With busy minds and busy lives, it can be difficult to drift off to sleep quickly. Getting enough sleep every night is essential to keep your body healthy and to give you the energy needed to be productive and enjoy every day. There are several ways you can foster better sleep.
Keeping a Sleep Schedule
A great way to help foster better sleep is to create a sleep schedule, and stick to it. Pick a time each morning to wake up, and decide upon a time to go to bed every day. After you have decided when you will wake up and go to bed, be consistent. When you go to sleep at the same time each night, your body will get used to the schedule, and you will go to sleep more quickly and have better sleep as a result.
Pre-Sleep Routines
Creating a pre-sleep routine or ritual can help you sleep better, and it will help you go to sleep more quickly every night. Your routine should be done consistently every night before you go to bed, and the activity you do should be relaxing. For instance, you could meditate for 15 to 30 minutes before bed. Meditation can help relax you and clear your mind. A mind that is not busy will allow you to drift off to sleep much more quickly. Meditation also has several health benefits so it is an ideal pre-sleep activity. Other activities you can do for your pre-sleep routine are taking a bath or drinking some delicious herbal tea. Both are quiet, relaxing actions that will prepare you mentally and physically for going to sleep.
Avoid Television or the Computer before Bed
To help get a better night’s rest, you should avoid watching TV and using the computer for at least an hour before you go to bed. TV and computers can cause a lot of stimulation and keep you wired, preventing you from going to sleep. Television and computer screens can also cause melatonin production to decrease. Melatonin helps you get sleepy, but it is interrupted by sunlight or artificial light.
Change Your Diet
In order to help you go to sleep, there are several healthy and delicious foods you can eat. Do not to eat a large meal before bedtime because your body will be working hard to digest the food, disrupting the sleep process; however, a small snack of the right foods can be beneficial. A turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds can help you sleep well at night. Lean proteins like turkey have an amino acid in them that will raise serotonin levels. This will help you get to sleep more easily. Almonds and walnuts are healthy nuts that are also known to raise serotonin levels as well. Basil chicken is a delicious food that helps you sleep well. Basil and other herbs like sage actually contain chemicals that allow you to be more relaxed and to sleep better.
Use the Bed for Sleeping Only
Only sleep in your bed; do not work, use the laptop, or do any other similar activity. By making the bed just for sleep, you’ll find you sleep better at night because your brain will associate the bed with sleeping only. In order to be healthy and have the energy you need, proper sleep is essential. Sleeping can be much easier by following these simple tips.
