If you don’t snooZzze, you loZzze!

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jasmonet Jackson
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  

Each morning at 7 a.m., Johnny Cash croons "Love is a burning thing..." loud enough to jolt Senior Airman Richard Eide from sleep. The "Ring of Fire" lyrics always leaves him with the same thought he said. "It can't be time to wake up already. I want to lie down, down, down."

For Eide, a 39th Air Base Wing staff judge advocate paralegal, and many other Airmen who may feel like they aren't getting the right amount of sleep, the 39th Medical Group has a solution: a sleep enhancement class and an app.

The Behavioral Health Optimization Program offers a sleep enhancement class every Friday at the base clinic to inform service members of a variety of different practices and habits that are necessary to have good nighttime sleep quality and full daytime alertness.

Sleep enhancement classes explain factors that can disrupt sleep, impacts on the mind and body due to lack of sleep, and healthy sleep hygiene and remedies that can be used for getting better sleep.

“Sleep really impacts everything, especially your quality of life,” said Maj. Kirsten DeLambo, 39th Medical Operations Squadron psychological health director. “Working long hours makes most individuals too tired to engage in enjoyable activities and function optimally.”

What disrupts sleep?

·         Shift Work. For those who work nights and then after two weeks are working days, this could disrupt your sleep because the frequent change of sleep cycles, proving to be very problematic.

·         Time difference. Service members who are deployed or permanently stationed away from loved ones are constantly working against the clock, potentially causing them to wake up early or stay up late to be able to communicate at a sufficient time.

·         Caffeine intake. Drinking caffeinated drinks can last hours after ingestion, which means one can have trouble falling asleep. Time of day and consumption levels play a major factor.  

·         Daytime napping: Although one may feel that a nap will do justice for getting through the rest of a day, there may be trouble falling asleep later that night.

·         Worrying: Worrying about work, finances, or the future can have the mind racing. Set aside time throughout the day to think and don’t dwell on them before bed.

Sleep impacts the mind and body. Hungrier? Slow to react? Irritable? Not recovering from an illness very fast? Not losing weight?

·         Emotional: contributes to irritability, sadness, crankiness or anxiety more than usual.

·         Physical: immune system may weaken, low energy, increased appetite and unwanted weight gain.

·         Mental: contributes to concentration issues, inability to make decisions, solve problems and work performance.

·         Spiritual: if someone is faith-based and usually carves out time for spiritual activities, it may be eliminated totally or placed at a lower priority level.

Establish better sleep hygiene. Routine is key. Some recommendations are:

·         Create new sleeping habits. Get out of bed when you can’t sleep. Only go to bed when you are tired.

·         Have a bedtime and wake up time. This will help reset your “biological clock” and lead to a regular sleep onset.

·         Make your bedroom comfortable. Excessively warm or cold rooms can disrupt sleep. Get the room to the right temperature. Also have the lighting to one’s liking.

·         Schedule a wind-down time. Having this time before sleep can help one’s mind and body relax. Try things like taking a bath, preparing tomorrow’s dinner or catch up on laundry.

Tips at your fingertips. The CBT-I Coach app was designed for those who have experienced sleep issues and would like to improve upon their sleeping habits. This app educates users on the phases of sleep, establishing positive sleep routines and proper sleep environments.

“The CBT-I app has been a resourceful tool for me” said Eide. “I use the wind down time reminder and sleep tracker to improve my sleep habits.”

In addition to helping Airmen with their sleeping hygiene, BHOP also offers relaxation, healthy thinking and anger management classes. For more information, contact the family health clinic at 676-6666.

(Supplemental information for this article was retrieved from the National Sleep Foundation and Sleep.org)