There is nothing worse than being unable to sleep, spending the night tossing and turning. The bed becomes uncomfortable, the room becomes stuffy, the clock keeps ticking to loudly.
This scenario is played out all over the country, night after grueling night. Thousands upon thousands of people suffer from insomnia, caused by a multitude of different problems.
They get up in the morning feeling as if they never went to bed at all. This is very unhealthy and believe it or not can lead to many health problems both physically and mentally.
So what can be done? Well to begin with you can make some lifestyle changes that may help you. Simple things can and do make a difference when it come to getting a good nights sleep.
Commit To A Sleep Schedule
A sleep schedule is essential to getting a good nights sleep. You must commit to the schedule, going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every day, weekends included.
Although this sounds difficult, once you have been following this schedule for a few weeks it becomes easier and easier.
Your body and mind will adjust, and falling asleep and waking up at the same time every day will become a habit and you will feel the difference in your daily life.
Going without or getting very little sleep can affect everything you do. It interferes with your mood, it hinders your concentration and makes you irritable.
On the other hand getting a good nights sleep has many benefits. For example it can improve your mood, help you concentrate, improve your memory, relieve stress and make you feel happier and healthier.
Limit Activities In The Bedroom
Do you go to bed at night and watch TV? Do you get your computer out and go on line? How about reading your mail or texting or even flipping through a magazine.
Well Stop!
The bedroom is no place for these activities – the bedroom is for sleeping. The sooner you realize this and put a stop to these distractions the better you will sleep.
Stimulating your mind before bed can interfere with falling asleep. The best scenario for sleeping would be to have your body and mind as relaxed as possible.
Make sure there are no other distractions, like a light or outside noise. Temperature is another problem that interferes with your sleep, having the room to hot or even to cold can stop you from falling asleep.
The more relaxed you are the better the chance of going to sleep and staying asleep. So with a little attention to the details you can avoid overstimulating your brain before bed thus ensuring a better nights sleep.
Your choice of bed also plays a large role. Make sure it is one you can sleep in comfortably!
Reduce Your Stress And Anxiety
Are you stressed out and full of anxiety? Are you having trouble sleeping? The more you don’t sleep the more anxious and stressed you become.
The more stressed and anxious you become the more you can’t sleep – its a vicious circle. Something must be done so that you get the sleep you need.
Not getting enough sleep can have an adverse effect on your life and health. Lack of sleep contributes to poor performance at work and can increase your chances of an accident.
Worrying about such thing can increase your anxiety and stress. So it makes sense that you should try to eliminate as much stress and anxiety as possible.
One proven way to lower stress as well as anxiety is through exercise. Exercising early in the day is best, and done several days a week can be a great help.
So get up, get out and start your exercise program today. You will relieve stress and anxiety leading to a better nights sleep and a healthier, happier lifestyle.
Avoid Stimulants Of All Types Before Bed
So at bedtime you’ve put down all the visual stimulants you use such as your phone, computer and TV. But what about the other stimulant’s?
Smoking, alcohol and caffeine are all stimulants that should be avoided before bed. If you are having trouble sleeping and you use any of these products it would be best if you quit.
It takes your body a long time to process and eliminate caffeine. While caffeine can have some positive effect like improving mental alertness and mood, it does have some negative effects.
The main negative of caffeine is that it can have a disrupting effect on your sleep. You may find it hard to go to sleep or it may reduce your total sleep time.
If you must drink caffeine containing beverages they are best consumed early in the day. Or at the very least several hours before bedtime.
Alcohol is another stimulant that can have an adverse effect on your sleep. Consuming alcohol before bed can reduce the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) the more you drink the more pronounced this can be.
Although alcohol does allow healthy people to fall asleep faster and allows a deeper sleep. These effects only last a short time before disruption occur.
Therefore it is recommended that an adult should only consume one or two drinks before bed. Studies have shown this amount seem to have a minimal effect on their sleep.
Because nicotine is a potent stimulant a person who smokes can easily develop insomnia. Insomnia is more pronounced in people who smoke close to bedtime.
Once you start smoking your sleep will never be the same. So if you smoke and suffer from poor sleeping habits, every effort should be made to quit, ensuring a better nights sleep and better health.
WebMD has a great article here filled with tips to help you sleep.
To Much Or To Little Food
Did you know food has a lot to do with sleep. Eating to much or to little can affect your sleep. For instance eating to much or to close to bedtime can keep you awake.
Eating too little is also a bad idea, as hunger will not allow you to sleep. Therefore all food should be consumed early in the evening and eating the right amount is important.
All in all a lot of things in our life have an affect on our sleep. From stress, and anxiety to what we eat and drink.
By evaluating these thing and making adjustments where necessary we can certainly attain the sleep we need to live a happy, healthy life.