Scheduling sleep: Three nighttime habits to improve rest

Shalini Paruthi M.D. assistant professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at Saint Louis University and a SLUCare physician at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, said almost all adults operate with some sleep deprivation from time to time. Paruthi deals with sleep disorders in both children and adults. She has three top tips, based on recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, for trying to make it through the holidays.

1. Maintain a regular sleep schedule. Paruthi recommends adults try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day. Trying to 'catch up' on sleep on the weekends may not be productive. "People who sleep in on a Sunday morning may not be sleepy by their usual bedtime on Sunday evening, which can make waking up on Monday difficult. This can throw off the week's schedule," she explains. "When possible, it is best to try to get to bed and get up at same time (at least within an hour) seven days a week."

2. Set a bedtime routine. "Even a 10-minute routine where you do the same things each night to prepare yourself for going to bed is a good idea," Paruthi said. Our brains need a wind-down period to go from 'on' to 'sleep time.'

3. Prioritize sleep. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Paruthi recommends thinking about your schedule and making time for sleep. "If you know you have to get up at 6 a.m. the next day, set your alarm clock in the evening for 9:30 p.m.," she suggested. "That alerts you that you have a half hour before you need to go to bed and you can begin to wind down."

Paruthi also recommends turning off the television and keeping electronic devices away from the bedroom. "We are so 'go, go, go' that people are on all the time now," she said. "There have been studies showing that the light emitted from electronic devices decreases the release of melatonin, a hormone that helps us feel sleepy." There are also devices such as blue light screen filters and blue light blocking goggles to decrease this effect.

Drowsy driving can be just as dangerous as driving while drunk. Paruthi cites a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in which a sampling of crashes occurring in 2009-2013 revealed 21 percent of deadly crashes were due to drowsy driving.

"Tests have shown reaction times of sleep deprived drivers slow to times similar to those of people who have a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.08, the level when they are considered legally drunk," Paruthi said.

Our bodies try to alert us when we are overly tired, Paruthi noted. "If you are start to feel too tired to drive, then you are," she said. "Drivers need to recognize what their body is telling them." Signs to look for include droopy eyelids, yawning, missing your exit or turn and feeling sleepy