A sleep specialist shares 5 tips for getting better rest on a work night
You have to be up for work in six hours, but this fact is quickly lost among the thousand other thoughts running through your mind.
If this scenario seems familiar, you're not alone. More than a third of Americans don't get enough sleep, according to a study released by the CDC's Division of Population Health in February.
The survey found that almost 35% of adults get less than seven hours of sleep per night, the recommended minimum amount to reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Ana Krieger, medical director of the Weill Cornell Center for Sleep Medicine, says carving out the time for adequate sleep during the workweek is one of the greatest obstacles many people face.
"The biggest issue is time constraints that we have. A lot of the time, people just can't afford to spend eight hours in bed," she says. "But beyond that, people need to be aware of how important creating routine is to your sleep, and how beneficial this can be to optimizing the quality of the sleep time you do have."
So, how do you get better sleep on a work night? Here are five tips from Dr. Krieger: