Getting a Guten Night’s Sleep
Good Night
When do we notice a bad night’s sleep?
Sadly sleep is something we all take for gratitude until of course we can’t. We are preprogrammed to be good sleepers. This starts when we are infants and we can basically sleep hanging upside down from chandeliers. And this, for most of us, continues through high school and perhaps even into college. But something happens to us between college and our work in which we suddenly become so stressed we no longer sleep well.
What happens?
We change. We change our habits and we are under a great deal more stress to perform financially. We give up old habits like playing sports for fun and we work late instead or just turn into a vegetable after a really horrific week. I remember this from when I was teaching. I would work a 70 hour week and then just sleep in on the weekend. Unlike when we were children we push ourselves so hard we become insomniacs.
No Sheep to Count
How do we get out older sleep patterns back?
Well you never quite do. But here are suggestions to help you sleep better at night.
1) Work out everyday for at least 30 minutes. If you miss a day then work out an hour.
2) Get an hour of sunlight each day.
3) Remove caffeine from your diet entirely.
4) Learn to say, “No”. Don’t work inhumane hours and over tax yourself. There is the guy right next to you in another cubical that barely does anything and he sleeps like a baby.
5) Don’t worry or should I say only worry about the things you can deal with today. For those of us that like to have all of our ducks in a row and to pay our bills a month early this exceptionally difficult but prioritize your anxiety to minimize it.
6) Remove everything from the bedroom that could be a distraction from sleeping. That includes the computer, ipad, television whatever?
7) Keep the bedroom cool. It is a well documented fact that sleep is more easily attained in cooler settings. So turn on the air if you need to so you sleep well.
8) Wear lose fitting PJ(s). Sleep is all about being comfortable so nothing binding.
9) Stop working at the same time each evening, build a ritual before bed and then go to bed at the same time each night. This is incredibly difficult for the international traveler but give it a shot.
10)If all else fails warm milk and no chocolate. Warm milk contain L-trytophen which is a hormone that makes you sleepy. Turkey also has this hormone and that is why you are so sleepy after Thanksgiving. A nice glass of warm milk should send you right off into sleep.
Good Night
A good night's sleep can predict how you perceive everything in your life and therefore you should make it a priority to get a goods night sleep for both your physical ad mental health.
