Restful Sleep

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February 20th, 2010

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Compiled Tried And Tested Bedtime Tips To A Sound And Restful Sleep

No TV’s, and Reading Materials

Some people say that reading a detective story or some such escapist book helps put them to sleep.

I have found out why the statement mentioned above never works. The reason is that whatever we watch on TV, or whatever the book we read is, our minds are still being stirred and activated. And an active mind along with anxiety and stress is what keeps us awake. It’s all those thoughts in our head we have to get rid of before we can get to sleep. And if you must read something try to hang around at least one-half hour before going to bed after reading or watching television.

The Benefits of a Warm Shower

A nice warm shower can relieve stress and relax your system. Couple that with low light and some soothing music, and you’ll feel much better when you go to sleep. You may even add some herbs like lavender, chamomile, or passion flower for a more pleasant experience.

You must take this warm bath a couple of hours before you go to bed. The reason is that it will increase your body temperature and arouse your senses. Therefore, you must allow your body temperature to have enough time to lower by bedtime.

Taking Naps

Many people say that taking naps can be detrimental to your sleeping system and could lead to insomnia. It is true if you don’t know the proper way of taking a nap. Let me explain and remind you of the sleep stages discussed earlier.

On stages 1 and 2, our mind goes into a creative and relaxed state. Our blood pressure and breathing drops slightly, and we are still half conscious and very prone to waking up.

On stages 3 and 4, our heart rate and respiration drops at its lowest point. This is the moment when blood travels to our muscles to recharge and repair any damage.

Stage 5 is what is commonly called REM sleep. Most of the time, people who are in this stage are dreaming. This is also the moment when most of our daytime experiences and knowledge gained are absorbed by our brain. Do you know babies spend around half of their sleeping time on REM sleep? That’s how they acquire the ability to quickly pick-up and learn new information.

So what does this data have to do with taking naps?

When we reach deep sleep (stage 3 or the non-REM sleep), it would be very difficult for us to wake up and even if we do get up, we will feel lightheaded and weak. We don’t get the necessary energy a good sleep gives us.

So when taking afternoon naps, make sure you don’t reach this stage. The nap should take around 15 minutes to half an hour only. The maximum is 45 minutes. During this period, we are half conscious and still aware of our surroundings. After that duration, we will enter deep sleep so make sure not to exceed the limit. We don’t want to feel sluggish throughout the day and we certainly don’t want to ruin our sleep system.

The Bedroom Atmosphere

To have a good night’s sleep, it is necessary that your environment fosters the correct conditions.

The ambiance of your bedroom should match up to your comfort level. When your room is either too hot or too cold, your body will adjust by lowering or raising your body temperature; hence, you may have difficulty getting to sleep.

Always make sure that your bed is large enough to accommodate you and your partner. Make sure that it is not too soft nor too sturdy. Also remember to keep your bedroom well ventilated and free from noises. Also keep in mind that the bedroom is only a place for sleeping. Also try to lessen light by using window blinds or curtains.

If noises prevent you from dozing off, consider wearing earplugs. You may also use “non-disturbing” sounds such as that coming out from an air conditioner to cover up offending noises. You may also listen to classical music, as they can calm your nerves and put you in a state of relaxation.

Eastern Meditation

Try this technique which is an ancient Eastern meditation.

Lie on your back with your hands behind your head with your fingers interlocked, and your palms cupping the back of your head and get as relaxed as possible.
Put your thumbs at the back of your ears so that you are blocking the entrance to your ear.

Slump down gently and pay attention to a high-pitched hum that you will slowly hear in your head.
Lie down for 10 to 15 minutes and focus on that sound. Then go to sleeping position and go to sleep.

Healthy and Active Lifestyle

Did you know that most people who have Sleep Problems have an inactive lifestyle?

Researches reveal two findings about exercise (applicable to insomniacs).

Insomniacs have more inactive lives than high-quality sleepers. The absence of physical activity can promote insomnia by inhibiting the daily rise and fall of the body-temperature rhythm. As a result, many people get caught in a cycle of insomnia, less energy and physical activity, and worsened insomnia.
Exercise enhances sleep by creating a significant rise in body temperature, followed by a compensatory drop a few hours later. The fall in body warmth, which endures for two to four hours after exercise, makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Insomniacs can truly profit from a good exercise program. Not only will it encourage good overall health, most notable would be the increased supply of oxygen to our lungs, blood, and entire body; but it will also cause a sedative and soothing effect to the body when we go to sleep at night.

The reason behind all this?

Exercise causes our body temperature to augment rapidly, and it will remain at a high rate even until the end of the day. That means you’ll stay lively and wide awake for a longer period of time.

But when it’s bedtime, the drop in body temperature will also become more intense and will stay that way longer. A decrease in temperature means deeper, additional comfort, and higher quality sleep. That’s why day by day exercise is necessary to prevent our body temperature from maintaining at the same level.

Do not, however, exercise intensely late at night. Try to do it six hours before your assigned bedtime. Your body temperature will not have a chance to decrease low enough when you go to sleep, that’s why it is recommended to exercise in the late afternoon many hours before you go to sleep.

Aerobic exercises are the most excellent exercises in combating wakefulness because these exercises boost the quantity of oxygen that reaches the blood and other parts of our body. Some examples of aerobic exercises are:

Jogging
Swimming
Riding a bicycle
Dancing
Jumping Rope
Step Aerobics
Using a treadmill
Walking

A mild workout for fifteen to twenty minutes a day, four days a week, will be enough for you to feel the benefits. Warm up before doing the exercises and cool down your body after doing it so your muscles will not be stressed nor sprained nor experience any injury.

For a lot of people, the perfect time to work out is early in the morning. But for fighting insomnia, the greatest time to do exercises is at the end of the day or in the near the beginning of evening. If possible, avoid exercise in the late evening or just earlier than going to bed. Exercise is motivating the body which makes it active and it can take sometime for your muscles and circulatory system to relax once more after a forceful workout.

No Smoking Allowed

Avoid nicotine, at least in the evening if not altogether, because smokers tend to sleep very lightly and wake up early due to nicotine withdrawal. While at low doses nicotine tends to act as a sedative, at high doses it causes arousal during sleep.

Smoking can have unfavorable effects on your body by signaling it to wake up in the middle of the night, as your body’s want for nicotine increases toward daybreak hours. It also has many negative effects on your body, so why smoke?

Nicotine also produces quicker heart rate and increases your stress hormones, aside from giving you lung diseases.

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