Try Some Of These Easy Sleeping Tips!
Nap Alternatives: Avoid napping unless they’re 20 minutes or less and early in the day which can be rejuvenating. A better choice later in the day may be to exercise, go for a short walk, or drink a glass of ice water.
“Blue Light” isn’t “Special” in the Bedroom: The short waves of blue light from cell phones, PDA’s, TV, or digital bedside clocks may interfere with sleep. Try turning these devices off an hour before going to bed. If you have electronics in your bedroom, put black tape over any distracting lights that you don’t need regularly.
The Bed isn’t a work station: Ideally, your bed is for two things, sleeping and sex. If you link only these activities to bed your mind will associate it with only rest and relaxation. On the other hand, if you use your bed for office work, watching TV, balancing the checkbook, talking on the phone ect. You will associate this sacred space with obligation and sources of activity and even stress rather than its purpose.
Cool is the Rule: The best sleep temperature for most people is between 68-72 degrees. Because it’s sometimes hard to sleep when you’re too warm a fan may be the answer to finding the perfect temperature as well as providing some soothing “white noise”.
Sleep Consistently: If you develop a sleep routine, that is go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends, your brain will adapt a very healthy habit of when to sleep and when to wake. This helps going to sleep and also helps you stay asleep.
Lighten Up: Light is the most powerful regulator of our biological clock. Neuroscientists know that our brains begin to produce melatonin, (the hormone that brings on sleep) when light is decreased. So, if you can, try to avoid bright light sources before bed. Conversely, if you can expose yourself to brighter light in the morning it will help you wake up quicker and stronger.
Veto the Stimulus Plan: Caffeine it seems is a life sustaining staple these days. The earlier in the day you wean yourself from caffeine, the easier you will fall asleep. My rule is 3:00 p.m. however I’ve seen recommendations of noon. You may be able to go to sleep with small traces of caffeine still in your body however; it’s known to interrupt deep sleep cycles which are the most beneficial. So, even if you put the hours in, they may not be quality hours.
There are seemingly thousands studies, books, medications and products out there dedicated to remedy the problem of sleeplessness. However, very few cut to the core of what the problem Really Is.
Counter to late night TV commercials, the problem isn’t that you have a sleeping pill deficiency. The secret to falling asleep quickly and staying asleep, lies within the subconscious mind.
Virtually any time you can’t sleep, it’s because of anxiety in one form or another, assuming you’re not suffering from a physical problem, or just slammed a 5 Hour Energy Drink!
Anxiety or Worry is something that you can easily control with the right mental tools. We’ll show you how.
Everyone has also had nights when there’s no apparent explanation for endless staring at the bedside clock. We can’t identify anything to be worried about, however we just lay there, repeatedly tossing and turning, which eventually prompts conscious concern, worry and questioning of our ability to perform the following day because of our state of restlessness rather than restfulness.
Lack of sleep has a compounding detrimental effect on us. By suffering the consequences of a sleepless night, the following night our subconscious mind begins sounding an alarm: “Oh no, last night was not good! We need to prevent this from happening again!”
This anxiety is born in the subconscious mind. When preparing for bed, our subconscious recognizes the detrimental effects we suffered from the previous sleepless night and can trigger a more primitive part of our brain that reactively goes into the “fight or flight” state. It actually senses “danger” and produces small doses of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These stimulants further reduce the ability to sleep.
Consciously, you know there’s no real threat, but your subconscious is responding to the FEAR of the result of sleeplessness. Thus, misalignment of the consciousness is born and begins working against you.
Prioritize Sleep!
Consider these easy tips!
Exercise; Helpful / Harmful: Other than good sleep, there is nothing better for our bodies than exercise. It’s been proven that being fit improves the quality of sleep; however, the secret is to allow enough time post exercise to let the body calm down from heightened energy. Try to give yourself a few hours between a vigorous work out and sleeping. Light mind / body exercising such as Yoga will actually help the mind to relax and promotes sleep.Heavy Foods, Light Sleep: Big meals before bedtime take a considerable amount of energy to digest and often rob our bodies of quality sleep. Additionally, the calories have fewer outlets and are more likely to turn into fat. Light amounts of complex carbs and dairy foods at least an hour before bed can be helpful to a good night’s sleep.
Set the Clock: Somewhere out of sight if you’re a clock watcher because you’re hurting your chances at sleep. Watching the minutes, then hours pass by creates stress about how much time you have remaining to sleep. Stress causes stimulating hormones to be released which further reduces your chances of falling asleep. Try hiding your clock or turn it around and leave it just out of reach.
Self Medication: The drunk passed out in the ally isn’t really a good testimonial as to quality sleep derived from alcohol. While a drink or few, can make you feel sleepy, the overnight effects aren’t as attractive. Alcohol actually causes us to sleep lighter and wake up more frequently and not just to go to the bathroom. A better choice may be a decaffeinated tea or water.
Sleep is a Zero Sum Game: The quicker you can let go of emotional and intellectual baggage from the day and get your mind to Zero, the quicker you’ll fall asleep and the better you will sleep. Let yourself take a break from complicated decisions or any emotionally charged issues before trying to sleep.
Black and White: While a dark room is preferable for good sleep, try some “White Noise” to occupy your mind and cover up uncontrollable noises. A fan works well as does an air-conditioner as long as the A/C fan doesn’t cycle on and off with the thermostat. If that’s not available, pick up an inexpensive pair of ear plugs for your night stand and travel bag.
Nicotine is a No, No: Nicotine is a stimulant, so, treat smoking just like caffeine. Try to have your last cigarette as far away from bed time as possible. Even if you can fall asleep after smoking, the quality of sleep you get will not be the same as if you didn’t have nicotine (or caffeine) in your system.
Kids and Pets: May be fun to cuddle with but that’s what couches are for. When it comes time to sleep, your bed is for you, or you and your partner. Kids and Pets can take their toll on deep sleep by both movement and sounds. I’m a dog lover myself, but considering that pets can bring the allergy agents of fur, dander and pollen to bed with them explains why my dog has her own bed.
Set Your Phone: When traveling you may need to keep your cell phone on for possible emergency calls. Turn all sounds off, other than the ringer to avoid being awakened by an email or text notification in the middle of the night.
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