Let’s talk about sleep problems. Sleep problems are one of the most common complaints that we hear for patients with traumatic brain injuries, problems going to sleep, and sometimes, staying asleep. But let’s talk about some tips that are available to help somebody go to sleep. We have taken these tips and we call it CRASH, C-R-A-S-H. And what I’d like to do is just tell you what the tips mean.
Comfort
The first tip is to make sure that the bedroom that the person’s in is comfortable, as far as temperature, is quiet and dark so that the setting is relaxing to the person going to sleep. Second, it’s important to get a routine going.
Routine and Avoidance
And that R stands for routine. That means going to bed about the same time at night and waking up about the same time in the morning, even on weekends. And that can be helpful. The third one, the A in CRASH, is to avoid caffeine, alcohol or nicotine around the time or the hours before you go to sleep. What happens is those chemicals, once they get into your body, they can keep you awake when it’s time to go to sleep.
Stress
The next one is stress and moving stress out of the bedroom as best you can. So, for example, working on your computer while you’re on the bed, watching TV, or getting involved in stressful situations while you’re on your bed or in your bedroom, that’s important to eliminate. So, stress needs to be eliminated because that is going to help train your body to know that when you go to sleep, the place where you’re going is a place of little or no stress. I know that’s sometimes harder to actually do than to say. But, remember it’s progress, not perfection.
Healthy Not Heavy
And the last one, the H, heavy exercise and heavy meals are something that really should be avoided before you go to sleep because those kinds of heavy meals or heavy exercise can make it more difficult for your body to get ready to sleep.
So, I hope this has been helpful. All this comes from the doctors and experts at St. Luke’s Hospital located in Missouri. We hope that by reviewing this and remembering that before you go to sleep you make sure that you CRASH and do all of these tips, maybe you might find going to sleep is a little bit easier. If you have any questions or tips or anything like that, feel free to share with the group or message me privately.
