I’ve always been what I half-jokingly call a “champion sleeper.” I don’t struggle falling asleep or staying asleep. I can sleep on the couch, on a plane, in a tent. In retrospect, I may have been overconfident and even prone to brag about my ability to sleep often and sleep well.
I offer this confession by way of forgiving my friends who are a wee bit satisfied when I reveal I’ve lately been exhausted, day after day, following night after turbulent night of unsatisfactory sleep. I’m not alone. Nearly everyone I know is suffering or has suffered from some kind of sleep interruption or sleep deprivation.
I have a special affection for what is called, in the magazine business, “service pieces” of journalism. These are stories that help make your life better, often in bite-sized portions. (NPR packages their “Life Kits” using similar principles.) You define a problem, rally the experts, and offer solutions. You can’t fix the world in five easy steps, but you can help empower someone to get the help they need to live a more fulfilled life on their own terms.
A poorly done service piece can over-simplify a complex challenge. A top-notch service piece helps dissolve the barriers to befuddlement and changes someone’s mindset, health, or relationship. It’s a relatively overlooked form of journalism that, like many other things, has been cheapened by lousy Internet offerings. (A rant for another day, perhaps.)
Sometimes a “how-to” story can feel incidental to breaking news coverage or a powerful human interest feature. But, in my experience, the service piece is an indispensable part of news coverage. Case in point: You’re a lot more capable of sorting facts from falsehoods during a legislative session after a good night’s sleep and a glass of water.
So what’s a radio host to do when she yawns on air and everyone around her nods as if to say, yeah, me too, let’s all be exhausted together? She talks to her producers and helps plan an In the Moment broadcast about sleep, insomnia, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Here we offer you full-length audio interviews for your listening pleasure.
Malia Holbeck, Avera Outpatient Behavioral Health discusses Seasonal Affective Disorder:
Darla Klinger is Lead Sleep Technologist with Avera Sleep Lab
We’re also bringing you a video interview with writer Jennifer Kirby (scroll down for the video) about how she applied business school acumen to solving her own sleep struggles and now wakes up feeling like every day might be Christmas morning. (I'll have what she's having, please.)
And if you don’t have time for a long-form In the Moment conversation about sleep, please accept this humble offering for your personal discernment and restful empowerment.
Five Tips for Sleeping Better and Surviving Winter in South Dakota
Identify the problem: Recognize that the way you ease into sleep impacts the quality of your sleep. If you are tired during the day, you probably aren’t sleeping enough at night. If the clock says you’re getting enough sleep but you’re still exhausted, the problem might be your quality of sleep. Try tracking your sleep quality and quantity and look for clues into why you’re so tired during the day, including your behavior in the hours before you go to bed.
Prepare for the solution: Keep the room where you sleep dark and cool and gadget free. Use room-darkening shades or curtains. Lower the ambient temperature. Turn your clock around so you can’t see its glowing numbers. Silence or power off your phone. Turn of your TV.
Banish the bad influences: Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine before bed. These things might help you relax into sleep or keep you running during the day (depending upon how you self-medicate) but they are all detrimental to the REM sleep humans need to thrive.
Plan your escape: Think carefully about your bedtime routine. Avoid large meals during the hours before bedtime. Exercise is your friend. A brisk walk in the sunshine will help regulate your sleep patterns, but try to avoid exercising two to five hours before bedtime. Make your sleeping quarters as comfortable as possible, and create a bedtime routine that helps ease you into a good night’s rest. Try a guided meditation to help relieve stress during the day and facilitate sleep. Have children? A bedtime routine is particularly healthy for little ones. Have teenagers? Sleep hygiene is a life skill, but honestly, pick your battles. Some things they have to figure out on their own.
Get help when you need it: If you find yourself self-medicating with over-the-counter supplements, drugs, or alcohol, if you find yourself exhausted in spite of your best efforts, if you find yourself waking up at night because your breathing is interrupted, if your friends keep commenting on the dark circles under your eyes, it’s time to bring in the professionals. Ask your healthcare provider if a referral to a sleep lab might be right for you.
