Looking at the clock while trying to fall asleep, only keeps one awake longer.

“Light from the clock can trigger a wake cycle without us realizing it,” said Eastern Counselor Cara Pschirrer.

Pschirrer gave tips to help people get better sleep Wednesday at the Counseling Center’s Wellness Booth. This week’s topic was “Counting Sheep and Getting Good Sleep.”

In order to get good sleep, people should avoid stimulants such as caffeine, keep a regular sleep schedule, use relaxation techniques and avoid naps, Pschirrer said.

Caffeine is in a lot of things that people don’t realize caffeine it’s in, such as Excedrine and chocolate, she said.

People come to Pschirrer about sleep problems without realizing that the Mountain Dew they had at dinner is the reason they have problems going to sleep.

“If you’re having sleep problems, I recommend not taking a nap,” Pschirrer said. Not taking naps helps get your sleep cycle on track and help you stay asleep.

If people still have problems sleeping, there are a few things they can do.

People can get out of bed and do something boring or use a noise machine, she said.

People can also have a light snack.

“There are foods that actually help us sleep,” Pschirrer said. Some examples of these foods are turkey and dairy products.

Most students who attended the booth attended for class. However, that was not the case in all instances.

“I’m in the Biggest Loser program and I need to go to 10 programs, and I thought this one was interesting,” said Caitlyn Doyle, a junior nursing major.

During the presentation, students learned about sleep, the effects of not getting enough sleep and how to get better sleep.

Babies need about 16 hours of sleep a day, children need between nine and 16 hours of sleep a day, teenagers need about nine hours of sleep a day and adults need seven or eight hours of sleep a day, Pschirre said. Adults need the same amount of sleep through out their adult life; the amount of sleep needed does not increase as a person gets older.

However, some people need more sleep than others.

“The best way to know how much sleep you need, go to bed when you feel sleepy after a normal day and get up without an alarm clock and that’s about how much sleep you need,” Pschirrer said. “Some people need 10 hours while others need six.”

Pschirrer also talked about factors that affect sleep.

Factors such as illness, pain, medication, stress, anxiety, depression, room temperature, light and noise can cause people to have problems sleeping, Pschirrer said.

“A large portion of people who suffer from depression, suffer from sort of insomnia,” Pschirrer said. Sixty-five percent of Americans also lose sleep because of stress.

If people don’t get the right amount of sleep, they can have problems with concentration and memory. Other problems include irritability, depression, psychosis, weight gain and diabetes, Pschirrer said.

There are also some myths that go along with sleep.

When starting to doze off to sleep in the car, blasting music or rolling down the windows does not help someone wake up, she said. When someone starts to doze off behind the wheel, they are already engaged in the first stage of sleep – more commonly called drowsiness.

“Usually, if you’re sleep deprived and you get some down time, you’ll recognize it then,” Pschirrer said.

Students who are having sleeping problems are encouraged to visit the counseling center. The counseling center is free to students and handles issues such as sleep problems, test anxiety and depression.