One of the major primary requirements for better health is quality sleep. Having a good night’s sleep is very important for the human body. It affects almost everything such as our mental growth and stability, our physical and emotional health and even our social activities. Without proper and quality sleep, you will have a plethora of bad things happening to you. Low quality or lack of sleep will lead to ailments like headaches, stress related sicknesses like high blood pressure, poor coordination, muscle and joint aches and even heart problems.
When you go to sleep at night, the body uses this time to repair itself for a new day ahead. Sleep boosts up your immune system at this time and the lack of it will reduce the white blood cells in the body. Some people however hard they try do not fall asleep. They then turn to drugs in order to induce their sleep. In the process, they become addicted to drugs, alcohol, painkillers and prescription drugs.
How to Fall Asleep Fast
While many people find it easy to fall asleep fast, for others it is quite a struggle. Some people will lie down on their mattresses, place their heads on the pillow and within a short time, they will be in dreamland. Others will struggle with thoughts and finding the correct techniques to help them fall asleep without much success. Well, some win the sleep war and eventually fall asleep but there are others that do not get so lucky.
There are many ways that can help you to fall asleep faster. These ways also guarantee that you get quality sleep so you can have a fruitful day without any aches or fatigue. You want to know how to fall asleep? Read on
Maintain a good sleeping posture
Maintaining a good [posture does not only apply when we sit or stand. It also matters a lot when we go to sleep. The posture we use determines the quality of sleep we get for the night. Some postures make it almost impossible to fall asleep. A good posture relaxes your whole body and especially the back ligaments and muscles. Every person has their own sleeping position. It is however necessary to make sure that whatever position you use has the curve of your back at the right posture.
To maintain the back curve, you can accentuate it by using a pillow as support. If you are a back sleeper, you can put a pillow just below the knees to give your back a better curve. If you are a side sleeper, you can still place a pillow under your knees but make sure they are slightly bent. To further maintain a good posture when you sleep, you should try as much as possible not to sleep in a foetal position.
Many side sleepers find themselves sleeping in a foetal position which is a bad posture for the back. A foetal posture is when you have your knees drawn to the chest. In some instances however, people with back problems can use this position to bring relief to their pains. This however should come with a recommendation from a physiotherapist. People with back problems should also avoid sleeping on their stomachs because it makes the problem worse.
Use High Quality Pillows and Mattresses
Read more : Purple vs. Tempurpedic Mattress Comparison
Many people may not be aware that the pillow and the mattress you use play a very big role in your sleep. If you choose to use low quality pillow or mattress, you will turn and toss the whole night trying to look for spots with more comfort. A pillow especially is very important because it supports your head and neck. If you choose to have a pillow that is not firm enough or soft, enough for your body, then you will wake up with a stiff neck and a headache.
A good pillow and mattress should conform to your body shape without putting any pressure on any parts of your body. It should make you feel comfortable and cool especially when the night gets warm. A good pillow and mattress should not have you waking up in the middle of the night to fluff or fix them. Choose something that makes you sleep like a baby and wake up feeling fresh every morning. Some of the best pillows in the market guaranteed to give you better sleep are SLEEP BETTER ISO-COOL MEMORY FOAM PILLOW and MEDIFLOW ORIGINAL WATERBASE PILLOW among many others that you can check up at Amazon.
When you go to purchase a pillow or a mattress, test them for a short while to determine whether they are comfortable enough. Carry out all the research you can on the type of pillow or mattress you are buying and read other users reviews on the same. If you have an old pillow or a lumpy mattress, it is time to upgrade.
Avoid Anxiety
Sometimes you may wake up in the middle of the night and completely fail to go back to sleep. You then start counting the hours you have left until morning remembering you have a busy schedule ahead and you get anxious. You then look at your bedside clock and become even more anxious and worried when you realise how many hours you have left to sleep and wake up to go and attend to whatever it you need to attend to.
Doing this only elevates your adrenaline levels, hormones and cortisol. Instead of going back to sleep, you further disrupt your sleep and you stay up until morning still counting the hours. If you are one of those that keep looking at the clock, it is better for you to remove it near you. Make sure you do not any access to any kind of gadget that will show you how much time you have left. Maybe without that, then you can finally go back to sleep.
Avoid Alcohol
Too many people drink to sleep. In most cases, this works just fine. However, somewhere in the middle of the night, you may wake up all sweaty and with a possible headache. Some lucky ones may sleep through the night. In the morning, they will wake with a different story. Alcohol may bring temporary relief but it is never a good solution for getting better sleep. Instead, try something warm like a glass of milk, a cup of chocolate and if you have to drink, a glass of wine will do just fine.
