Getting your sleep schedule back on track
Posted January 3, 2012 11:13 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Chances are you had to throw yourself out of bed this morning, just to get up. It’s normal to have a sluggish start to the year after an extended break, so we’re looking at how to get your sleep cycle back on track.
Mondays are usually bad after a weekend of sleeping in, but after long holidays, your sleep patterns are really out of whack.
Sleep expert Dr. Jonathan Fleming says it doesn’t take long to catch up. “The best way to counteract all of this is to just get up at the same time each day and not nap or have any compensatory sleeping during the daytime.”
“In a matter of two to three days, things should be getting better,” says Fleming. “Also ensure you’re getting adequate exercise. Adequate exercise, these days, is defined as 30 minutes of brisk walking outside your regular walking.”
He adds it’s especially hard at this time of year because it’s colder and darker, both which will make you want to stay in bed longer.
Fleming explains it’s not about getting eight hours; it’s about the rhythm of getting up at the same time. Sleep needs are on a bell curve, meaning a few of us need four hours or 10 hours and the rest of us are somewhere in between.
