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Falling asleep is very difficult for millions of Americans. A lack of sleep can impact your work performance, your mood, your health and basically every aspect of your life. Most people with insomnia turn to medications to help them sleep better. However, many experts feel that natural sleep is better than ‘drug-induced sleep.’
We have ten suggestions to help you sleep better naturally.
1) Prepare yourself for sleep. Carve out half an hour before bed to wind down by doing something relaxing like reading or listening to soft music. Yoga and meditation are also good activities to try. Watching TV isn’t.
2) Get on a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day (yes, even on the weekends).
3) Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary. The best sleep is had in a dark, cozy and comfortable place. Ensure that your bedroom fits that bill….and move the luminescent alarm clock out of your direct field of vision.
4) Invest in a good quality mattress. A bad mattress can make you feel like you haven’t slept at all. It can make your joints ache, your back feel like it is breaking and so much more. Sure, it might be a bit expensive at first, but the value over time will be well worth it.
5) Limit naps. If you can avoid them altogether, then that’s probably best. However, if you need to nap, experts suggest taking less than 45 minutes worth of naps throughout the day to ensure that you maximize your sleep time during the night.
6) Keep your feet warm in bed. Many people find that having warm extremities gives them a sense of comfort …especially if you have chronically cold extremities. Those ‘toasty tooties’ may relax you enough to put you under for a full eight hours of blissful rest.
7) Watch what you eat. Avoiding caffeine, chocolate and sugary foods can help you sleep better. Eating foods that are high in tryptophan such as turkey and certain carbohydrates like crackers will also improve your sleep as can those with more magnesium. Magnesium-rich foods include: seeds, legumes, darky, leafy green veggies (think: kale and spinach), almonds, cashews, whole grains, etc.
8) Keep the bed as your sleeping place only. Try not to do work on the bed or spend too much time in bed other than for restful activities. Equating your bed with other aspects of your life will make it much harder for you to turn off your mind and put yourself to sleep when you get between the sheets.
9) Use aromatherapy. The olfactory nerve, located in the nasal cavity, creates very intense memories and sensations in the body. Certain scents can help one relax significantly such as lavender, vanilla and sage. You can burn candles, drop essential oils in a warm bath, use a satchet of the scent under your pillow and so forth.
10) Get enough exercise. When your body feels fatigued from healthy and stimulating exercise, endorphins (feel-good chemicals) are released. These help the body to relax and regulate itself. The optimum time to exercise, however, is early in the day. This gives your body ample time to get regulated. By bedtime, you will be ready and able to rest. If you exert yourself too strenuously before bed, it can actually lead to sleeplessness.
Note: This, of course, by no means a comprehensive list of the things you can do to help yourself get better sleep naturally. There are a variety of herbal remedies and supplements that can improve your sleep as well as acupuncture and other alternative methods.
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