From our April 2006 Enewsletter

Can't Sleep?
In a recent survey, we asked spouses and parents about some of their greatest challenges during a deployment. One of the most common responses: I can’t sleep.

Karen Pavlicin, author of Surviving Deployment, offers these tips for a good night’s sleep.
-- Create a sleep environment: If everything around us says “wake up and do this” our bodies will stay awake. If our environment says “relax, it’s time to sleep” our bodies will shut down for the day. Make it easy to relax.
-- Follow a routine: Think about a child’s nighttime routine: bath, pajamas, snack, teeth brushed, read book, go to sleep. A child likes to do the same things in the same order each night. As adults, our nighttime rituals should also signal to our mind and body that it’s time for sleep.
-- Deal with your fears: Half the battle with fear is the unknown. If we give ourselves information, we fear less or at least are better able to manage our fear. Don’t bury it, face it.
-- Allow your mind to rest: Even when your body is exhausted, if your mind is still at work, you’ll have trouble settling in for the night. Put what’s on your mind onto paper and deal with it tomorrow.
-- Exercise and eat well: We need a balance of exercise, healthy food, and sleep to keep running. When you do well at any one of these, it helps encourage the others.

For the full article on healthy sleep tips, go to http://www.survivingdeployment.com/sleep.html. To reprint this article in your newsletter at no charge, please contact pr@elvaresa.com.