Fall Asleep

Dr. Michael Breus

DR. MICHAEL BREUS, a.k.a. The Sleep Doctor, is a clinical psychologist and a Diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. He is WebMD's sleep expert, an AOL Wellness coach, and the author of two books, including Good Night and Beauty Sleep. Breus is the sleep advisor to Crowne Plaza Hotels.

Samantha: What is the difference between a good night's sleep and a bad night's sleep?

Dr. Michael Breus: The thing to remember here is that sleep is a perception, how you rate your sleep is actually the most important factor. I could look at your sleep stages, how many times that you wake up, and how long you slept, and try to give a quantitative analysis, but be completely wrong when it comes to subjective quality of sleep. So when someone wakes up in the morning and thinks back on how they slept, or rated their sleep as "Good" then it probably was!

Samantha: How much sleep does an average adult need? What happens when we don't get that amount?

Dr. Michael Breus: Everyone's "Sleep Need" is different, 8 hours is a myth! For some they feel good after 6.5 hours and others 9, it is very individual. There is data however to suggest that people who sleep less than 5 hours and more than 10 have a double mortality rate! Yikes.

Samantha: When talking to you, what is the thing that surprises most people about sleep?

Dr. Michael Breus: Sleep is a bit of a mystery to most people so they often are surprised. For example, most people do not know that caffeine has a half-life of 12 hours, so a cup of Joe at noon could be what keeps you up at Midnight. Or that we have no idea why people, animals, etc. sleep. We still do not know the function of sleep, kinda weird that everything does it but we do not know why. Or that a pillow, turns out to be a critical factor in your ability to sleep well.

Samantha: What environment is optimal for sleep?

Dr. Michael Breus: Basically I believe that sleep is a sensory experience and that all 5 senses need something for sleep. The data shows that you need to be in a dark, quiet, cool environment, with a supportive mattress, and pillow that allows for proper spinal-neck alignment. You should have on fresh PJ's and have had your last meal about 5 hours before bed. And above all your schedule should be regular, night after night.

Samantha: What time do you personally you go to sleep? Wake up?

Dr. Michael Breus: I have always been a 6.5 to 7 hour guy, so I go to bed at around 11:30 and wake between 6:30 and 7.

Samantha: Do you have a family of good sleepers?

Dr. Michael Breus: My wife is a great sleeper, but a night owl, so she tends to want to stay up late (12am +) and sleep late 8:30-9am. When we can let her, we do.

My daughter(5 years) is a 12 hour sleeper, and my son (6.5 years) sleeps about 11 hours. My dogs and cats are about 15-20 hour sleepers, what a life.

Samantha: What are the ramifications of sleeping in a noisy environment?

Dr. Michael Breus: This depends upon the individual, many people can just get used to it, and they will sleep well enough. But you can still hear in your sleep, so certain noises will always keep you in lighter sleep. I often suggest ear plugs (noise level rated to 32 or below-so you can hear the fire alarm) or sound machines.

Samantha: If you wake up at night thinking about lots of things, what do you recommend doing?

Dr. Michael Breus: My favorite trick is to have people count backwards from 300 by 3's. It is a bit complicated, you cannot think of anything else, and it is so dog-gone boring, you will fall back asleep. Personally I have never made it past 150!

To learn more about Dr. Michael Breus visit www.thesleepdoctor.com