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7 tips for getting a good night's sleep

Under ideal conditions, women sleep better than men -- but when did you last see "ideal"?

BY KAREN SHIDELER

The Wichita Eagle

Who knew? Women, it turns out, sleep better than men, says Wichita sleep medicine specialist Thomas Bloxham. Left to our own devices, we sleep longer and deeper, with fewer problems such as narcolepsy or sleep apnea.

The problem is that we're seldom left to our own devices, adds Bloxham, who practices at the Sleep Medicine Center of Kansas.

The baby cries, the dog needs to go out, we have to get up earlier because we need more time to get ready for the day, and suddenly we're having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.

The good news? Being short on sleep usually isn't a life-threatening issue. It's not even a problem unless it's affecting your daytime functioning.

Still, you've probably had one of those nights where you knew you needed a good night's sleep because you had a big presentation and you feared you wouldn't be able to get to sleep and worried what would happen if you couldn't and wondered whether you'd wake up in the middle of the night and -- lo and behold -- you couldn't sleep at all.

When that night hits, or if feeling rested is a problem, here's some advice to consider:

1. Exercise. Being busy isn't exercise. Do something during the day -- late afternoon is a good time -- that physically tires you: Go to the gym, walk the dog, play with the kids, ride your bike, swim laps.

2.Get up at the same time every day, or close to it. Moms with little kids don't have much choice, because the kids get up early on weekends, too. But if you sleep four extra hours on Saturday morning, you've just added jet lag to your sleep deprivation, Bloxham says. Instead, get up within an hour (no more than two) of your usual time.

3.If you're still tired, take a short nap between noon and 3 p.m. Limit it to no more than 30 minutes. "Long naps leave people groggy and drooling and confused," Bloxham says.

4.Keep the room temperature moderate. Temperature extremes tend not to be good.

5.Turn off the TV. Its flickering light can go through your eyelids, Bloxham says. Just as stimulating are the sounds of car chases, gunshots and commercials, even if you've turned down the volume. If you must have noise, run a fan. If you must have light, get a night light.

6.Skip the bedtime snack. Snacking makes your body rev up again as it goes into digestive mode. Have your snack earlier in the evening instead. The only exception: If you typically wake in the middle of the night and have to have a snack then, try having something just before bedtime instead.

7.Avoid nicotine, and avoid caffeine in the evening. That includes tea, cocoa and any kind of chocolate.

How much sleep?

There's no "magic number" for how much sleep is ideal, though eight hours a night seems to be the average recommended for adults.

Preschoolers need 11 to 13 hours of sleep a night.

Older children need 10 or 11, and teens need about nine.

Most adults need seven to nine hours to feel rested.

Sleep needs increase only slightly for older adults, but they may divide the time between night and daytime napping.

National Sleep Foundation