The consequences of sleep loss include not only higher stress and reduced performance at work, but even an increased chance of stroke risk and other deadly ailments. By focusing on ways to ensure a good night’s sleep, you can make your life longer and happier.
Five Strategies for Getting a Relaxing and Restful Sleep
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Margrett_F_White]Margrett F White
The consequences of sleep loss include not only higher stress and reduced performance at work, but even an increased chance of stroke risk and other deadly ailments. By focusing on ways to ensure a good night’s sleep, you can make your life longer and happier. Here are five tips for how to sleep better.
1. Bedtime rituals
By following a routine every night, you can associate sleep with certain activities. This can help prompt your brain to prepare for its nightly slumber. The sacred objects in this ritual include your bed, which should be reserved exclusively for sleep and love-making. This way, getting into bed will signal to your psyche that it’s time for rest (or romance). Other ideas for bedtime customs include:
Yoga stretches
Reading a book or listening to an audio book (not reading a backlit tablet, as explained below)
A hot bath
2. Upgrade your bedroom
Without a good quality bed, you may find yourself waking up with backpain. You can forestall sleep-destroying aches and pains by investing in a firm mattress and the right kind of pillow.
Many people find comfort by using a memory-foam pillow, like the enVy anti-aging and wellness pillow. This is designed to maintain proper alignment in your spine by tilting the head gently upwards with its signature V-shaped design.
3. Melatonin regulation
Melatonin is the chemical your brain uses to regulate its sleep cycle, or circadian rhythm. Exposure to light is the natural trigger for this hormone, but your habits may disrupt its cycle. Here are some of the ways to keep your melatonin regular:
Make sure your room is completely dark. This means drawing heavy curtains against street lamps or perhaps shading your eyes with a sleep mask.
Avoid television, computers, or other devices with backlit screens. This includes smart phones and iPads or other backlit tablets.
Use soft lights
4. Consistent hours
A regular bedtime is not just for kids. The more regularly your pattern of sleeping and rising, the more refreshing your hours of rest will feel. If you missed out on some sleep the previous night, compensate by napping sometime during the day, instead of throwing off your schedule by sleeping in.
Most adults need an average of eight hours of sleep nightly, but considerable variation exists. You may need an hour more downtime than average. Pay close attention to how sleepy you feel after a longer or shorter sleep.
5. Anxiety reduction
One of the biggest sources of sleep loss for adults is worry. And then end of a busy day, many people find themselves making a mental inventory of their anxieties – bills to pay, relationship problems, and responsibilities at work all clambour for the attention of the mind.
It’s essential to manage your stress. One of the most important keys to a good sleep and happy life is learning to recognize what you can and cannot control. Other ways to reduce stress include exercising and eating well, especially by limiting your caffeine intake. This stimulant may continue to affect your brain more than ten hours after consumption.
Margrett F White is obsessed with all aspects of the medical field but she is the most excited to see happy clients returning next time. She believes that one gets only a single chance to make a first impression!Currently researching in the [http://www.envypillow.com/sleep-health.html#.Uwbpg_mSxsM]usage of therapeutic pillows. Being practicing yoga for 1 year, she is into better and healthy living.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Five-Strategies-for-Getting-a-Relaxing-and-Restful-Sleep&id=8335506] Five Strategies for Getting a Relaxing and Restful Sleep
