Women spends 32% awake than men do. While 62% of adults experience sleep problems at least a few nights in a week. But, what is sleep? How important is it to your health? What does this statistics implies? And how can you get a long deep sleep in natural way minus the sleeping medications?
Sleep is the time at night when you recuperate from your day’s work. This time, your body is inactive, your muscles relaxed while you have no consciousness. The sleep is the time when everything in your body is suspended. But due to several reasons, you may experience sleep problems. These sleep problems can result to things such as difficulty in concentrating in daily tasks, problem in recalling things, work difficulty and can even impair senses.
More problems in sleep can result to issues in driving and safety, troubles in finance order and even lead to weight gain.
Ten Tips to Sleep Better
Here are some recommended natural remedies to your sleep problems.
Have a Sleep Schedule; Stick With It
Sleeping at the same time every night can help you establish a pattern. Then get up at the same time everyday too. DO this even on weekends. The same hours every day can program your biological clock and help you keep a steady pace.
Take Note of Your Sleep Patterns, Sleep Happenings
Keeping a sleep diary has long been established as a way to help you get the right sleep pattern. The diary can help you understand your sleeping habits. It should include everything related to sleep. What you’ve done before and after sleeping or what activity you’ve done during the day which might have affected your sleep quality. Rate your sleep everyday with 10 as the most satisfactory going to one as the least. Check for the activities you’ve done for that day when your sleep is likely to be bad. Compare your daily recordings after.
Have a Warm Bath
Not a hot bath, but a warm one. Put in some relaxing things in your bath such as Epsom salts and baking soda, relaxing scents such as lavender and rose petals. The salts can be a good detoxifier as well. Play music and do not stay too long, just enough time to keep you relaxed and be ready for bed.
Stop Smoking
The main reason why smoking can’t help in your sleeping pattern is nicotine. Nicotine can affect sleep since it is a stimulant. And once you are an active smoker, you may feel a pang of withdrawal at night which keeps you from sleeping.
Visit a Doctor and Have Your Medications Reviewed
Some medications may be keeping you from getting that long and peaceful slumber. So take some time to go see a doctor. Take some tests. Your sleeplessness might be caused by other things, let your doctor evaluate your prior medications as well if you have one.
Exercise
Exercise five hours before your bedtime. When you workout, your body can be elevated into a vigorous mood. But after four hours, your body may feel relaxed and you may feel drowsy. This is the time to go to sleep.
Cut on Caffeine
Cutting on caffeine after lunch can help in giving you the right sleep. Caffeine from coffee and cola can stay in your blood system for 8 hours. This can perk you up for that long which may keep you from sleeping soundly.
Eat the Right Food but Avoid Heavy Meals at Dinner
Eating all natural foods or incorporating healthy foods in your diet may ease your sleep problems. Loading on fruits and vegetables can help. But then avoid heavy meals at dinner time when you’re close to your sleeping hour. Heavy meals can cause heartburn and can disrupt sleeping.
Keep Your Sleeping Environment Clutter Free
A cool room, dark and quiet can induce a peaceful sleep as well. Turn down all the possible noise sources such as television, laptops, and cell phones. Keep your bed comfortable and your pillows the way you like it, soft and fluffy.
Drink Warm Milk and Listen to Soothing Music
Warm milk can help in soothing the nervous system. Calcium can calm your jagged nerves. Drink it 15 minutes before bedtime and listen to soothing music, not the loud ones. Turn down the volume to the most comfortable knob, enough not to disturb your sleep.
Take Omega-3
People with higher omega-3 fatty acids have lesser sleep disturbance than those who are low in it. It can be helpful in establishing a good sleep pattern together with the above factors.
See? Sleeping soundly can come easy; it just needs your perseverance, the right settings, diet and the proper preparation. Now go take that needed nap.
Image Credit: RelaxingMusic from Flickr.