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Advice about sleep ROCHESTER, Minn. (June 10, 1998 01:26 a.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) -- Sleep. You've been practicing it all your life, but as you get older, you find the rules have been changed. Sleeplessness does become more prevalent with age, confirms the Mayo Clinic Health Letter in a recent issue. For one thing, the ratio of REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep changes. NREM sleep comes in four stages: transitional, light, and two stages of deep or delta sleep -- the most restful and restorative. REM sleep is a time of increased activity, when you dream and your body functions speed up. Sometime between the ages of 50 and 60, you get less NREM and more REM, which means you're sleeping more lightly and are more prone to be awakened. Lifestyle changes also have an impact. Being active promotes sleep, but as you get older, less physical and social activity means you're less primed to drop off easily. If you're retired, you have more free time and that often translates into more coffee and alcohol, or a little extra nap now and then -- all which can interfere with a regular night sleep routine. Painful health problems like arthritis, backache, stress and anxiety contribute to sleeplessness. So what to do? Here's advice from the Mayo experts: - Minimize sleep interruptions. Close off the bedroom, keeping it quiet (you might need a fan or "white" noise to cancel other noises) and at a comfortable temperature. Drink less before bedtime so you won't have to get up and go to the bathroom as often. - Limit your time in bed. Get up the same time each morning, regardless of when you went to bed the night before. - Avoid or limit caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Tobacco and coffee are stimulants that can keep you awake; you might doze off with an alcoholic drink, but your sleep will be less restful and you'll wake up frequently. - Exercise and stay active. Get 20 to 30 minutes of vigorous exercise every day, about five to six hours before bedtime. Then keep yourself occupied until bedtime. - Try to reset your body's clock with light. - Avoid or limit naps. If you just have to snooze, do it for no longer than 45 minutes. - Don't try to sleep if you can't. The harder you try, the more elusive it gets. So turn on the television or read a book. - Relax. A warm bath or light snack before bedtime can help. - Check medications. Ask your doctor if your medicine might be contributing to sleeplessness. Check over-the-counter preparations to make sure they don't contain caffeine or other stimulants, such as pseudoephedrine. - Don't put up with pain. Make sure your pain reliever is effective enough to let you sleep. - Get help. If these steps don't bring relief or you feel that your insomnia is related to another sleep-related condition, depression or anxiety, talk to your doctor. Copyright 1998 Nando.net Copyright 1998 The Associated Press janet paterson aka calendar control supervisor 51/10 - sinemet/selegiline/prozac - [log in to unmask] quotations: http://newww.com/cgi-bin/do_cal?c:newvoice pwp event calendar: http://newww.com/cgi-bin/do_cal?c:pwpc