What is sleeping?
Sleep Foundation defines sleep as an essential body function that allows your mind and all your faculties to recharge allowing you to be refreshed and feel alert when you wake up the next day. Sleeping allows us to be healthy and make us more resistant to illness because sleeping does wonders for your immune system. If you are void of sleep your brain will not perform as it should and it will impair your ability to think, concentrate, and process information your brain has gathered.
An average adult is said to be needing around seven to nine hours of good night sleep. While children and young adults would have to need more time of sleeping. The younger the person is, the more hours of sleep time he needs. Our time today has encouraged people to sleep less, some work schedules have made some to be deprived of sleep. Being interconnected with other people has proven to be disadvantageous as far as sleeping hours and patterns are concerned. Our inability to stay off our gadgets has become a problem for some as it affects our time of having a good sleep and made us awake until the wee hours of the morning. Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can help us attain adequate sleeping hours but if someone continues to experience sleeping problems it is now the best time to seek medical help.
About one-third of our life, we spend on sleeping if you will going to live for 80 years more or less about 26 years of it is spent on sleeping and that’s a lot of sleep hours in your life since you will be spending a lot of time sleeping, you might as well get the most comfortable set of “sleeping gears” that will make you enjoy and appreciate sleeping and take it to another level. Since you will still have to sleep for several years, why don’t you reward and pamper yourself with something that will let you sleep smiling?
Sleep is essential and vital for a person’s overall good health. Sleep is the regenerative process where the body repairs itself to get ready the next day. A lot of health benefits are associated with good sleep. The list includes prevention of excess weight gain, a better immune system, promotes healthy blood pressure, and reduces the risk of heart disease. A good sleep always gives a refreshing feeling and effectively lowers stress levels. The mood is improved throughout the day. It makes an individual perform better whether at work or in school. Therefore productivity and a sense of fulfillment are increased. Considering all these, quality sleep is really a must. The question now is. how can one achieve a comfortable and relaxing sleep at night time?
What do we need for a goodnight’s sleep? Before trying pills and other substances for getting better sleep, here are some sleep insights you better try first! Getting a goodnight’s sleep is highly dependent on body conditioning. How can the body be prepared to take it’s much the needed rest? Here are some of my best tips!
Some sleep insights and tips for better sleep
Here are some tips that will help you fall asleep after a long day at work.
Start a bedtime ritual
Getting a good habit before going to bed will help train your body to prepare for sleep. You should include in your bedtime ritual things that will make you calm and expect nothing. You can read a book, take a bath, or warm cup of milk or tea. Don’t drink anything with caffeine or anything that is sweet.
The bedroom is for sleeping
Make sure that when you enter your bedroom you only have one thing in mind and that is to sleep. Refrain from flicking through your phone and read what’s trending or what’s hot. The phone’s backlight reduces the chance of you catching some sleep. It does not only apply to phones, it includes your laptop or anything that will get your attention and make you start to do something with your fingers that keep you awake until the wee hours of the morning. Trained your to mind that your bedroom is for sleeping and not an extension of our office.
Relax before you go to bed
After you have arrived from work, try not to think of things that happened in your work but instead try to unwind by getting rid of the office thoughts out of your mind and just have it the next day. Large meals, consuming alcohol, and getting overly excited before going to bed are stimulants that will keep you awake and stay on the night shift instead of sleeping soundly. Putting your phone somewhere that does not let you reach it immediately will help you sleep faster.
Follow your normal waking up schedule
Lie-ins especially during weekends are terrible habits, it may seem harmless but it messes out your sleep pattern. We are creatures of habit any deviations from it cause drastic effects so stay close to your waking uptime. Follow your sleeping and waking up schedule strictly.
Follow your circadian rhythm function. Reduce long and irregular naps during the day since they can confuse your body clock.
Meditate
Meditation is good practice that will help you relax and induce sleep. It helps your body to wind down slowly and after a busy and hectic day. Concentrate and close your eyes for some minutes, have some deep breaths, and de-stress yourself, it works wonders.
Don’t be negative, be positive
Think of positive thoughts. Anything negative thoughts affect your sleeping routine. Negative thoughts overstimulate your mind and make your mind wander elsewhere. Stop worrying about tomorrow’s big meeting, or the next day’s deadline, or how to beat your competition at the office. Keep positive thoughts before bed. Think of the things that you should be thankful for, think of the things that make you happy and contended. Do this and drift to sleep fast and sound.
Reduce blue light
You probably heard it before but reducing blue light exposure before going to bed. Blue light is an indication of daytime. To avoid getting your body confused refrain from exposure to it when sleeping time is near.
No coffee before going to bed
No caffeine consumption near bedtime. Caffeine increases the brain’s alertness. If you want to shut-eye early don’t drink it near your target time.
Late night snack
Don’t eat too late in the evening. Digestion requires additional body function and can tense up the body. When aiming to sleep the body should be relaxed.
The temperature in the room
Set your bedroom temperature to a comfortable level. The body responds to the environment, so place it in a suitable atmosphere to be comfortable.
Try to calm down before going to sleep
Relax and clear your mind in the evening. To calm your mind try listening to mellow music, do deep breathing or meditate.
Take a bath
Take a warm bath or shower. The procedure will relax your tense muscles and help you sleep better. If you cannot do a full-body bath, soaking your feet in hot water can also be an option.
Sleep insights regarding exercise
Exercise regularly but not before bedtime. Exercise can stimulate the body as stated earlier before sleeping it should be relaxed.
Alcohol before you go to sleep
Don’t drink alcohol at night. Melatonin production is vital in getting a goodnight’s rest, alcohol intake can alter it.
Drinking before you go to bed
Don’t take excessive liquids before going to bed. Though hydration is important, too much intake will trigger the body to urinate. If this happens your sleep will be disturbed because you need to go to the toilet.
The right sleeping equipment
Invest in a comfortable bed, mattress, and pillow. These items are essential to ensure your body’s comfort during sleeping. Having the appropriate bed, mattress, and pillow based on your preferred sleeping position can prevent body pain.
Some people prefer a completely dark room for sleeping, so sun zero curtains might be a good thing to try if you want to get more sleep.
I hope you have some sleep insights that will help you sleep better!