We all have those nights where we toss and turn unable to sleep. It can be frustrating the next morning when we still feel tired. Sleep is very important to the human body, and getting eight hours is recommended each night to help your body recover from everything you do each day. Here are a few ideas to help you sleep better at night, your body will thank you!
1. Don't go to bed either hungry or too stuffed!
Going to bed hungry is never a good thing, it can cause you to wake up earlier or more often because your brain wants you to eat something. After dinner drowsiness or "food coma" as many say is not a good reason to fall asleep. Force yourself to get up and go for a short walk or pick out clothes for the next day so that you can fall asleep at your normal bedtime.
2. Try and plan it so that you go to bed within the same hour every night.
Our bodies work like clocks so having a regular set time that you go to be helps your body know when it's time to start relaxing. When you interfeer with that time each night it makes it harder for your body and can leave you laying in bed waiting to fall asleep.
3. Don't nap too much.
Making up for lost sleep is a great thing to do but it is easy to fall into a pattern of taking a nap for four hours each day to make up for it when you can't at night.
4. Control the lighting.
This may seem obvious but it makes a really big difference when you go to bed when its dark out or when the room is dark than if there is light. If you struggle a lot with this one try reading an hour before bed and stay off your electronic devices. Tablets and other screens disrupt the brain and cause an overabundance of light. If you really can't stay off them turn the brightness down and use the smallest tablet you own.
5. Regulate your exercise.
Working out close to bedtime can increase temperature, heart rate and your metabolism interfering with your bodies ability to relax and fall asleep. Try to keep workouts to the morning or ending three hours before bedtime. If you need to exercise at night, walking or doing yoga is something that can be found relaxing enough for your body but also give you a little exercise.
6. Associate your bed with just sleep.
Watching TV or staying up on tablets in bed can make it harder for your body to relax when it needs to. Make it easy for your body to recognize when it gets in bed it's going to bed.
7. Melatonin.
Your body uses melatonin to relax and sleep, if you're not getting enough it could be the reason you have trouble sleeping. Melatonin is not something I personally use but many friends of mine have found it useful.
