We all know what a bad night’s sleep feels like and how it can horribly affect the next day.
The importance of good sleep cannot be underestimated but unfortunately, so many of us suffer from insomnia. Unhealthy sleep patterns and poor sleep quality is an all too common problem.
Importance of Sleep
Sleep is an essential part of maintaining good health and positive well-being. It’s where your body repairs itself from the onslaught of the day and prepares you to help face the next. It’s more essential than food or water yet many of us actually do not prioritise it well enough. An early night is often a ‘reaction’ to feeling exhausted rather than the ‘prevention’ for exhaustion.
Acute or Chronic Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation usually occurs when you are affected by a consistent reduction in sleep duration and quality. The average person needs a minimum of 7 hours sleep, on a regular basis. If this is not happening, there may very well be an underlying sleep disorder or anxiety at play.
Sleep deprivation can be acute, meaning it is a short-term issue that can be rectified with 2-3 days of normal sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation is a whole different ball game. When you cannot make up your ‘sleep debt’, severe physical, cognitive and emotional symptoms can occur.
Health Consequences of Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation has been used as a form of torture because of the immense negative consequences it reaps upon mental, emotional and physical health.
The physical implications of not sleeping well can affect:
- Cognitive energy
- Central nervous system
- Immune system
- Weight gain
- Digestion and intestinal health
- Cardiovascular health
- Endocrine system
A lack of sleep results in an exhausted brain that cannot function optimally. If you are finding it hard to concentrate, learn, remember, suffer with a decrease in coordination or feel moody and snappy, chances are you are running on an empty tank of sleep.
How Can You Promote Peaceful Sleep?
Healthy sleep patterns help to boost your immune function, support cardiovascular health, reduce stress and anxiety as well as help balance the body’s natural rhythms to ensure that you stay healthy and happy.
There are things that you can do to ensure a good night’s sleep. Here are 9 top tips to help you sleep well.
Regulate Your Bedtime
Go to bed earlier. The hours before midnight are worth double those after. So even if you are an early riser, a 9.30 – 10.00pm bedtime will still gift you 7-8 hours sleep. Perfect for waking refreshed and rested.
Being consistent with your bedtime will also help regulate your body’s circadian rhythms so where possible, aim to go to bed around the same time every night. There are settings on most mobile phones to create the optimal bed ‘time’. Worth a try.
Moderate Eating & Drinking Habits
What and when you eat significantly affects your sleep patterns and duration.
When we eat or drink something, your body goes into digestion mode. Food is reduced down within your body so that nutrients are able to be absorbed. This takes energy and keeps the body awake to be able to perform this function. Therefore, you should be mindful of the connection of what and when you eat and how it may affect your sleep patterns.
- Stop eating earlier. Don’t eat at least 2-3 hours before bedtime so that your food has had time to already be digested. However, don’t go to bed hungry because that can also affect your sleep, no one can relax with a growling tummy.
- Lay off the caffeine. If you are a coffee or tea drinker, have your last cup around teatime (4pm) and no more after that. This stimulant can stay in your system for up to 6 hours! Reach for the chamomile instead.
- Watch the alcohol. Even though alcohol can make you feel sleepy, it doesn’t allow for a good night’s sleep. Alcohol will disturb the quality of your sleep and reduce the time you spend in deep sleep. If you want a glass of wine, drink it earlier in the night, well before bedtime.
- Don’t do spicy. These kinds of foods are more difficult for the tummy to digest and may lead to indigestion. Exactly what you don’t need when you are trying to sleep.
- Smaller portion size. The saying is ‘breakfast like a king, supper like a pauper’. Eat bigger meals earlier in the day so that your body doesn’t have to work so hard to break down the food close to bedtime.
Exercise
This is the best medicine for so many things! Including sleep. Physical activity promotes more peaceful and rested sleep by enhancing the amount of time you spend in deep sleep, which is the most beneficial for helping rejuvenate the body and for you to feel rested. Even a 20 minute walk every day will help the body relax and sleep better.
Melatonin
Melatonin is the sleep hormone, naturally produced by the body to help regulate your circadian rhythms (sleep/wake cycle). Sometimes, when you’re out of sync, taking a melatonin supplement can help get back on track. Most health food stores sell these over the counter, you don’t need a prescription. Generally, they come in capsules, liquid and gummies.
Clinical research suggests that 3mg is an effective dosage to take about half an hour before you try to fall asleep. However, there are products out there that offer 10mg that could be worth a try to boost sleep quality if you are suffering from very bad insomnia.*
Guided Sleep Meditation
Still the chatter and noise in your mind by meditating before you head to the land of nod. This may take some practice but is well worth the effort. Guided meditations are super easy to find on Youtube, simply type in ‘guided sleep meditation’ and you will have an abundance to choose from. Ten minutes is a good starting time (not too long and not too short). This should provide a healthy tool to relax the body and promote peaceful sleep.
Set yourself a target of two weeks and commit to it every evening (without giving too much thought about if it is working on not). After a fortnight, reflect back to see if there has been any improvement. If so, continue and see if you can increase the amount of time you meditate.
Dim The Noise
White noise is often a helpful tool to drown out background noise and promote peaceful sleep. A quiet fan in the room can be something some people find a helpful distraction. Alternatively, you may need earplugs. Choose the ergonomically designed soft spongy ones, push in as instructed and off you go.
Magnesium
So the jury is still out on this one but it would appear that there is some evidence to suggest that magnesium has a positive impact on sleep. Supplementing with magnesium has helped small control groups people in clinical studies fall asleep much faster, for longer and even helped with restless leg syndrome.
It is also linked to reducing stress and stabilising moods to help promote healthy sleep.
Why not speak to your doctor or local health food store and give it a try, could just be what you are looking for. *
Reassess Your Sleep Environment
Reassessing your sleeping environment to ensure it is the comfiest it can be is essential to promoting peaceful sleep.
- I don’t know about you, but I love fresh bedding and I sleep so well in clean covers. Weekly washing of your bedding is not only hygienic but a real treat to sleep in. Always have a spare set ready to go and make it a priority.
- Regulating the temperature in your room is conducive to good sleep so if possible, open a window or leave your door ajar.
- If you sleep well in total darkness, consider using a black out blind or curtains. However, remember that if it is too dark, this could negatively affect your wake cycle so be mindful of this.
- Sleeping with the correct bedding will also help. Make sure you have the right tog quality, perfect pillows and that they feel good.
Pressure Points
In Chinese medicine, there are certain points of the body that are energetically linked to insomnia. Its official name is acupressure and research suggests that it is an effective solution for helping people sleep. This is a great article I found about the five main pressure points on the body that you can manipulate and massage to unblock trapped energy and help you succumb to peaceful sleep.
The Take Home on Peaceful Sleep
I hope that some of these help you in your quest for a good, peaceful, full night’s sleep. There really is nothing quite like it to wake feeling refreshed, rested and fighting fit ready for the day ahead.
If there is one thing that you work on, make it getting enough sleep everyday. It is the best gift that you can ever give yourself.
Lights Out. Night Night. Lilatov.
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