The sound of fellow classmates reading English literature in class put Emily Grooms to sleep in high school.
When she feels pressure to sleep now, because of fast-approaching mornings, the college student revisits the image.
"I pretend that someone is standing in front of class reading from a book, and I make up the story, something like, 'Once upon a time, a boy went to see his grandmother' and I just go on and usually it gets boring and before I know it, I doze off."
Like many Americans, Grooms is not getting enough shut-eye. She says she gets about three to six hours a night. "And some days, I nap, too," she said.
Between 50 million and 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep loss, a condition making us not just drowsy but fatigued, irked and anxious.
And a new CDC study released last week finds one in 10 adults report not getting enough rest or sleep every day in the past month.
Not enough sleep --- every day.
With today ushering in National Sleep Awareness Week, the AJC got up with some sleepy-eyed folks at a Starbucks in Atlanta. In between yawns, we asked for their best ideas for inducing sleep, everything from warm milk to warm baths to counting sheep and doing pushups.
Torie Marshall
> He tries to sweat himself to sleep, doing pushups --- up to 200 of them.
"And sometimes, I get so tired afterward, it really does work," said the 25-year-old.
Bert Telman
> The 49-year-old Atlanta IT specialist said when he has trouble sleeping, he reads medical journals belonging to his mom, who is a nurse. "And that usually does the trick," he said, laughing.
Emily Grooms
> She imagines a classmate is reading in front of class.
"I make up the story in my head and it's usually so boring especially because I am feeling tired that before long I am dozing off."
Kailey Cotton
> The 26-year-old fitness trainer tries to go to bed at about 10 p.m., but usually doesn't fall asleep until about 11, and often wakes up in the middle of the night. "I just toss and turn and eventually go back to sleep," she said. "I wish I had a trick."
Sharon and Ron Kebalka have very different sleep patterns. He closes his eyes and is down for the count. Sharon, a meeting planner, often wakes up, thinking about the many details of her job. To help fall back asleep, she does crossword puzzles. On the rare occasion that Ron has difficulty sleeping, he listens to talk radio. "But you have to find something somewhat boring that puts you back to sleep, otherwise, if it's really interesting, I get engaged and stay up listening."
Fred McHann, a 45-year-old construction worker who lives in Dallas, Ga., watches the Weather Channel, and doesn't eat or drink anything after dinner.
"If you watch a show like 'CSI,' you get locked in and have to watch the entire show, but with the Weather Channel, you can watch a few minutes and just turn it off."
Will Fowler, a Georgia State University student, turns to classic piano music to lull him to sleep.
"The calming music, playing softly helps," said Fowler.
Arturo Toladamo, a plumber who lives in Alpharetta, listens to classic rock. "I listen to '70s rock like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, and after a while, it does seem to work," he said.
WHAT KIND OF SLEEPER ARE YOU?
Healthy, Lively Larks (27 percent) --- Least likely to be affected by sleep problems. They are in good health; two-thirds say they get more sleep than they need, and most never/rarely feel tired/fatigued. Often consider themselves "morning people."
Sleep Savvy Seniors (21 percent) --- About half are 65 or older. This group gets the most sleep of any cluster, averaging 7.3 hours/night compared to 6.8 overall. Although many have been diagnosed with at least one medical condition, they do not feel they have a sleep problem.
Dragging Duos (20 percent) --- Most likely to be partnered (80 percent) and employed (76 percent), working more than 40 hours a week. Work before going to bed. They are nearly twice as likely as the other groups to get less sleep than they say they need to function at their best, and more than one-third say they feel tired/fatigued at least three days each week.
Overworked, Overweight and Over-Caffeinated (17 percent) --- These are evening people or "owls" who are employed, have the longest work week (47 hours compared to 42 hours overall) though they are least likely to work regular day shifts. They sleep less than other groups (5.2 hours per night) but nap more, with two-thirds taking two or more naps each week. Caffeine guzzlers.
Sleepless and Missin' the Kissin' (15 percent) --- This group has the largest proportion of "owls" (59 percent) and people who think they have a sleep problem (58 percent) or a symptom of insomnia (90 percent). They are the least likely to say they frequently get a good night's sleep. Nearly half feel they are getting less sleep than they need, and the same number say they usually feel tired or fatigued. They are more likely than other groups to say their (or their partner's) sleep disorders have caused significant or moderate problems with their relationship, and two out of five say their intimate relationships have been affected because of sleepiness. The majority of SAMTKs have been diagnosed with a medical condition (84 percent) and they are more likely than other groups to use sleep aids. One-half of this group is employed, and there is a high representation of females.
Source: National Sleep Foundation
SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD SLEEP
> Establish a regular bedtime routine and a regular sleep-wake schedule. That means getting up at the same time every day of the week, no matter how much you've slept the night before, and going to bed about the same time. Don't spend too much time in bed. Your time in bed should be about the same as the amount of time you can actually sleep during the night. You can't force yourself to sleep by spending more time in bed. Do not eat or drink too much before bedtime. Make your bedroom quiet, dark, cool and comfortable.
> Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the late afternoon and evening. (Caffeine and nicotine can delay your sleep, and alcohol may interrupt your sleep later in the night.)
> Exercise regularly, but do so at least three hours before bedtime. (A workout after that time may actually keep you awake because your body has not had a chance to cool down.)
> Don't use your bed for anything other than sleep or, um, intimacy.
> If you have trouble sleeping when you go to bed, don't nap during the day, since it affects your ability to sleep at night.
Source: National Sleep Foundation
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution