Stick to a schedule. Erratic
bedtimes do not allow for your body to align to the proper circadian
rhythms. Mum was right when she set a time we always had to go to sleep
as kids. Also, make sure you try to keep the same schedule on weekends
too, otherwise the next morning, you’d wake later and feel overly tired.
Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps.
Sleep only at night. Avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute, power naps.
Exercise.
It’s actually known to help you sleep better. Your body uses the sleep
period to recover its muscles and joints that have been exercised.
Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help you sleep, but
be sure to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise stimulates the
body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more
difficult.
Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.
Avoid eating just before bed. Avoid eat large meals or spicy foods before bedtime. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.
Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s now what you want for a good nights sleep. We all know that.
Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep. Different for others?
Have the room slightly cooler. I prefer this to a hot room. I prefer to turn off the heat and allow the coolness to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes. It also saves on the bills as you’re not going to require the heat all night long.
Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV on more easy and restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.
Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.
Avoid eating just before bed. Avoid eat large meals or spicy foods before bedtime. Give yourself at least 2 hours from when you eat to when you sleep. This allows for digestion to happen (or at least start) well before you go to sleep so your body can rest well during the night, rather than churning away your food.
Avoid caffeine. It keeps you awake and that’s now what you want for a good nights sleep. We all know that.
Read a fiction book. It takes you to a whole new world if you really get into it. And then take some time to ponder over the book as you fall asleep. I find as I read more and more, regardless of the book, I get more tired at night and so find it easier to fall asleep. Different for others?
Have the room slightly cooler. I prefer this to a hot room. I prefer to turn off the heat and allow the coolness to circulate in and out of the windows. If I get cold, I wear warmer clothes. It also saves on the bills as you’re not going to require the heat all night long.
Sleep in silence. I find sleeping with no music or TV on more easy and restful. I guess others are different, but sleep with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.
Avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up during the night. As alcohol is digested your body goes into withdrawal from the alcohol, causing nighttime awakenings and often nightmares for some people.
How Much Sleep Do We Need?
The amount of sleep each person needs depends on many factors including age. Infants
generally require about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need about 9 hours on average. For most
adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although some people may
need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. Women in the first 3 months of
pregnancy often need several more hours of sleep than usual.
The amount of sleep a person needs also increases if he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. While we may get
used to a sleep-deprived schedule, our judgment, reaction time, and other functions are still
impaired. Experts say that if you feel drowsy during the day, even during boring activities, you
haven=t had enough sleep. If you routinely fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you
probably have severe sleep deprivation. The widespread practice of “burning the candle at both
ends” in Western industrialized societies has created so much sleep deprivation that what is
really abnormal sleepiness is now almost the norm.
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