Getting good sleep when you can't have it at night: Can it be done?

If you have ever been on a long-haul flight between two different time zones, you will know what it is like to have a body clock that is out of sync.

Fatigue, grumpiness, general disorientation and nausea are all common symptoms.

According to Dr Siobhan Banks from the Sleep Health Foundation, these are sensations many people whose job or lifestyle prevents them from getting good overnight sleep have to cope with constantly.

"If you've ever experienced jetlag, sometimes it can take days and days to switch between time zones — that's effectively what a shift worker is trying to do … and many never really adapt," she said.

In September, we asked you to tell us about your slumber by taking part in our sleep snapshot questionnaire.

Of the 20,000 people who took part, about 1,950 told us they did shift work — of which 53 per cent were women and 46 per cent were men.

And many more of you told us about babies and young children who need regularly need attention overnight — which often makes good sleep impossible.

So if your job or your kids prevent you from getting sleep overnight, what advice do the experts have for you?

Ten hacks for a good night of sleep

• Try to drink less fluid close to bed. Waking up with the urge to use the bathroom after just one hour seems to be a key problem for Richie. "I don't think he would worry so much if didn't wake up so early, so that might break the cycle," Dr Banks said. Richie drinks coffee at work and also green tea. Dr Banks said making sure he did not do this too close to bedtime could help him stay asleep longer.
• Avoid excess caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant and too much of it makes it hard to get to sleep. Richie said he stopped drinking coffee at least five hours before he goes to bed. But it is important to remember green teas — and a lot of other teas — also contain caffeine. If Richie is drinking strong green tea close to bed, he might be getting more caffeine than he thinks, which could be contributing to his sleep problems.
• Have a lighter meal before bed. A big, protein rich meal right before bed could also be keeping Richie awake. A better option would be a piece of toast or a small bowl of cereal. "Just something very light, because that will also be contributing to the development of urine. Or it's going to sit in your tummy and give you heartburn," Dr Banks said.
• Try relaxation tapes. Relaxation tapes could also be an option when Richie wakes, for easing his anxiety and helping him fall back to sleep.
• Consider having a sleep study done. If Richie tries cutting back his liquid intake before bed, but he is still waking up shortly after drifting off, it might be worth getting a sleep study done to check for sleep apnoea or another sleep disorder. "It's unusual for your bladder to fill up that quickly," Dr Banks said. People with sleep apnoea have trouble getting enough air during sleep, which wakes them up just enough for their metabolism to speed up and create more waste — hence the need to urinate.
• Get catch up sleep when you can. On weekends, Richie goes back to normal overnight sleeping patterns. He gets about 10 hours of good sleep on Saturday and Sunday. While this is probably a bit confusing for his body clock, Dr Banks said it was important for Richie to get good sleep when he can. "The thing that I would worry about is that his first shift back," she said. But Richie is very diligent about taking naps on the road when he feels fatigued — which Dr Banks said was a good solution.

Don't suffer in silence

Dr Banks said while getting good sleep could be tricky when you need to be awake at night, the same general principles — like limiting caffeine, creating a sleep haven and not taking your phone to bed — apply for most people, regardless of when they get their rest.

"The fundamentals stay pretty much the same, because we all have the same biology … we can't get around it," she said.

"I think the main thing would be to reach out if you need help."

Dr Banks said people who feel they are not getting enough sleep should never suffer in silence.

"There's information available at the Sleep Health Foundation site for example, but also general practitioners," she said.

"And there are sleep psychologists and sleep physicians who are specially trained to help people in these positions. There's also lots of people to help with kids and their sleep — and so there's lots of help available."

Source: Tegan Osborne, ABC News Online, http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/how-to-get-good-sleep-when-you-cant-have-it-at-night/7934474, 19 October 2016.