31 Dec 2006, 9:02pm
Good night's sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Your sleep can affect other areas of your life like how you feel during the day, how active you are, your studies, career, relationships etc.
People should wake up every morning feeling refreshed and energetic without the need of an alarm clock. This may be possible if you have a good healthy sleep at night.
Below are some tips for better sleep:
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1. Have a regular bed that is comfortable. Also maintain regular schedule for sleeping and waking up, even on weekends. Try going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time every day. Maintaining this time schedule is very important. This helps in overcoming sleep problems.
2. Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet, comfortable, cool relaxing.
3. Finish your dinner atleast 2-3 hours before sleeping.
4. Avoid nicotine, caffeine and other stimulants which can be found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, cigarettes, chocolate etc.
5. Regular exercise can help in maintaining good health and can also be useful for good sleep. But remember to finish your workout atleast a few hours before your bedtime.
6. Try to go to bed only when you are sleepy. This avoids that time you often spend trying to sleep but failing to do so.
7. Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.
8. Don't worry unnecessarily if you feel you are not getting enough sleep, as it might make matters worse. If you have the habit of waking up in the middle of the night and looking at your clock, it is advisable to turn away the clock from your eyes so that you have to turn it back in order to see the time and you may decide not to go through that trouble and might soon overcome this habit.
9. If you cannot sleep for 15-20 minutes then get out of bed and do something else. Return to bed only when you feel reall sleepy. Repeat this as many times as necessary during the night.
10. Nutritional food like green vegetables and fresh fruits can help in improving the quality of your sleep.
11. An old-fashioned remedy is to take two teaspoons of cider vinegar with two teaspoons of honey in a glass of warm water.
12. Footbaths in lukewarm water can help in inducing sleep.
13. While lying in bed you can visualize various parts of your body relaxing.
14. Free your mind from worries as they can prevent you from having a restful sleep. Leave office work at office, do not spend more than 3-5 minutes thinking about the day's problems while you are in bed, avoid having arguments with somebody in the evenings as they can interfere with your sleep at night. If you have a long list of things to do and your mind is constantly thinking about them then one of the best ways to free up your mind is to write down each important task on a piece of paper, next to each task you may write down a future date and time when you want to deal with it. Writing them down will help in uncluttering your mind so that you can now peacefully go to sleep.
Some tips to help you feel fresh and energetic
during
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daytime:
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1. If you have problems getting up from bed in morning, then try this simple technique to fully awaken yourself. Just go into direct sunlight and stay there for 2 minutes. When we are in darkness, our body produces hormones which make us feely sleepy. This sleepiness can be overcome by exposing our bodies to bright light, specially sunlight. You should feel wide awake and fresh now.
2. While getting up in the morning, do not jump out of your bed. Instead take your time - adjust your clothes, stretch your body and ease out of bed rather than hurrying. Drink a glass of water to get your system going again.
3. Take short naps during the day to help you remain energetic. You may avoid sleeping for longer hours during day, but take short naps ranging from 10-30 minutes as these naps will help in recovering lost energy and keeping you fresh all day long. Research has proved the benefits of short naps and many busy people have been known to take naps during the day - among them being Thomas A. Edison, Mark Twain etc.
Tips for people who work in Night
Shifts:
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1. Use room darkening shades or curtains if you are sleeping during
daytime.
2. Use fan to block out outside noises.
3. Try to take regular
meals and balanced diet.
4. Walking, jogging, swimming etc. can help in
making you stay alert and enjoy healthy sleep.
5. Avoid late night
caffeine.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to be medical advice. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder then it is advicable to seek professional help.
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