Baby steps to better sleep

baby in sling asleep“Sleep like a baby” is more than an expression; it’s great advice. “When it comes to getting rest, adults should do things more like infants do,” says sleep expert James Maas, Ph.D. “Adults…treat sleep as a luxury and it is not.”

Get on a schedule
There’s a biological reason babies crave routine. “If you stick to a schedule, your body is more alert than if you slept for the same total amount of time at varying hours during the week,” says Maas. Over time, regularity lowers the total sleep time required for daytime alertness.

Power-down at night
Before they hear “sleep tight,” babies get a bath and hear a story or lullaby. Adults also need a power-down routine. “In order to sleep soundly through the night, your  body needs to prepare itself for the long period of inactivity ahead,” says Maas. “It needs a buffer between the day’s stress and the night’s rest.” Try taking a hot shower or reading a book or magazine, but skip the Kindle. (Artificial light suppresses the powerful sleep-inducer melatonin.)

Position yourself for comfort
Although babies need to sleep on their backs, do your best to assume a side-lying sleep position, says Janet Kennedy, Ph.D., founder of NYC Sleep Doctor. Back-sleeping makes the airway relax too much, which can cause snoring and breathing disruptions. “The side-lying position is better for spinal alignment, whereas stomach sleeping can cause back and neck problems,” she says.

Take a nap
Adults do best if they mimic a baby’s schedule and take a 15- to 20-minute power nap around 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., when there is a dip in alertness. “It’s just enough to restore your energy and mood, but not long enough to make you groggy or disrupt your nighttime sleep,” says Maas.

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