Sleep is a complicated notion and so far is not enough studied. Quite for a long period of time it was considered a break in the consciousness when a person is not awake. What really happens during the sleep, why we can see dreams and what they really mean is still an open question. It is known, however, that brain stays active when we sleep and there are various stages each presupposing some different experience.

Sleep is essential in both physical and emotional senses as it helps the organism to get rest and gives our mind a so-to-say pause from thinking. Therefore it is important that a person should have good refreshing night’s sleep otherwise the general well-being will leave much to be desired and the reactions will be prone to be deferred. All this can be fraught with consequences.

A normal sleep cycle has two basic stages: rapid eye movement or dreaming sleep (REM) and quiet sleep (non-REM). It is normal for a person to have four or five cycles of REM and non-REM sleep every night. But the things get a little different with elderly people. They tend to have more REM stages and less non-REM ones therefore they seem to sleep less and more sensitive.

The amount of necessary sleep varies from person to person individually; though there have been researches that proved the necessity of 7-8 hours of sleep to feel normal and sound. Sleep patterns are liable to change while we get older. Seniors usually experience troubles with going to bed; they are also frequent to have insomnia. But a disturbed and interrupted sleep is not normal in any age.

The most widespread sleeping problem that affects people from time to time notwithstanding age and sex is insomnia. You have it when it is hard to fall asleep or you wake up frequently for no reason, if you cannot fall asleep after you have woken up and you feel exhausted in the morning.

The condition can happen alone and it can be combined with sleep apnea. The latter is a sleeping disorder that makes your breath stop for more than 2 minutes several times a night. The struggle to breath often is the reason of morning fatigue. It is strongly advised to consult a doctor provided you suspect something of a kind.

There are some simple recommendations on how to optimize your sleep and organize it in such a way that you will feel the best in the morning.

• First of all you should have a regular sleeping schedule; it will help organism to work better. Exercises are also beneficial; your sleep will definitely be sounder after some sport activity. Sunlight and walks in the open air will as well be of immense assistance.
• Pay special attention to your diet. Fatty and heavy foods will make you feel sick if you eat them before going to bed as well as caffeine will only stimulate and not relax. Warm milk and crackers is a much better option for those who like late snacks. Also bstain from alcohol and smoking before sleep. These things will keep you aroused instead of soothed let along the fact that smoking in bed in a drowsy state is fraught with danger.
• One more important aspect is your sleeping place. Make sure you feel comfortable there and you will not have any urges to get up to close something or turn something off. Make sure nothing scares you, that you feel warm and safe. Your bedroom should be dark, quite and used only for the purposes of sleeping and sex. There should not be other side-tracking and irritating things like computers or TVs in the bedroom.

There are a lot of ways how to help if you have troubles with falling asleep and plenty of information on the topic as well. But mind that if the condition seems to last longer than a fortnight this may be a sign that you should go and check with a doctor.