Dread the Pillow No More! Tips for a Better Nights Sleep.

Lack of sleep can affect anyone. In today’s rush, stressed out, overworked, media crazed society sleep problems are all to familiar. According to a paper published in the Journal of Health Psychology, not enough sleep has been shown to increase appetite, decrease energy, increase your impulsivity and emotional stress. Sleep expert Michael Grandner, PhD, says sleeping less than five hours a night “can impair decision making, slow reaction time and leave you so addled you don’t even recognize how exhausted you are.”

Next time you can’t fall into a blissful sleep, try these tips for better shut eye.

“Trying to lose weight without habits of healthy sleep is like trying to keep a race car in top condition without ever changing the oil.” 
~Dr. Wayne Scott Anderson

  1. A bedtime routine isn’t just for the little ones. Start your own adult bedtime routine. Turn bedtime into something you enjoy. Turn your bedroom into a retreat with new sheets, use body lotion that feels and smells good, or spray some lavender pillow spray on your bed.
  2. Lower your thermostat to between 68-74 degrees. The cooler temperatures help promote sleep.
  3. Leave the electronics in another room, including the TV. The flashing lights can disrupt sleep hormones and keep you distracted from your “night night” routine.
  4. Keep your room as dark as possible. Try special blinds or thick curtains to block outside light. Dim your lights as you prepare for bed.
  5. Destress with meditation or journaling. (I recommend the 5-Minute Journal) When you are stressed out your body releases the hormone cortisol and this has been linked to insomnia.
  6. Pull out the foam roller and massage prior to bed. This goes great with meditation.
  7. Take a warm shower or drink some warm tea.

During the day try:

  1. Avoid large meals before bedtime. Give your body time to digest your meal before going to bed.
  2. Avoid caffeine after 4 p.m. Smoking and alcohol can also affect your sleep.
  3. Exercise or incorporate some type of movement activity everyday.
  4. Stay hydrated but avoid drinking large amounts of fluid within an hour or two before you go to bed.

Sleep is extremely important to our health. In fact, it’s one of the Pillars of a healthy life. Don’t think of sleep as something you can eventually catch up on. Make it a priority just as you would exercise and nutrition. Follow these tips for a good nights sleep! Sleep away my friends.

~Sweet Dreams~

What does your bed night routine include?

One Comment on “Dread the Pillow No More! Tips for a Better Nights Sleep.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: