Three easy ways to counter sleeplessness

When counting sheep no longer works to fight sleeplessness or insomnia, what do you do?

An adult body needs at least five to eight hours of sleep a day in order to regain lost energy. Not getting enough sleep is linked to health problems like obesity, anxiety, depression, memory problems, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Dr. Michael Alexius Sarte, director of the Center for Snoring and Sleep Disorder at The Medical City, explained that lack of sleep also makes us susceptible to diseases. "Ubo, sipon, pulmonya, high blood. Tapos ang tendency mago-overeat tayo,” he said. “Imbes na maganda ang timbang natin, dahil kulang sa tulog, kinukuha ang lakas natin sa kain. Mas tataba ka niyan."

Want to make sure you get sufficient amount of sleep? Forget the sheep and remember these “Pinoy MD” tips the next time you have trouble dozing off.

Condition yourself to sleep

"’Pag titignan natin ‘yung dahilan ng insomnia o hirap sa pagtulog, mga 35 to 45 percent sa pag-iisip natin o psychological eh," Dr. Sarte says. "Maaaring mga past experiences na nangyari noong bata pa sila o few months ago o may pinaghahandaan. Dahil doon napapaisip sila, nahihirapan sila sa pagtulog."

Prepare your body for a good night's sleep by eating  the right food. If you get the urge to have midnight snack, skip junk food and eat a banana or drink a glass of milk instead. Nutritional therapist Jo Lewin explains that the amino acid tryptophan is present in both food. Tryptophan aids the production of the melatonin hormone, which, in turn helps condition our bodies to sleep. She adds that the magnesium found in bananas and the calcium found in milk relax our muscles.

A warm shower is also an effective way of relaxing the body and preparing it for a good night’s rest.

Stay away from your gadgets



Aside from conditioning the body, having a sleep-conducive environment also helps fight sleeplessness. Don't use your gadgets before going to bed. BBC featured a survey showing that the light emitted by gadgets keeps our bodies from producing melatonin, a hormone that helps control the sleep cycle. Surfing the internet and watching television also distract us and keep us awake.

"Yung kuwarto natin, madilim, cool, tahimik para at least maganda ang environment. Ang kuwarto para lang sa tulog. Walang trabaho," Dr. Sarte advises.

Have a regular sleep pattern

According to Dr. Sarte, one whole sleep cycle involves a person passing through the stages of shallow and deep sleep. Each cycle lasts for 90 minutes. A sufficient amount of sleep has four to five repetitions of this cycle.

People who can't avoid pulling all-nighters are advised to recover their sleep as soon as they can. However, Dr. Sarte says that sticking to a regular sleep pattern would be more beneficial to the body.

For example, someone who follows the regular body clock will likely produce the sleep hormone melatonin between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. Sleep experts recommend that we should already be asleep by these hours.

"Pinaka-importante regular wake-up time, mas importante 'yun kaysa oras ng pagtulog," Dr. Sarte reveals. "If you make it a habit to wake up at 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning, gawin mo 'yun kasi mayroon tayong natural alarm clock."

–Lara Gonzales/CM, GMA News

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