How to Craft a Good Nights Sleep.
According to recent sleep statistics, almost half of all Americans frequently feel tired during the day due to insufficient slumbering. If you’re one of that sleepless slew, you know how hard it is to end the cycle of rundown days and restless nights. While you might be tempted to try a prescription sleep aid to induce shut-eye, there are better long-term solutions to your difficulties with dozing. Here’s where to start, courtesy of Yoga with Lillah.
Practice Healthy Bedtime Habits
The best night’s sleep begins long before you hit the sack. What you consume in the evening plays a role in your ability to fall, and stay asleep, so experts recommend avoiding caffeine and alcohol in the hours leading up to bedtime. While a sip of water quenches pre-snooze thirst, drinking too much of it right before getting into bed triggers middle-of-the-night bathroom urges that disrupt sleep. Although taking an occasional sleeping pill may be okay for most, focusing on what you’re not consuming before bed leads to better long-term results.
On the flip side, good nighttime habits include reducing your screen time during the evening and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule in which you go to bed at the same time each night. As your body learns when to expect sack-time, it automatically launches the mental and physical shutdown that’s necessary for a restful snooze.
Engage in Relaxing Activities
In addition to taking up smart habits that promote rest, there are also enjoyable evening activities to engage in that contribute to better sleep. While a vigorous workout before bed may have the unwelcome effect of amping you up, trying relaxing practices like yoga is beneficial. Yoga’s stretches, like child’s pose and downward dog, as well as techniques, such as alternate nostril breath and deep-belly breathing, help release the pressures of the day and center your mind and body on release and stillness. You can even enjoy a free video series of relaxing breath practices to get started.
To further induce nighttime relaxation, read a book or listen to calming music. Taking a slow walk or soaking in a warm bath are other pleasant ways to wind down. Some people bring closure to the worries that inhibit restful sleep by journaling, while others find it soothing to reflect on the positive things that happened throughout the day.
Optimize Your Environment
Stress often leads to poor sleep, and poor sleep frequently causes stress. Although you may have little control over the outside factors that aggravate this cycle, it’s an easy fix to reduce environmental stressors that prohibit you from getting proper rest.
Because clutter raises anxiety, organizing your house is a proven mood booster. Tidiness creates a healthier, more positive home atmosphere that has a healing impact on stress levels and, therefore, improves sleep quality. Additional environmental factors to attend to for better shut-eye include keeping your bedroom sufficiently cooled, limiting street noise, and cutting out artificial light. Keep work documents, toys, and electronic gadgets out of your sleep space so your bedroom is reserved only for restful activities.
With so many Americans getting short-shrift when it comes to quality sleep, it’s no wonder that so many reach out to prescription pills for a quick fix. Yet by building better nighttime habits, engaging in relaxing routines before bed, and creating a clutter-free, comfortable atmosphere in which to sleep, you’ll reduce your own reliance on medications and still enjoy a good night’s rest.
Guess Blogger: Camille Johnson Visit her website – bereaver.com or email: camille@bereaver.com
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