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5
Keys to Better Sleep
By Patricia Wagner
Do you have trouble
getting a good night's sleep?
What you are about to read may make a huge
difference to your future health! Being well
rested is essential to our wellbeing and is a
major key in living an energetic lifestyle. Here
are some of the benefits of a good night's
sleep:
-
You
will look and feel your best.
-
Relating
to others will come easier with enough rest.
-
You'll
be a safer driver and be less likely to fall
asleep at the wheel.
-
More
alertness on the job will be a major
benefit.
-
You'll
feel less stressed.
-
There'll
be an increased ability to fight off
illness.
-
You'll
enjoy life more.
Here
are some keys to getting a better night's sleep:
1. Set your body clock.
Choose a bedtime schedule by deciding how many
hours of shut-eye you need and try to stick with
it. That's because we are all creatures of
habit.
Try not to oversleep too often because this
tends to throw your body clock off. If you are
tired, try taking a short nap. However, it
should not be longer than about one half an hour
because more time than that and you will wind up
not being able to fall asleep that night.
2. Be wise about eating and drinking.
Drinking too much fluid in the late afternoon
and evening can cause you to wake up in the
middle of the night to trot off to the bathroom.
Also consuming food and beverages that contain
caffeine before bedtime can cause you to toss
and turn for hours. So it would be wise to avoid
coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate before
going to bed. However, a hot non-caffeinated
drink can relax you.
3. Prepare your sleeping environment.
You have control over a number of factors in
your sleeping environment that will make or
break a good night's sleep.
One of them is the temperature of your bedroom.
Adjust the temperature of your bedroom so it's
conducive to sleeping. It's usually best to have
your room a little on the cool side, but be sure
you have enough blankets on your bed.
Another environmental issue is the darkness of
our bedrooms. Many people prefer sleeping when
it's totally dark, so turn off the lights except
for night lights.
A key bedroom environment factor is your bed.
Purchase the best mattress you can afford since
you'll spend a good proportion of your life on
it.
Quietness is very important to our rest. Try to
keep the noise down. If that's impossible,
consider using ear plugs. Play calming music and
avoid watching television just before bedtime.
Violent scenes can lead to sleeplessness and
violent dreams!
Design your bedroom to be a peaceful sanctuary
in your home. Separate your work from the
bedroom area so your body knows the bedroom is a
place to rest - not work.
4. Prepare yourself physically, emotionally
and spiritually for bedtime.
There are a number of steps you can take before
going to bed to prepare yourself physically.
Slowly stretching before hitting the sack can
help you relax. Regular exercise during the day
will enhance your ability to fall asleep. Taking
a warm bath - not a shower - can be helpful too.
If you are still tense, a back massage can help
you relax. Wear comfortable nonbinding clothing.
Here's the most important thing you can do once
you've hit the sack - let go of the day's
worries. Bedtime is a bad time to dwell on
problems since worry can keep you tossing and
turning for hours! I've found that reading the
Bible and praying before going to bed is a
wonderful way to end the day. Then I can truly
relax and lay down my problems. My sleep is much
sweeter and so are my dreams!
5. Seek specialized help if needed.
A medical condition could be preventing you from
getting your full rest at night. See your doctor
if you have continuing difficulty with falling
asleep. Usually it's not wise to take sleeping
pills since they can become addictive. They also
interfere with the body's own inner sleeping
rhythm.
Here are three organizations that offer
specialized help:
National
Sleep Foundation
The
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
National
Center on Sleep Disorders Research
The suggestions in this article have been listed
to help you get a better night's sleep. Now try
putting them into practice and enjoy a more
rested and energetic lifestyle.
Pleasant dreams!
About The Author
Patricia Wagner offers informative tips on
living a more energetic lifestyle at http://www.a-to-z-wellness.com.
She is also an artist and you can view her
original paintings at http://www.artbywagner.com.
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