You may be the person who falls asleep as soon as you put your head on the pillow, but for most of us, it takes us a bit of time and with age, it only gets harder. In the last part of the sleep series, I want to share some valuable steps that will help you sleep better.
Steps Towards Better Sleep
Try to set yourself a daily bedtime routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Do the same for your children and do not use their bedrooms for timeouts or punishment.
Consume the largest meal in the middle of the day and avoid heavy meals up to two hours before bedtime. Also, eating a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods can help guarantee our energy levels are up during the day and we do not have to rely on stimulants to keep us going.
Avoid nicotine (cigarettes) and caffeine (caffeinated soda, coffee, tea, and chocolate). Since nicotine and caffeine are stimulants, they can interfere with sleep. Keep in mind that the effects of caffeine can last up to 8 hours. So, coffee in the late afternoon can make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night.
Regular exercise helps you sleep better at night as long as you don’t get it in too close to bedtime. A post workout burst of energy can keep you awake. Aim to finish vigorous exercise 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. Also keep in mind that gentle mind-body exercises such as yoga or tai chi, are great just before you hit the sack.
Try to relax before you go to bed by using the following techniques:
Do something calming: Listen to relaxing music, read a book or have a warm bath.
Practice breathing exercises: In a comfortable position breathe into your belly then out through your nose, making your exhale longer than your inhale. Repeat until you feel relaxed.
Meditate: Learn and apply meditation techniques. If you are a newbie to this, not to worry. Guided meditations are just as effective. There are many apps for this, my favorite is: Insight Timer.
Keep your bedroom quiet and dark (a dim night light is fine, if needed). Invest in thick curtains, use calm colors for your furnishings and invest in a good quality mattress. Also, remove electronics from your room, the glow from a cell phone, tablet, or even a clock on your bedside table may disrupt your sleep.
Before going to bed in an hour, try your best to turn off TVs, computers, and other blue-light sources.
If you suffer form back pain, try a leg pillow. Your lower back might not hurt enough to wake you up, but even mild pain can sometimes disturb the deeper stages of sleep. Put a pillow between your legs to help align your hips better and alleviate the stress on your lower back.
Take it easy on the napping. Although a nap may provide a boost in alertness and performance, if you have trouble falling asleep at night, limit your naps to 20 minutes at most and try to take them earlier in the afternoon.
Where are we heading? Food for Thought
On May 31, 2009, an Air France plane crashed into the Atlantic, killing all 228 people on board. A judicial report concluded that the pilot had slept for only one hour before the flight. Also in 2009, Continental Connection Flight 188 crashed just outside of Buffalo, USA, killing 49 passengers. The pilot had pulled an all-nighter before taking off. A 2012 National Sleep Foundation survey had one in five pilots admitting that they had made a serious error due to sleep deprivation.
Bottom line: Unless we take sleep more seriously, we are prone to have more accidents and over time our lack of sleep will turn into sleep deprivation, insomnia, which will then lead to a plethora of health issues from weight gain to increased risk of chronic disease and a decline in cognitive functions.
