A few simple habits help ensure a restful night

[00:00:00] Host Amber Smith: Here's some expert advice from Upstate Medical University neurologist, Dr. Antonio Culebras. What are the 10 Commandments of Good Sleep?

[00:00:10] Antonio Culebras, MD: So No. 1, fix a bedtime and an awakening time. In other words, be regular with your sleep wake schedule, including weekends. I know that teenagers are not going to like this, but be as close as you can to the regular sleep wake schedule every day of the week.

2. If you are in the habit of taking naps, do not exceed 30 minutes because if you do, you are stealing sleep from the night that's coming up. And the closer you take the nap to your bedtime, the more sleep you are going to steal from the night, which means that you're going to disrupt the continuity of sleep.

No. 3, avoid excessive alcohol ingestion at least four hours before bedtime. And do not smoke. Well, do not smoke ever.

No. 4, avoid caffeine at least six hours before bedtime. Caffeine, coffee with caffeine, tea with, and so on, chocolate, even with caffeine. Caffeine is a very potent stimulant of the brain, and it lasts from six to 10 hours in the system, in our body. So whatever caffeine you are ingesting at 12 noon, it's going to be there, of course in declining amounts, by 10 or 11 p.m. So do not drink any coffee. If you are sensitive to coffee and caffeine, do not drink any coffee past 12 noon.

No. 5, avoid heavy, spicy, sugary foods at least four hours before bedtime. A light snack is acceptable.

No. 6, exercise regularly, but not right before bed because exercise stimulates our alertness. And if you exercise one hour or two hours before going to bed, you are still activated in your brain as a result of the exercise. But I do recommend that people exercise regularly, perhaps in the morning, perhaps in the early afternoon.

No. 7, use comfortable bedding. If your bed is uncomfortable, you are not going to sleep well, of course. Everyone knows that, but not everyone takes action to improve the comfort of their bed.

No. 8, find a comfortable temperature setting for sleeping, and keep the room well ventilated. Everyone has the experience that during the summertime, in the absence of air conditioning, when it's very hot, we don't sleep well. If the environmental temperature goes above 25 degrees centigrade, (77 degrees Fahrenheit) we are not going to sleep well. So this is something that needs to be taken into consideration.

No. 9, very important -- block all distracting noises, and eliminate as much light as possible. And eliminate tablets and TV sets and telephones when you are in bed. These devices disrupt the onset of sleep. And, unfortunately, virtually everyone does it. Well, they should not do it.

And, No. 10, reserve the bed for sleep. Do not prepare your taxes when you are in bed. And there are people who will go to bed with files here and files there and start preparing their taxes. And, well, don't do that because that's going to activate your brain, and you are not going to be able to sleep well.

So those are the 10 Commandments, with some modifications for children. These 10 Commandments are available in the World Sleep Society and the World Sleep Day website.

If the commandments are followed, if the sleep-wake schedule becomes regular, if you are exposed to daylight when daylight is there -- obviously, a blue sky is better than a cloudy sky, but daylight is good enough -- then you are going to be able to sleep better. And if the sleep quality during the night is good, your alertness during the day is going to be optimal.

[00:04:45] Host Amber Smith: You've been listening to Dr. Antonio Culebras, from Upstate Medical University.