now try to block light coming through the hotel door with a towel or an extra pillow at the base, I unplug or cover any digital clock/radio in the room, and I try to hide all the other potential light sources, such as power lights for chargers, cell phones, and TVs although there are plenty of rooms with smoke detectors with lights that are more difficult to access.

I especially found valuable Littlehales's emphasis on a set awake time, bedtime and awake routines, a cool room temperature (64-66F), and 90-minute sleep cycles. Try to get five per night, be comfortable with four, and if you get less, find spots during the day where you can make up for the loss with naps. His approach made me feel more in control of my sleep patterns, and it's amazing how that feeling keeps me from worrying too much if I have a hard time falling or staying asleep. And the lessened worry actually makes it easier to fall asleep, especially when I'm traveling.
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