For many nights, especially during breaks from the stressful college life, I'm very much sleep deprived because my sleep schedule gets off track. There are many benefits you are missing out if you don't take care of your health, sleeping plays a role in this. There are many things you can do to put yourself back on that track and get the beauty sleep that you deserve.
1. Relax before your bedtime
Set aside about 30 min tires before you want to spew to read a book, meditate/pray, or simply just relax in bed. It will make time pass and make sleepy, and help lull you to bed! It also helps relieves stress.
2. Write a entry in your journal
I know this helps me the most. All day many things run through your mind, especially when you're having a bad or stressful day. If you journal, you can get rid of all the thoughts in your mind that won't let you sleep out on paper. It's even therapeutic.
3. Pretend to be tired
Pretending to be tired can actually trick your brain into believing you're exhausted. Before you know it you might just fall asleep.
4. Listen to music
Some people prefer listening to nature sounds or acoustic and simple music. Even try listening to podcasts and audiobooks. This put you in stress free mood and makes it easier to sleep.
5. Avoid caffeine and eat melatonin foods
Everyone knows that caffeine and sugary foods and drinks keep you awake. Avoid these types of food and it'll help you sleep better. Another helpful tip is eating melatonin foods before bed. Food such as bananas, oats, rice and even almonds. These foods help you have a healthy sleep pattern.
6. Take a hot shower or bath
When you take hot showers or bath before bed, your body temperatures drop slightly and trigger a sleepy mood because this lowers your metabolic activities.
7. Disconnect from the internet
This means your phone, your laptop or any electronic device you have. There is research that says the light from your screens usually keep you up and make it harder to sleep and they are also a major distraction. I know when I'm on my phone, I can go through apps without realizing it.
For many people, they have trouble going to sleep, trouble staying asleep or even waking up earlier than they want all the time. If you try any of these helpful methods, you might just set yourself up for sweet dreams. Sleep is an important and essential part of life, it's good to take care of your sleep patterns. If these don't work, there are so many other home remedies and even over the counter medications that can help you with your sleep problems, counting sheep doesn't hurt either.