Ten Simple ways to have a comfortable sleep

We can improve our sleep by following a few instructions other than using sleeping pills at night.We should follow principles of sleep hygiene that have been proved greatly effective and the methods that are discussed here have a strong potential to get rid of having a restless night.The quantity and quality of sleep changes with age.Generally speaking an eight hour period of sleep is considered sufficient to get relief from the tiredness of day time activities.So as they say simple is better and prevention is better than cure,we should all try to follow some rules to sleep well at night.Because long term use of sleeping pills or sedatives is not known to improve sleep.Despite,they are implicated in many dyssomnias and sleep disorders.

Elderly people tend to accumulate more of the sedatives in their bodies due to slow metabolism of the drugs which may lead to day time drowsiness and loss of equilibrium.Young people can not also lean on the drugs for a long time.So stay safe and follow the instructions that helped people improve their sleep,both in quality and quantity.

• Physical activity:It has a great impact on the sleep pattern.Increased physical activity in the afternoon or a brisk walk for half an hour in the evening helps a lot in improving sleep pattern.People with very little or no activity at all in their day time should have a light exercise before they go to bed.

• Progressive muscular relaxation:Practice evening muscular relaxation routine such as progressive muscular relaxation.It helps put the muscles at ease as well as reduce stress.

• Timing of sleep:Its very essential to follow a set bed time.Its better,if possible to sleep and get up on the same time each day.Its seen that people with the habit to sleep late at night have great difficulty to fall asleep if they go to bed early on one night.Secondly,lie on the bed only when you are ready to sleep.

• Bed room temperature:High room temperature impairs sleep.On the contrary,a cool room is more conductive to sleep than a warm room.In the winter season keep your room a little cool and do not warm it too much.

• Sleep milieu:Our room environment is a big determinant of our sleep.For instance,a clean and tidy bedroom,soft bedsheets,dim lights in the room are mostly acceptable to the human nature.However,a personal choice of room articles and cues can be set to maintain a comfortable sleeping condition.

• Day time naps:Avoid napping during the day.Day time naps are usually observed when we have a sleepless and restless night.Narcolepsy is a primary sleep disorder in which sleep attacks during day time and day time naps relieves sleepiness in such people.

• Food and nutrition:Our eating behavior also plays a significant role in our sleep.A good attitude towards health is to eat at regular times daily.A light bed time snack with calcium containing food and sugar helps induce sleep.

• Beverages:Coffee,tea or other beverages containing Caffeine must be avoided in the evening.We all know Caffeine is a brain stimulant and we can not go to sleep when the brain activity is increased.As mentioned earlier,sugar and calcium both helps in sleep induction.

• Smoking and other drugs:Excessive smoking in the evening should be avoided.Tobacco contains nicotine that again is a brain stimulant.Apart from smoking the drugs that are brain stimulants must also be discontinued or taken only during day time,if necessary.Avoid abuse of drugs and alcohol.Many people think alcohol helps sleep fast.But alcohol abuse ultimately disturbs sleep pattern and may lead to sleep disorders.

• Sleeping technique:The basic principle behind this technique is to think something so boring that you will go to sleep rather than thinking it.For example,close your eyes and draw an imaginary circle in your mind.Next,draw two more circles inside it and put three stars in the circle 1 and five stars in the circle 2 and seven stars in the circle no. 3.Then draw another circle and keep putting on the stars until you enter a normal healthy physiological sleep.But you can find another variation that works better for you.

All these priceless instructions mentioned here has been proven very healthy and all the health experts recommend these natural methods to combat sleeplessness.The methods are easy to follow and are enough to provide a freshening sleep.No doubt,you have to seek medical advice when suffering from a real sleep disorder in which your doctor will recommend some drugs along with the general advice same as discussed here.