Nodding off as you read this? When you last slept might account for your drowsiness more than the amount of shut-eye you clocked. Stanford University researchers discovered that when sleep time is limited, the better hours for nodding off are from 2:15 am to 6:13 am. That could be because you sleep better when your body temperature dips late at night, says Dr. Alistair MacLean, a clinical psychologist and sleep researcher at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. Here’s how to get a restful sleep if you travel, work shifts or sleep erratically:
Determine your best sleep time. Then tell your family and friends when not to disturb you, suggests James MacFarlane, lab director at the Centre for Sleep and Chronobiology in Toronto.
Walk in the early morning sunlight. This will synchronize your body to local time and ward off midday sleepiness. Light suppresses melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone.
Make up for lost sleep by napping. Twelve hours after the midpoint of your last night’s sleep is ideal. For example, if you normally sleep between 10 pm and 6 am, your ideal nap time would be 2 pm.
Use prescription sleep medications on a short-term last-resort basis. Long-term use could kick-start an unhealthy psychological dependence.