Avoid Social Media in Bed
This may sound strange but social media just before you sleep may affect your sleep. Highly interactive activities such as tweeting face booking, emailing, texting, a game of candy crush and chatting on whatsAPP can actually hinder the shutting down of the brain. Research shows that the light from the gadgets, stimulate the brain. This stimulation leads to turning, tossing, and complete lack of sleep.
For people that cannot dose off before going through their social media profiles, there is a better alternative. You could replace your gadget with a book or ink. Start a journal and every night before you sleep; write on it and within no time, you will start feeling your eyelids getting heavy. Take something hot like tea about an hour before you sleep and you will start noticing the difference.
Meditate and Exercise
Meditation is another thing that helps you to sleep better. It helps to calm your body and mind. Meditation is also something you can do on your bed just before you get under the sheets. The breathing method is very helpful and simple to do. All you need to do is breathe in deeply and slowly and visualise things that give you happiness. You can think of the stars, the clouds, and the sound of the ocean, a river fall or any comfortable place that brings back good memories.
Read more : Nectar vs. Puffy Mattress Comparison
If you find it hard meditating alone, you could do it with a partner or watch a meditation video. There are also numerous apps that could help you. Some yoga and light exercises before bedtime will also leave your body feeling relaxed. With a clear mind and a great feeling body, it is very easy to fall asleep and wake up the following day feeling fresh.
Eat Healthy
The kind of food you eat can also affect your sleep. If you eat oily foods, chances are you may wake up in the middle of the night feeling tired and sweaty. Sometimes you may wake up in the middle of the night craving for something to eat. If you do so, go for a low carb snack or a warm glass of milk. Eating a high carb or fatty snack will make you lose your sleep. Choose wisely what diet you have before you hop to bed.
Count Sheep
This is an old technique used for people with trouble falling asleep. If you have tried everything else and failed, start counting sheep or any other animal. You can even count objects. Lie down on your pillow, close your eyes and start counting from 1 upwards until your thoughts start changing from worrisome to appealing. If you lose track of your count somewhere in the middle, go back and start all over again. To make it even more interesting, try counting from a high number and go backwards. It is good to start with a number like 500 and by the time you are down to 200, your eyes will be heavy with sleep and your mind clear of any thoughts hindering your sleep.
Use Comfortable Fabric while Sleeping
How you dress up to sleep affects how you sleep. Heavy materials while sleeping will make your night uncomfortable and sweaty. You need to wear something that will allow your body to breathe easily. Choose loose and soft fabrics like cotton that can easily allow in air to cool your body if the temperatures are high. Avoid anything tight because that will make your body temperatures go up.
Also make sure the same goes for the pillow and mattress fabric that you use. The sheets and pillow covers should be good materials that are breathable and cosy. The best pillows in the market today, help to regulate body temperature. They can keep you cool when the temperatures are high and keep you war when it gets extremely cool. Make sure you choose the right one and with the right fabric.
If it gets too uncomfortable sleeping in anything because of the warm temperatures, you could consider stripping down to just the underwear or sleeping nude. This helps to regulate the body temperatures too.
Check the Room Temperature
For majority of the people, the body temperature changes when they go to sleep. While your core temperature may decrease, the same cannot be said about your feet and hands. If the room you are sleeping in is too warm, you might end up turning and tossing the whole night out of discomfort. Set the room temperature at levels that are agreeable with your body. Temperatures set between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit help.
You can also take a warm bath just before you get into bed to help regulate your body temperature. After a hot shower or bath, the body cools down later and sends a signal to the brain that you need to fully relax your body by falling asleep.
Conclusion
Simply put, good sleep leads to better health. It also makes you happy and you go about your daily activities feeling strong and refreshed. Bad sleep on the other hand, turns you grumpy, irritable, moody and fatigued. You walk around half the day hating everything around you and fighting a headache or a stiff neck and back pains.
If you want to know how to sleep better , check all the activities you do before you go to sleep and make sure they will help you instead of hindering you from sleeping. Check your pillow and mattress and if you wake up every other day feeling tired with lower and upper back pains accompanied by a stiff neck, then it is time to change. Do not compromise your health by having poor quality sleep that you can avoid.
Source: https://bestpillowsleepers.com
Category: Sleep Advisors
