Aid Sleep - How Do I Do That Efficiently?
It is estimated that about half of adult Americans suffer from some sort of sleep problem, so if you have trouble sleeping at night you are not alone.
Luckily, there are many things you can do to help yourself get the sleep you need, eight full hours each night.
The first thing you must do is get up in the morning and get some sunshine.
Signaling to your body when it is morning is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
First of all, it will shut off the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you tired, and make you become awake and alert.
It will also set your biological clock correctly, so that it knows to start production of melatonin fourteen to sixteen hours later when it is dark and you want to go to sleep.
This helps ensure that you will be tired by bedtime.
The next important thing to include in your day is exercise.
Physical activity is an obvious and surefire way to create a healthy fatigue in your body.
If you sometimes can't sleep because your mind is tired but your body is not, this will solve that problem very quickly.
Even if you are not aware that this is the problem it might be, and it's worth a shot.
You don't have to exercise for a long period of time, but when you do make sure it is vigorous exercise.
Remember that the point is to make you tired, so light exercise won't help much.
Make sure you do your workout routine no later than early evening though.
If you do it any later, your body temperature will be too high and your adrenaline will still be going when you are trying to go to sleep.
The last thing to make sure you do is wind down before trying to sleep.
This can be a quiet activity of your choice, but must be done in a dimly lit place.
Watching television doesn't count as a quiet activity, as it stimulates the brain too much and doesn't allow it to wind down.
Some good things to try about an hour before bed are taking a hot bath, reading or meditating.
If you have a hobby you enjoy such as sewing or scrapbooking those can work too.
Just make sure it's not going to stress you out, or make you not be able to fall asleep because you are still thinking about it.
Relaxation is key.
Luckily, there are many things you can do to help yourself get the sleep you need, eight full hours each night.
The first thing you must do is get up in the morning and get some sunshine.
Signaling to your body when it is morning is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
First of all, it will shut off the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you tired, and make you become awake and alert.
It will also set your biological clock correctly, so that it knows to start production of melatonin fourteen to sixteen hours later when it is dark and you want to go to sleep.
This helps ensure that you will be tired by bedtime.
The next important thing to include in your day is exercise.
Physical activity is an obvious and surefire way to create a healthy fatigue in your body.
If you sometimes can't sleep because your mind is tired but your body is not, this will solve that problem very quickly.
Even if you are not aware that this is the problem it might be, and it's worth a shot.
You don't have to exercise for a long period of time, but when you do make sure it is vigorous exercise.
Remember that the point is to make you tired, so light exercise won't help much.
Make sure you do your workout routine no later than early evening though.
If you do it any later, your body temperature will be too high and your adrenaline will still be going when you are trying to go to sleep.
The last thing to make sure you do is wind down before trying to sleep.
This can be a quiet activity of your choice, but must be done in a dimly lit place.
Watching television doesn't count as a quiet activity, as it stimulates the brain too much and doesn't allow it to wind down.
Some good things to try about an hour before bed are taking a hot bath, reading or meditating.
If you have a hobby you enjoy such as sewing or scrapbooking those can work too.
Just make sure it's not going to stress you out, or make you not be able to fall asleep because you are still thinking about it.
Relaxation is key.
