Reader\'s Digest Australia - 08.2019

supplement – 100 to 200 milligrams

a day – will help with sleep.”

Specialist research nutritionist

Dr Forrest Nielsen

Make Sleeping Pets Lie

“You may not need a white noise

machine, but your dog might. A lot

of dogs are very sensitive to noises

outside, such as other dogs barking

or neighbours coming home late.

A white noise machine or fan will

drown out the noises that are keeping

your pet up, which will keep your pet

from waking you.”

Pet-training consultant

Tracey Schowalter

“Dogs sleep when they’re bored. If

you keep them awake during the day,

they’re more likely to sleep at night.”

Dog handler Kathy Diamond Davis

Avoid Technology

“The cooler white and blue light emit-

ted by a computer monitor stimulates

brain activity and makes it difficult

for your brain to wind down. Down-

e at stereopsis.com/

flux. It gradually dims your screen at

sundown, shifting your monitor’s col-

ours to warmer red hues.”

Time-management coach Colin Grey

“Watching TV at night may seem re-

laxing, but it beams light into your

eyes, which is an ‘alert’ signal for the

brain. Read a book before bed in-

stead .” Psychiatrist Dr Tara Brass

feel more alert and vigilant. You’re
better off with a scent that makes you
feel safe and comfortable. There really
is something to cuddling up with your
spouse’s undershirt.”
Pamela Dalton, odour-perception
expert and sensory psychologist

Don’t Harp on Your Number

“We expect to sleep for eight solid
hours, but that’s actually not normal
compared with global populations
and our own evolutionary history.
People naturally wake up two or
three times a night. It’s worrying
about it that’s the problem.”
Anthropologist Carol Worthman

Avoid Tummy Trouble

“If you’re not sleeping well, you may
have acid ref lux, even if you don’t
feel heartburn. Try elevating your
head by putting blocks under the
top of the bed and sleeping on your
left side. Or you can take a dose of
Gaviscon [an over-the-counter rem-
edy that creates a protective barrier
against stomach acid].”
Gastroenterologis
Dr Patricia Raymond

Take a Slumber-Triggering
Supplement

“Low magnesium is associated with
irritability and jumpiness. It’s also
known to cause chronic inf lammato-
ry stress, and insomniacs often have
chronic inf lammatory stress. So it’s
possible that taking a magnesium

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104 Augus t 2019