Some people can turn off the lights, climb under the covers, and almost immediately enter a restful deep sleep.
Others toss and turn restlessly for what seems like hours. Sleep experts refer to the transition from being awake to sleeping as “sleep onset latency,” or SOL. For good sleepers, their SOL time is much shorter but the SOL for most “bad sleepers” is still less than an hour. Those same experts also claim that for poor sleepers, part of our brains remain awake which prevents the deep sleep we all need. Some people turn to melatonin supplements but anyone who does a quick Google search will find a lengthy list of over 30 possible side effects. Wikipedia even included “somnolence” (or sleepiness) as a side effect. This amused me because I thought that becoming sleepy was why people take melatonin supplements. They also advised poor sleepers to avoid activities that stimulate the brain as bedtime approaches. Listening to relaxing music, folding laundry, or engaging in any number of boring activities will go a long way to turn off that overactive brain. The article didn’t mention that the simplest solution for sleeplessness may be on the bedroom wall where your HVAC thermostat is located. By setting your bedroom temperature to about 65°F, your body will thermoregulate much easier. Explaining why this prompts your brain’s pineal gland to spew out more of the sleep-inducing natural melatonin is way above my pay grade. What I do know is that people who fail to clean and maintain their HVAC systems regularly by using the services of a qualified HVAC provider risk a bad night’s sleep. If their HVAC breaks down, then they will be truly SOL (same acronym but vastly different meaning) as far as their sleep is concerned.