Recharge your body batteries!
How to sleep better
With over 50% of Americans unable to get
a good night's sleep, some useful information on how to
sleep better is in order!
There are many sources of stress and a
general lack of education and understanding of how nutrition
relates to health in most modern lifestyles. Additionally,
most folks "know" that physical activity and exercise are
vital to health, but 60 - 80% of the population hardly gets
any!
Do you think that these factors might
have anything to do with how to sleep better?
Sleep! Glorious sleep! |
You bet they do! Good, consistent
sleep is vital to physical and mental health. It is one
of the four primary elements of good health:
These four elements are inter-related.
Improving one factor will help the other factors.
You will find each one of these factors
covered in more depth on this site. The ultimate
solution to how to sleep better is to improve each
of the above four factors in your own life step-by-step.
So what prevents so many people
from knowing how to sleep better?
Well, in addition to the general lack
of understanding of the basic factors to health, there is
also plenty of misinformation
floating around about how to sleep better.
Dimmed lights and
a clean comfortable bed are no myths when it comes
to improving the quality of sleep! |
Look up "sleep myths" or "myths about
sleep" on the Web... very interesting! Here are some examples
of misconceptions about sleep that won't help you learn
how to sleep better!
Myths about sleep
- Myth: Sleep is a time when
your body and brain "shut down" to rest.
Your body doesn't "shut down" during sleep. Sleep is the
time when major repairing and rebuilding of cells occurs.
- Myth: Sleeping an hour less
per night than you really need won't affect your daytime
functioning.
Sleeping a bit less than your body needs to rejuvenate
itself probably won't have any obvious effects if it happens
once in a while. But even slightly less sleep on a continual
basis will significantly diminish your physical and mental
abilities.
- Myth: Naps are a waste of time.
I wonder where this dumb idea came from. Maybe from some
chest-beating he-man who thinks taking a nap is for wimps...
Naps aren't a substitute for a good night's sleep. But
a restful break for an hour or less can be very restorative
mentally and physically. This is something else you can
look up on the Internet. Employers are even starting to
provide "sleeping pods" so their employees can recharge
for 20 minutes or so.
But avoid taking a nap too late
in the day as that can disrupt falling asleep.
- Myth: You can make up for lost
sleep during the week by sleeping more on the weekends.
"Catching up on sleep" on the weekends is certainly helpful
and feels good, but it will not completely make up for
the lack of sleep during the week.
- Myth: Drinking some alcohol
will help you sleep better.
Ummm, not true. Unfortunately, over 10% of the population
uses alcohol specifically as a treatment for getting sleep.
Although alcohol can have a relaxing effect and may help
you get to sleep faster, the fact is that alcohol disrupts
sleep after 3 to 4 hours and interferes with the body's
normal stages of sleep, especially deep, restorative sleep.
Knowing how to sleep better includes getting rid of this
false idea.
Now that we're aware that some information about sleep will
keep us awake all night, heh heh heh... here are a few things
that you can improve on a more immediate basis while you're
improving your nutrition, exercise and stress management.
Tips to improve your sleep
- Ensure you are drinking
sufficient water each day.
- Get fresh air, especially
in your bedroom whenever you can.
- Eat your last large meal at
least 2 hours before you go to bed. If certain
foods give you indigestion or heartburn, it would be a
good idea to avoid them!
- Have a light snack before retiring
to prevent low blood sugar during the night, which can
cause morning fatigue and headache. You want something
that will digest slowly (low glycemic). The famous glass
of milk is good and it also contains a nutrient that assists
sleep.
- Turn down lights and step away
from the computer and TV before bed, at least
half an hour. They are all stimulating and the light affects
the hormone melatonin
and sleep negatively. Melatonin regulates the body's
internal waking and sleeping cycles.
- Do get some physical activity
daily. Even a nice, relaxing 20 - 30 minute walk
at lunchtime or before or after dinner will definitely
contribute to a better night's sleep.
- Avoid strenuous exercise 3
hours before bedtime. It too is a stimulant.
-
Sleep in comfy
jammies! (Or go "commando" if that's
the most comfortable...) |
Avoid over-the-counter
and prescription sleep aids whenever possible.
They might knock you out, but they actually interfere
with deep sleep and healthy physiological functioning.
They are frequently addictive as well.
- Develop a routine for getting
ready for bed. Mine is simple. I put on my jammies,
brush my fangs, take my nighttime supplements and that's
about it! But doing those 3 things every night helps me
prepare for bedtime.
- Sleep on clean sheets!
This is one of my personal favorites... I sleep so much
better when I have freshly washed sheets to sleep on.
Clean sheets rock.
- Wear super comfortable night
clothes, or none if that's the most comfortable
for you. That includes comfortable undies! Cotton or comfortable
natural material is best because it "breathes" - you won't
get overheated in cotton.
- Use your bed for sleeping
- not for working on your laptop or playing solitaire.
Keeping your bedroom free of clutter will also make a
difference!
- Keep the room temperature
on the cool side for sleeping. Add or kick off
blankets as needed.
Each one of us has our own unique
lifestyle and sleeping quality. Maybe you have
a restless night every once in a while, or at the other
extreme, you're about to croak from sleep deprivation.
Wherever you find yourself, this
information on how to sleep better, especially by improving
your nutrition, physical activity and stress management,
can undoubtedly improve your sleep quality.
Pick out some things on the list of tips
and try them out for yourself! You are the best judge of
what works well for you.
If you are interested in more detailed
information on these points, check out this article from
The Sleep Foundation: Helping
Yourself to a Good Night's Sleep.
Sweet dreams!
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