10 lifestyle changes to improve sleep

Quality sleep is crucial for diabetics. A long-term lack of sleep can affect blood-sugar levels and boost the risk of medical problems people with diabetes are already prone to, including obesity, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. Try these 10 tips for a better sleep.

Seeing sunlight helps to regulate the body's wake-sleep cycle. When you're exposed to sunlight, your body knows to inhibit production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, and when night falls, melatonin goes into high production.

• If you're homebound and not sleeping well, lack of sun exposure could be the reason.

Many people with diabetes have their blood sugar checked when they visit the doctor two or three times a year, but they don't do their own checking in the interim — a bad idea.

• Either high or low blood sugar levels can affect your sleep.
• If you're not feeling fully rested in the morning, commit to regular self-checking so you can take steps to stabilize your blood sugar between doctor visits.

How many times do we lie down and drift off only to bolt awake because we forgot to pay a bill or make an appointment?

• Keep a notebook at your bedside table so that you can write down things that you have to do the next day, or any other worries that have been nagging you throughout the day, to free your mind for sleep.

If you enjoy as a glass of wine or beer in the hours leading up to your bedtime, do a quick check of your glucose levels.

• If your blood sugar is low, have a small snack if you need one before crawling under the covers.
• Alcohol makes it difficult for your body to recover from low blood sugar; eating will moderate its effects.

To reduce your nighttime urination, and therefore interrupted sleep, don't drink liquids of any kind in the two hours before you go to bed.

Reducing or eliminating your caffeine intake will go a long way in helping you get better sleep.

• Avoid anything with caffeine in the six hours before you retire for the evening.

Aim for a goal of getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, five times a week.

• Physical activity is a boon to so many body functions, including sleep.
• That gentle fatigue you get from exercise will set your body up for a good night's rest. So for the sake of shut-eye — on top of all of the other health benefits — stick to your exercise regimen.

Can poor sleep lead to poor blood sugar control? Experts think so. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, a lack of sleep can increase your craving for simple sugars and reduce your tolerance to stress, which increases your chance of illness.

• Getting eight hours a night is a boon to blood sugar control.

As you wind down in the evening, reduce your activity level the closer you get to bedtime.

• Three hours before lights out, cease vigorous physical activity.
• One hour before bed, engage in a quiet activity that relaxes you — that might be taking a bath, stretching gently, meditating, reading or listening to pleasant music.
• Twenty minutes before bedtime, dim the lights.

By the time you pull your covers to your chin, your eyelids will be drooping.

If you're napping during the day and not sleeping well at night, you just might be napping too much.

• The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that you keep daytime naps to less than an hour; 20 to 30 minutes is ideal.
• Finish your nap by 3 p.m.

Try following these 10 tips to improve your sleep. If you're still waking up feeling unrested, consider speaking with your doctor.