Unable to Sleep? Sleep like a Baby using these 15 tips
What is Sleep?
The Dictionary defines Sleep as: “the natural, easily reversible periodic state of living things that is marked by the absence of wakefulness and by the loss of consciousness of one’s surroundings, is accompanied by a typical body posture (such as lying down with the eyes closed), the occurrence of dreaming, and changes in brain activity and physiological functioning, is made up of cycles of non-REM sleep and REM sleep, and is usually considered essential to the restoration and recovery of vital bodily and mental functions.
What is Sleep in layman terms?
Sleep is the time when Nature takes control of the self and does the job of Repairs and Cures. In other words it is the period of rest so indispensable for the effective functioning of the human body.
According to research, 75% of people are sleep deprived and 60% suffer from some sort of insomnia. In this post we give you Tips that when put into practice will help you immeasurably in alleviating sleep issues.
Avoid Caffeine
Yes, we all know you would love to start your day with a cup of hot Java, but that is fine, but apparently it doesn’t stop there. The average executive drinks at least 6 cups of coffee throughout the day. This adds up even during a social gathering with friends or family. Caffeine is a power sleep inhibitor and even long after the last cup, the caffeinated blood keeps all of the nerves on high alert resulting in sleepless nights.
Avoid Tobacco
On an average a single cigarette contains around 12.60mg of Nicotine. And most smokers don’t know that Nicotine has a stimulating effect coupled with a mood modulating effect. Studies have shown that smoking increases insomnia. And the saddest part is that even when people quit, they will experience withdrawal symptoms and anxiousness that will greatly impact and interfere with their ability to fall asleep.
Stay away from predinner shots
Of course, a shot of vodka or whisky will increase your appetite, but the issue is that it doesn’t often stop with a shot. In most cases the shots are free flowing. Studies have show that alcohol interferes with REM sleep cycles, and that would mean, you are more likely to spend the night wide awake after a night of drinking. Of course, having said that, even if one gets drunk and drifts to sleep, he or she would awake once the alcohol’s effect pass off. The simple science to this is that the liver is constantly working to filter the alcohol out of the blood, with the organ such as liver functioning to its peak performance, the likelihood of the body resting is remote.
Avoid napping
At times this can be the single most culprit of preventing you from getting a good night sleep. After a wholesome lunch a good 35 minutes nap might sound great and acceptable but the price that you would pay would be spending the whole quota of 8 hours night by twisting and tossing and turning. The remedy, after lunch, take a walk around your office block, or better still find a park to walk for a good 20mts.
Avoid watching Television just before bed time
Studies have shown watching Television during bed time has been a predominant cause for insomnia. One major reason is that the soft X-rays that creep out of the screen, attacks your eyes and your forehead, thus altering your REM sleep patterns. Studies have also shown a correlation between television watching and Migraine.
Avoid going to bed with full stomach
Most people hit the couch immediately after dinner. It is imperative to know that when your stomach is full, the body cannot rest itself. Thus the nervous system is active and neurons fly hitherto in a bid to get the digestion work completed.
Avoid arguments during bed time
This is more of a psychological part. Arguments drive people to extremities that they forget the very reason as to why they started the argument at the first place. After all life is too precious to spend the night without sleep because some felt the other way. The best thing to do is, “we’ll talk in the morning”
Avoiding using your bed as your working table
Most have the habit of doing their job on their bed. Their spouse might be waiting for the lights to be turned off, while they would have their laptop on their laps, busily typing a memo or redoing the project map, or even still, yelling at a junior colleague for not paying attention during inhouse meeting. Well, we understand all of these, yet still, when you do all of these chores while seated on your bed, its [the bed] very sanctity departs. More so, it is just not you who is going to be affected, but your spouse too. Adhere to this philosophy, “Work while you work, play while you play, and sleep while you sleep”
Avoid checking social media posts while on bed
We live in a world where people consider their phones to be even above their lives. We understand that, phones are important, but your well being is even more important than anything else. According to research, most people don’t go to bed up until midnight. And the irony is, a vast majority spend time checking on their social media accounts. Now according to a sleep research, when the clock strikes 12, your body adopts a different configuration altogether. This means, you will keep well awake, up until 2am and when you decide to sleep, you will spend the next hour or so, tossing and turning. The remedy, make it a habit to shut the lights off by 11pm.
Make a habit to workout everyday
Exercise is good. For this You don’t have to enroll in an expensive gym or hire a trainer, even a simple brisk walk for 60minutes will have a great impact on your sleep routines. Try it today.
Avoid hitting the gym 3 hours before bed time
Of course, we know that our world never sleeps. There are gyms which are open 24 hours. For special people due to their demands these working hours offers flexibility and they are just fine. But for a vast majority of us, our bodies follow a sleep pattern that occurs only during the night time. Now, because you have a gym access at 8pm, you might think to yourself that, you would put in a good 60-minute workout and then return home and then grab a quick dinner and hit the couch by 11pm, thus availing a good 8 hours sleep. Well, we hate to break it to you, you will be spending the night wide awake. According to research, activated muscles remain in that state for a considerable time. Meaning, you wouldn’t be able to hit the relax state to achieve full body rest.
Never do Heavy Cardio
Weight management is good, but what good will it do when you lose your sleep over it. According to research a vast majority of people who suffer from irregular sleep cycles have also been found to be indulging in heavy to very heavy Cardio workouts. It is imperative to understand, after a Cardio workout, be it running, long hours of jogging or aerobics, the cortisol levels in the blood increases and that subsequently interferes with the REM sleep cycle. It is also imperative to understand that increased Cortisol levels resulting from Cardio workouts will weaken the immune system.
Let your bed be the best crib
There are stories where people go on a vacation to Europe while still sleeping on a mattress that is not even fit for a pigsty flooring. Your mattress is the mood setter. It need not be the most expensive one, but at least invest in one that delivers comfort and is spacious for your spouse and you.
Never light fragrance sticks or perfume candles in your bedroom
Of course, these can make your bedroom smelling good, but it is important to know that most of these products are made with tons of toxic chemicals than interfere with your sleep cycle. The best thing to do is to keep the room clean and tidy.
When its bed time, switch off the lights completely
Research suggests that to have a great sleep, the room must be in complete darkness. Even your bedroom light which you consider to be the dimmest could affect your sleep. So when its time to sleep, No lights.
Conclusion
Of course, many of the things stated here in this post might be negligibly small, but it is always the small things that counts. As the saying goes, “for want of a nail, the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe, the horse was lost, for want of a horse, the rider was lost, for want of a rider, the battle was lost”
Remember, Sleep is the most pleasantest thing to do, and do settle for less.
