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Posted by India Herbs - Ancient Remedies for Modern Times - - 0 comments

Good sleep is essential to deep restorative sleep. Learn how you can avoid the common causes of sleep.

Experiment.

For most healthy adults, a minimum of 8 hours is required each night to function at their best.

1) Set a Schedule - Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this schedule may lead to insomnia. Avoid napping during the day. "Sleeping in" on weekends also makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.

2) Exercise - Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise often helps people sleep, although a workout soon before bedtime may interfere with sleep. For maximum benefit, try to get your exercise about 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.

3) Avoid Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol - Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant and keeps you awake. Sources of caffeine include coffee (100-200 mg), soft drinks (50-75 mg), non-herbal teas (50-75 mg), chocolate, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.

4) Avoid Using Sedatives - While you might fall asleep, the complete restorative sleep cycle will be not realized. You might awaken feeling unrefreshed, groggy, or hungover. Once you stop taking the sedatives, you might suffer withdrawal symptoms which will further interfere with attainment of natural sleep.

5) Drink Milk - Milk contains a substance called tryptophan. The body uses tryptophan to make serotonin, a chemical in the brain. Serotonin helps control sleep patterns, appetite, pain, and other functions. Milk does not contain enough tryptophan to change sleep patterns, but drinking a glass of milk before bed may help you relax.

6) Avoid Large Meals / Excessive Fluids - This might cause you to awaken due digestion problems or urination.

7) Relax before Bed - A warm bath, reading, or another relaxing routine (deep breathing, yoga, meditation) can make it easier to fall sleep. You can train yourself to associate certain restful activities with sleep and make them part of your bedtime ritual.

8) Don't Lie in Bed Awake - If you can't get to sleep, don't just lie in bed. Do something else, like reading, watching television, or listening to music, until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia. Don't expose yourself to content that is prone to increase anxiety - like the news.

9) Create a Sanctuary - Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet. Use eye shades or earplugs if needed. Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.

10) Minimize Snoring - Sleep on your side to minimize snoring and breathing problems.

11) Sleep until Sunlight - If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body's internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.

To learn more about Mystic Sleep for a good night's rest, visit mystic-sleep.com


India Herbs - Ancient Remedies for Modern Times