Good sleep tips
Sleep deprivation can be detrimental to both your mental-emotional and your physical health & wellbeing. If sleep deprivation becomes a chronic problem, you most likely need to consider Relax-the-Mind Sleep Therapy to come to terms with your sleep problem.
However, if sleep deprivation is only an intermittent issue for you, and is not of a severe degree, then you may find some of the 16 simple Good Sleep Tips below useful to help you back on track, or to help you avoid becoming sleep deprived in the first place.
Good Sleep Tip 1:
Look after your physical health
Even a normal cold/flu can cause your sleep to be disturbed. And most serious illnesses – like heart problems, kidney disease, gastrointestinal problems, asthma and so on – may cause or worsen sleep problems,.
Good Sleep Tip 2:
Be alert to side-effects from medication
Some medications, prescription or over-the-counter, may act as stimulants, and prevent natural sleep. Sleep medications also have side-effects, which may negatively affect the quality of your sleep.
Good Sleep Tip 3:
Quit smoking
Nicotine is a stimulant, which can disturb your sleep and reduce total sleep time. Smokers also often, without knowing it, have nicotine cravings in the middle of the night, which disturb peaceful sleep. If you find it difficult to quit, I may be able to help you…
Good Sleep Tip 4:
Avoid caffeine
Coffee, tea, cola drinks, energy drinks all contain caffeine, which may negatively affect your sleep, particularly if taken in the later part of the day. Note: chocolate also contains caffeine!
Good Sleep Tip 5:
Don’t use alcohol and/or marijuana to put yourself to sleep
Even though a drink or two may make you sleepy, it does have a rebound effect later in the night that reduces the quality of your sleep. Similar effects have been found from marijuana, which also may affect your ability to sleep well for several nights following use.
Good Sleep Tip 6:
Stay away from illicit drugs
Amphetamines, Ritalin, cocaine and ecstasy are all stimulants, which tend to cause increased alertness and insomnia.
Good Sleep Tip 7:
Check your diet
A light snack (that doesn’t contain lots of sugar and/or caffeine) may help you fall asleep, but a heavy meal just before bedtime may have the opposite effect.
Good Sleep Tip 8:
Reduce environmental disturbances
Noise, light, room temperature, bed comfort are all factors that affect sleep quality.
Good Sleep Tip 9:
Step away from the monitor
Avoid computer activity and television just before bedtime, since staring into bright light may trick your body clock into believing that it is daytime.
Good Sleep Tip 10:
Exercise early
Exercise promotes good sleep, but not if it is done too close to bedtime, since the initial effect of exercise is a stimulation of the body system. This may also apply to sex, if it is of the more vigorous variety…
Good Sleep Tip 11:
Don’t multitask in the bedroom
Apart from sex, the bedroom should be used exclusively for sleeping, so that you condition your brain to equate bedtime with sleep time. No television in the bedroom, no work in bed, no folding the laundry etc.
Good Sleep Tip 12:
Make lists
If you tend to be alerted repeatedly by thoughts of what you need to remember to do tomorrow, write it down on a list, and know that it will be there to remind you in the morning, so that you can forget about it until then, and go to sleep.
Good Sleep Tip 13:
Adopt a wind-down routine
Try to make a wind-down routine part of your pre-bedtime habit, where you slow down your activities, and let your mind quieten down. You may have a massage (if you have a generous partner), or take a warm bath.
Good Sleep Tip 14:
Keep a consistent sleep schedule
Try to go to sleep at the same time, and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Also, don’t nap during the day, since it may stop you from being sleepy at bedtime.
Good Sleep Tip 15:
Look after your mental-psychological health
Since anxiety, depression and stress all can cause sleep problems, you need to make sure to address any personal problems before they get the better of you.
Good Sleep Tip 16:
Know how to relax
To get good sleep it is crucial that you know how to relax your body, as well as how to relax the mind. Learning how to do this is the most important aspect of overcoming sleep problems.
