7 Tips to Get More Sleep
7 Tips to Get More Sleep
Sleep is one of the most essential needs of the body but is also the most taken for granted. A lot of people think that they can get away without sleeping enough hours and then notice how it adversely affects their performance in real life. In the long run, they suffer mentally, physically, and yes, even sexually as the body deteriorates and make them feel weak. There is an effort to sleep more hours but because the body has been used to just 3 to 5 hours of sleep, it is a challenge to get back to the required 8 to 10 hours.
The positive effects of sufficient sleep are backed up by research. In a study conducted at Stanford University, the athletes who had 10 hours of sleep at night exhibited a significant increase in their performance. Meanwhile, at the University of California, Berkeley, a research indicates that healthy sleeping habits give more opportunities for the brain to recharge and make room for new information.
So what to do to get back to your healthful sleeping pattern? Here are 7 practical tips:
1. Give age old tricks a chance
There is no harm in trying out a few sleeping tips that have been there for ages and have been effective for many. Who knows, it might work very well for you. For instance, you can try sleeping by 10:00 PM and see if that will prompt your body back to its regular sleep patterns. Also, if you drink coffee, try to have your last cup at least 6 hours before bedtime so the caffeine will be out of your system by the time you need to catch some Z’s.
2. Check out safe and natural sleeping aids
There are a number of products in the market that you can explore to help regularize your sleep patterns. Melatonin is one and supplementing with this hormone can be helpful if you happen to have low levels of the same in your brain. What might also work for you is Valerian root. It stinks a bit but could work like a charm and put you to sleep soundly. The important thing to remember as you give these a try, however many there are, is that you have to make sure that they are safe to use and do not have any undesirable side effects. You are bound to find that one supplement that will be the answer to your sleepless nights.
3. Personalize and customize others’ sleep advice
You are not alone in your sleepless struggles and there are many out there who have done their research too and finally found their slumber heaven. It is advisable to give them a shot but the strategy is to make their recommendations work for your side of reality. Individual differences can make others’ tips sound weird but you don’t have to throw them out altogether.
For example, if the suggestion is to make your bedroom clutter-free so it becomes a calming place, you do not have to follow this to the letter. Some creative people live and sleep more soundly a midst all the clutter that cleaning it up might just not work. What is it that would make you feel calm and sleepy though? Is it playing soothing music? Painting your room light blue? Putting the lights off while turning on your bedside lamp? Or utter darkness? The trick is to get the essence of all the valuable suggestions they have and see how you can make it possible for you. Try different variations, it could be fun.
4. Turn off all electronic gadgets
The love for technology can be addicting. You can spend hours just enjoying role playing games or simply watching funny videos on your Facebook news feed. And yes, it can definitely keep you awake all night and disturb your sleeping patterns. Or, you will end up sleeping late and wake up groggy with no energy to do anything.
Ideally, it would be great to make your bedroom a gadget-free zone so there are no distractions around you. They say that the glowing screen and magnetic waves from these electronic gadgets put your circadian rhythm out of balance. Make it a point then to turn them off or keep them out of your reach. Shutting them off would mean clearing your mind and finally finding peace as you fall into deep slumber.
5. Tone them down
Are you the type who would be willing to give it all up just to lull yourself to sleep? If you are, how strong will you be in your conviction and how many nights are you gonna last? Let’s face it, an average American would not survive without his or her mobile devices. During the day, it is used for communicating with the world or for entertainment. At night, it can become a white noise machine or a planner to jot down important tasks to be done for the next day. Most even use it as an alarm clock, so it can be very difficult to give it up altogether just like that!
A good alternative then would be to tone it down on the electronic gadgets. Say, bit by bit, you can lessen using both your iPhone and iPad before going to sleep. When you receive a call or a text and the notifications would sound, you will automatically grab your phone whether you are already sleepy or not. If you have a bedside table, then your tendency would be to check if there is a text or not when you happen to wake up hours before your alarm clock rings. However, putting your phone in a place where you would need to stand up from bed just to get them could imply that you would be too tired or lazy to get it and just go back to sleep then.
Either way, the point is to minimize use so you will be prompted to doze off early. This you can apply for other things that take too much of your time before going to bed. Check what you have in your room or the activities you have that keep your mind busy instead of helping you drift off to dreamland.
6. Choose a relaxing exercise or activity
Some people exercise early morning, within the day, after work, or at night. To make you flake out easy, what’s recommended is to do your workouts at night. The idea is to have the physical activity and subsequent cool-down to make you feel loosened up afterwards that you would easily fall sleep. But what if the opposite happens and you end up feeling more alert and energized after all those exercises? Personally I workout in the morning and sleep like a baby so you will have to mess around with this to see what works best for you. There is no 1 size fits all approach. If you looking for an amazing workout be sure to check out Hammer and Chisel.
If you can relate to this then it means that your typical workout may not be the right sleep-inducing technique for you. You have to find that type of physical activity that knocks you to bed after. Yoga might work for you. Aside from other healthful benefits, it can help make you feel relaxed enough till you catch some shuteye. The laid-back series of stretches can relax your muscles. Also, ujjayi breathing or matching your movements with your breathing demands focus on your part. This in turn will take your mind off all those things that distract you and like a good meditation, relax your mind as well. From there, sweet slumber is just around the corner.
Go ahead and see which exercise will do the trick for you. The goal is to do the one that’s relaxing enough before bedtime.
7. Relieve yourself of the pressure to sleep
Most of the time, if you have been having a hard time getting yourself to doze off or if you think that you are experiencing insomnia, you will feel pressured to fall asleep immediately. It is highly suggested in this case that you forgo of this pressure as it will only worsen the insomnia. Worries about your life in general plus worrying about not being able to sleep activates your brain to think instead of signaling it to rest. So if you are still awake after 10 minutes, it is best to get up as you might not be ready for sleep yet and worrying will get you nowhere.
Have you tried a a Tempur-Pedic mattress? How about a down comforter? These two sleep ‘aids’ might just counter your insomnia for real. When you already know that you can’t sleep, you just have to accept that you can’t and instead let the mattress plus comforter allow you to relax. Just lie there and enjoy the warmth. You will see that once you free yourself of the burden, you will drift off in no time.
Hopefully, when you have already tried all 7 tips, you will finally be able to enjoy the sleep that you long for. It is a lot of work but getting enough sleep is a must and it is worth the trouble. In case you experience a sleepless night from time to time, again, don’t worry. It’s not a big deal, probably just an isolated issue. When it comes to getting sleep in the real world, work on what you can change and accept what you can’t. Happy sleeping!
And also check out the info-graphic below for some tips on getting better sleep…..
