Did you know that an estimated 40 million people have sleep disorders? The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that almost 30 percent of U.S. adults get 6 hours of sleep or less every night. And even if you’re diligent about getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night that’s necessary for most adults, it may not be high quality sleep; the kind that really allows your body to recover and restore itself. So, if you find that you’re not getting enough sleep, or not sleeping well when you do, here’s 5 tips that can help you make a change and start getting the sleep you so desperately need.
Keep Caffeine to a Minimum While you’re probably aware that coffee, tea, and most sodas contain significant amounts of caffeine, there are some foods that also contain caffeine you may not be so aware of; such as chocolate, matcha green tea, coffee and chocolate flavored ice cream and yogurt, along with some granola bars and cereals. Even if you don’t think you’re very sensitive to caffeine, you don’t get major bursts of energy or have trouble falling asleep, it may still be contributing on a smaller level to disrupt your sleep patterns in some other way. Read food labels and be sure you’re not unknowingly overdoing it on caffeine, especially later in the day.
Set a Sleep Schedule Our bodies like habit. If your current sleep schedule is hectic, going to bed and waking up at different times and trying to catch up on sleep on the weekends, your body doesn’t quite know when your down time is supposed to start and when you should be waking up each day. If you train your body to wind down at the same time and in the same way every evening, and then wake up at the same time and with the same routines every morning, it will get used to the schedule and help improve your quality of sleep.
Take Time before Bed to Clear Your Mind Life is busy and you may very well have trouble settling your mind enough to fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. You may be running through all the things you didn’t get to, trying to figure out everything that needs to be done the next day, and generally letting your mind run away from you. Take control back and intentionally clear your mind so you can rest well. Keep a notepad and pen next to your bed to write down any thoughts or to-do’s that will keep you up. Close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly. If you do start replaying parts of your day, make sure your thoughts are settled on the good things, those that you can really express gratitude for. All of this helps to clear your brain of all those troubling thoughts and let your body and mind rest well.
Take a Hot Shower or Bath Taking a warm shower or bath before bed can erase all that muscle tension that’s built up through the day. The temperature contrast from a hot bath to cozying up in bed, has been shown to improve quality of sleep and shorten the time it takes to fall asleep as well.
Create Optimal Sleeping Conditions in Your Bedroom If you prefer a cool room when you sleep, add some extra fans or turn on the A/C and get comfortable. If you’re staying warm all night, you’re not going to sleep comfortably. If you prefer a warmer environment add a few extra blankets. Whatever it is that makes you comfy and will let you sleep better, do it. If you have a significant other each of you needs to determine what they need to get comfortable and meet somewhere in the middle so you can both rest easy.
If you continue to have issues sleeping, reach out to your physician to make sure you don’t have a sleeping disorder or something else going on. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, your body isn’t functioning well and it is harder to recover from illness or even every day stress.
Pain keeping you awake at night? Body & Soul Massage in Salem Ma offers quality Therapeutic Massage for pain relief.
Call today and see if our Pain Relief specialist can ease those aches and pains for a better nights sleep.
978-825-0040 or visit our website at www.bodysoulsalem.com