Feeling Crabby?

 

Maybe you’re not getting enough sleep. With the economy falling down, money is tight and your parents are moving in can all be a sign of stress and can make relaxing difficult. All of these everyday stressors can make you seem crabby.

 

If you add in all the regular worries of jobs, kids, and bills and maybe relationship issues, you are well on your way to insomnia. One of the leading causes of insomnia is lack of sleep (Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2009). If you’re not getting enough sleep the body’s natural serotonin levels actually decrease causing you to feel restless and irritable.

 

 You may not be able to control all the issues in your life, but you can illuminate some of the things that make you more irritable and crabby. Try a few of  the things  listed below and see if they don’t help you have a better night’s sleep and feel less crabby the next day!

 

1)    Stick to a regular sleeping schedule for at least a month. If you wake and fall asleep at the same times every day and night your body’s natural cycle will even out and you will fall asleep easier and quicker every day you do it.

 

2)   Never eat or drink anything other than water at least two hours before sleeping. It takes your body to long to digest the food and drink and can’t go o sleep properly until it does.

 

3)   Never eat spicy foods or heavy desserts before bed (do you remember what mom taught you about chocolate?) Its true it has such a strong add a lot of acid to your stomach content and it has to work harder to illuminate the acid base in your stomach lining it also effects your liver and your serotonin levels so if sleep is on your agenda it could be hours before you liver digests all those nachos you had to have!

 

4)   Stay away from caffeine or alcohol. Yes, that drink you think will make you tired will also have you up at night because you have to “Go”.  Also they act as stimulants to your nervous system and because of that you will have more restless and uncomfortable sleep. This can cause you more irritability in the morning and a Crabby face for the rest of the day!

 

5)    Try to exercise about two hours before bed, a rigorous workout c can burn energy and relax your tense muscles and help you sleep more peacefully at night. Releasing tension in your body is the best way to relax and sleep well throughout the night.

 

6)   This may seem like a no brainer, but it is more common than you think. Sleep with the lights off and as dark as you can get it. More and more people are sleeping with lights on, laptops lights, night lights, hall lights, even televisions on. It is harder for the body to process that it is night time and time for the body to rest if you trick it into thinking it is still daylight!

 

 Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2008. Retrieved February 29, 2009.

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/understanding_violent_behavior_in_children_and_adolescents

 

 Need More Advice?

Psychology In Our Everyday Lives:

http://editorialnation.blogspot.com/2008/12/role-of-psychology-in-our-every-day.html

Humor counseling:

http://editorialnation.blogspot.com/2008/11/humor-counseling.html