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On active duty, troops sleep whenever and wherever they can. It’s part of the deal — and no wonder so many veterans develop sleep issues after they return home. Veterans are two or three times more likely than civilians to suffer from sleep apnea.
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“If left untreated, sleep disorders can lead to many serious medical consequences,” Susmita Chowdhuri, M.D., Sleep Section chief at the VA Medical Center in Detroit, tells AARP Veteran Report. “Chronically insufficient sleep has been associated with an increased risk of accidents, heart diseases and even death. Untreated insomnia disorder may contribute to depression, anxiety disorder and risk for suicide in veterans.”
Seek medical advice, but here are seven simple steps you can take at home to retrain your body to achieve a better night’s sleep.
1. Track your sleep
Start a sleep diary, a log to track what time you went to bed, how many times you woke up during the night, and whether you napped during the day. You can track your sleep on a smart watch or with paper and pen. Or the VA has a sleep diary you can download.
2. Set a sleep schedule
Select a regular wakeup time, determine the maximum time allowed in bed, and pick the earliest bedtime. The goal is to achieve 85 percent of sleep efficiency (total sleep time divided by total time in bed). Do not exceed the maximum time you set for being in bed, and don’t go to sleep before your designated bedtime — if you’re nodding off before that, get up and do some gentle stretches. And always wake up at the scheduled time, even if you’re still exhausted (no snooze button) or on the weekends. It may take your body up to a week to adjust, so be patient.
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3. Limit stimulus before bedtime
Your bed should be exclusively for sleep or sex. Keep your bedroom cool, quiet and dark. Remove magazines, books, pets, TVs and your phone. “Avoid exposure to bright lights close to bedtime as these will modify the body’s endogenous production of melatonin and delay sleep onset,” says Chowdhuri. Make sure you’re going to bed only when you’re sleepy — yawning, getting drowsy, or can’t keep your eyes open — rather than merely tired. If you don’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do a non-stimulating activity, like listening to music or meditating. Once you’re nodding off, return to bed.
