Top 10 ways to a better nights sleep!

October 4, 2007

As millions of chronically sleep deprived Americans are putting their sleep aside, they are risking their health, length and quality of life. And during this time of year when the seasons are changing and daylight is decreasing, it can really bring instability in what is already a compromised sleep schedule.

So here at Maximum Living I thought it a perfect time to talk about this and give all of you my tried and true solutions for getting your sleep back, so here they are.

1) Say NO to alcohol and caffeine: If you have to have caffeine in the morning, keep it there, do not stretch it through the day. Caffeine is a stimulant which creates a wake up effect on the body, and while many think the nightcap of alcohol will help to relax them, well…it does speed the beginning of sleep but it actually increases the number of times you awaken in the later half of the night.

2) Take time before you go to bed and write down all of the things that are on your mind, make a list for the next day, do not go to bed keeping it all in your head. If you have specific worries, write them down and deal with them tomorrow…remember you will be no good at dealing with the demands of life if you don't put yourself first with getting a proper nights rest.

3) Take a warm and relaxing bath, use Epsom Salt to relieve body and muscle stress. It will relax you and your body getting you ready for a peaceful nights sleep. You can also add essential oils to the salt before putting it into your bath. Oils of lavender, mint and sweet orange are great for creating a relaxing aromatherapy bath.

4) A warm cup of herbal tea during your bath or several hours before bed will help to calm you down and put your body into a relaxed state. I like to use chamomile tea for this.

5) Do not eat or drink large quantities before bed or with in 3 hours of going to bed if you can help it. This will keep you from being uncomfortable at night without sleep interruptions of having to go to the bathroom. But as some of you may need a snack before bed, make sure it is not something that will jolt your metabolism as you don't want to raise your metabolic rate before bed creating a higher body temperature.

6) Create a comfortable sleep environment, the use of white noise or soft relaxing music can help relax you into sleep once you have turned into bed for the night. I like to use a fan for white noise, spritz it with a little essential oil and you will instantly be taken into lala land!

7) Make sure you have a firm mattress that is comfortable for your body type. It is important that your sleep support holds you firmly and in place. I like to use a feather bed to achieve this. I put the feather bed right on top of the mattress and it keeps me perfectly still all night, forming right to my back.

9) Sleep in a cool and dark environment. All of us have a circadian rhythm, the natural rhythm of our bodies and part of that is controlled by an area of our eyes that respond to light, sending a signal to our brains that it is time to wake up. If you are sensitive to light, make sure you do what is necessary to completely darken your room. Also, turn down your thermostat at night by a few degrees. This will help to induce the body into sleep as our body will naturally lower its core temperature about 4 hours into your sleep.

9) If you cant sleep and are restless, get out of bed and do something relaxing, don't stay in bed and toss and turn. It will take you longer to get to sleep that way than it will if you get up and go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel sedate and tired.

10) Only use your bed for sleep and …fun, do not use it to watch television, read, listen to the radio, play video games etc. Doing this is dangerous because it causes your mind to start associating your bed with things other than sleep. Keeping your bed only for sleep will help your body to fall asleep faster once you have gone to bed.

So tonight is the night for a Maximum Living Sleep and once your sleeping you will really start living!

Remember YOU CAN DO IT!

Sweet Dreams, Randy