Sleep Doctor Offers Medication-Free Tips For Catching Zzz's

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - After a day of going full-speed, it's often hard to put on the brakes and simply coast into sleep mode.

WCCO photojournalist Melissa Martz can relate to that problem.

Melissa often works the 10 p.m. news, so her brain is ramping up when many people are winding down.

"My iPad sits next to my bed, which doesn't help," Martz said.

She gets home late and, while shutting off the lights is no problem, shutting off her brain is.

"I've tried everything short of drugs," she said. "I've tried a lot of stuff, but it doesn't work. So there are nights when I come home and can't go to sleep until 7:30 in the morning."

But a well-known Twin Cities sleep doctor said Melissa, and others like her, are curable.

"Sleep is the one treatment that is free," Dr. Conrad Iber said. "It's easy to get, you don't have to do much work and it improves your brain performance.

Iber is director of Fairview Health Systems Sleep Program.

He said caffeine, stress and technology are all to blame for a lack of zzz's. And Iber has a clear rule for caffeine.

"More than three caffeinated beverages a day is bad, and caffeine after 3 p.m. is not a good thing," he said.

He said stress can be related to obsessing over relationships, finances and work.

"There are some things that are the enemy of sleep, and thinking is one of them,"Iber said.

And increased cases of insomnia are often related to advancements in technology.

Staring at the bright light of your iPhone or iPad before bed is not recommended.

"Bright light is also directly stimulating," he said. "It increases brain function and activity, so it's a stimulation and delays the sleep clock."

Iber also recommends turning your alarm clock away from you: Watching time tick away keeps you from falling asleep.

In fact, Iber said your bedroom should be almost technology free, nearly pitch dark, quiet and cool.

While there's plenty to cut out to avoid insomnia, there's also plenty to try.

"Some of us are night owls and others are larks, and you kind of need to know which you are," Iber said.

What Iber means is you should get a feel for when your body naturally wants to sleep.

"The real solution may be going to bed later and having a later awake time. Or, because of work you can't do that, use bright light in the morning to move your sleep schedule earlier," he said.

A study done in Colorado took a group of night owls camping.

After one week, the group's sleep patterns synchronized with sunset and sunrise. Essentially, their bodies learned to fall asleep when it became dark and without the help of any sleeping aids.

"Prescription medicines long-term are probably not a good idea," Iber said. "They don't solve the real problem as to why you can't fall asleep."

He said some prescription medications can make you too sleepy over time.

But Iber does recommend asking your doctor about melatonin. It's a natural supplement that your body already produces.

And he said aromatherapy lotions have also proven effective.

And then there's the matter of breathing. Some sleep doctors recommend the four, seven, eight breathing method.

Breathing in for a count of four, holding your breath for a count of seven, then exhaling for a count of eight and then repeating.

It helps you relax and it mimics the sleep process.

The incentive to try any of these is more than just feeling good.

It's about giving your brain a chance to reset, recharge, and reach its full potential.

"The brain has to work during the day and rest at night, and the toxins in the brain have to be cleaned out," Iber said.

He said he also sees a lot of patients who use alcohol to fall asleep.

He said alcohol may put you to sleep, but you'll likely wake up a couple hours later when your body tries to metabolize it--and you won't sleep well.

Fairview offers a sleeping "tool kit" online.

For more information, go to Fairview.org/sleep and click on "Try our risk-free assessment."