Sleep disturbances are the primal cause of numerous physical and mental diseases today. Here is what you need to do for a good night sleep and protect yourself from those chronic illnesses.
What can you do for a good night’s sleep?
Sleeping pills can never be an alternative to a good sleep regime. It is because once you become addicted to them, you will find yourself struggling to get a good night sleep without their aid. In addition, these drugs have their own side effects that are most of the times more severe than not getting a sound sleep itself. What to do then, for a good night sleep? Don’t worry, there are natural ways to curb insomnia and get an excellent night sleep. All you need to do is to stick to these time tested techniques and you will surely find enough respite during the night.
Here is what you can do for a good night sleep
Morning exercise
Regular morning exercise is something that can work beyond your imagination in helping you sleep better during the night. The main reason is because it ensures an optimal flow of blood in your blood vessels and also lessens your stress levels that is one of the leading causes of insomnia. Morning workout ascertains that your body will automatically try to embrace sleep to rework on the broken cells.
Regular bedtime routine
To obtain a great sleep, you need to fix a regular bedtime routine. Your body becomes accustomed to your sleeping patterns and gets habituated to your sleep times gradually. It is therefore necessary that you avoid sleeping during the odd times and become regular on your routine.
- Try retiring to bed as early as possible. This will provide you the time to relax before you actually go to sleep.
- Go to bed every day on the same time and get up on the fixed hours. Slowly, it will form a habit and you will no more live in restlessness.
- Avoid day time napping as far as possible; it may keep you awake at night. However, a light sleep in the noon hours is beneficial during the summer season in hot countries.
- Make sure, you get enough sleep and neither under-sleep nor over-sleep. Sleeping less or more than required are equally detrimental to health.
Avoiding stress
Stress is the biggest known cause of sleep disturbances in the modern world. A stressful mind can never find reprieve. The best ways to overcome stress are laughter and fun, yoga, meditation, brisk walk, self talk, time management and so on. Make sure you are free of tensions when you go to bed. Leave all your anxieties for the other day; they are any way not going to end even if you think several times about them on the bed.
Adjust your habits
To get a good night sleep, it is essential that you strictly follow and maintain the habits that aid you in your endeavor. You can do the following,
- Get daytime exposure to light as much as possible. Avoid working long hours in a closed room and get some sunshine.
- Keep your surroundings dark at night to support your body in producing melatonin, a sleep inducing hormone.
- Finish all your work ideally 2-3 hours before retiring to the bed. If not, at least stop all your professional activity an hour before sleep.
- Quit smoking and drugs if you love yourself. These are the biggest enemies of your health and of course, of your sleep as well.
- TV, LCDs and devices with background lights should be avoided during the night and must be not used before going to bed.
- Sit erect and don’t lie unnecessarily to be during the day. Remain energetic during the day to get good experience on the bed.
Proper diet
You should take your meal at least 2-3 hours before going to bed and it should be light enough to get digested before you fall asleep. Avoid too many drinks before going to bed. Make sure you don’t take foods that cause allergic reactions or gastric symptoms in your belly. Alcohol and nicotine are also a no no.
Suitable atmosphere
The environment around your bed should be ready to assist you in your sleep. Few things that you should do to ensure that you are welcomed for sleep are,
- Provide proper ventilation and easy exchange of gases to your bedroom. Two way ventilators and window panes will do the trick.
- Keep the room clean and dust free. Ensure a cool temperature around since it is known to be more sleep friendly.
- Turn off the lights and irritating sounds before going to bed. If neighboring sounds disturb you, turn on some light and refreshing music.
- Put away all the electronic devices and appliances that produce electro-magnetic radiations. They disturb your sleep indirectly without your slightest notice.
- Make a comfortable bed though not too luxurious. East to west direction is best for sleeping because you have least interference from the earth’s magnetic field.
Prepare yourself
After preparing your bed, it is the time that you prepare yourself for the resting period. Here is how to prepare yourself for a good night sleep,
- Always go to bathroom before going to bed. It eases your blood pressure and lessens the restlessness syndrome.
- A cup of lukewarm milk half an hour before going to bed will help you easily fall asleep.
- If possible, take a hot shower half an hour before going to sleep. If not feasible, at least, wash your face and your limbs properly.
- Read a fiction novel or listen to some light pleasing music on the bed just before going to sleep.
- Some easy stretching techniques of yoga can can dramatically relax your body muscles and prepare them for a good night sleep.
- You can practice some relaxation techniques like deep breathing and shavashan on the bed. These are the gifts of yoga to the humanity.
Time to consult a doctor
Sometimes, after following every suggestion for getting a good night’s sleep may not prove helpful to you. This may happen due to some hidden diseases that may disrupt your hormonal balance and make you prone to insomnia. You should become conscious about it when you notice chronic restlessness in your body parts accompanied with various burning or crawling sensations. Some of the common sleep abnormalities include, waking up at night, feeling drowsy during the day, sleep walking, morning headaches, breathing abnormalities, asthma and so on. You should quickly consult your doctor when you find any of the above symptoms to see what you can do for a good night sleep.
If you like read about good night sleep in Hindi, please refer to the post: अच्छी नींद पाने के आसान उपाय .
