If you’re tired all day or cant sleep at night, then try these 10 tips to see if you sleep better.
1. No caffeine after 4pm
Caffeine obviously keeps you awake, so if you can limit your intake of caffeine to no more than 1-2 drinks each day, (including colas and energy drinks) and none after 4pm, it should pass through your system, allowing you wind down and get to sleep
2. Dark Room
When your surroundings are dark, your body begins to release a hormone called Melatonin from your pituitary gland. This signals that it is night time ( from when we all used to sleep and wake with the sun), and begins to make you physically tired.
3. Cool Quiet Room
A room that is between 18-23 degrees is ideal for sleep temperature because you can rug up in a sheet or blanket and feel all cosy safe and warm. When it is too hot, your heart rate increases, you sweat, and you become alert, which wakes you up.
4. No more than 2-3 standard Alcoholic Drinks
Alcohol is a chemical with a mixed response. 2-3 standard alcoholic drinks can make you tired. Moderately exceeding this limit is correlated with a reduced quality of sleep, more sleep apnea, and difficulty breathing, increased snoring, and the need to get up during the night to urinate.
5. E-Fast and No TV in room
An E-Fast means no Electronic devices for ½ hour before you go to sleep. No checking the Sutherland Chiropractic Facebook page, No work emails, no twitter. No TV. NOTHING! The bright screen and often interactive media stimulates many parts of your brain, and in particular those areas that need to be settled down to help you sleep. Instead, Try meditating, praying, reading a book, talking to your partner or writing in a gratitude journal of a few things you re grateful for that day.
6. Get out of Pain
Even a small amount of background pain can come to the front of your awareness once the lights are turned out and the day is over. Chronic pain is often correlated with poor quality of sleep and decreased Hours of sleep. Deep REM sleep cycles are where your body repairs and restores itself, so the healthier you are, the better you sleep.
7. Routine / go to bed tired and ride the tired wave.
Having a routine time of when you wake and when you go to sleep is important because your body knows when to start shutting down and making you feel tired. Sleepiness comes in cycles, so often when youre sitting on the couch feeling really tired like you could fall asleep is when you should be in bed. But if you have to get up, lock up the house and brush your teeth, then often you will have missed the sleepiness cycle and will have to wait ½ hour or so for the next one. There is nothing worse than laying in bed wide awake!
8. Exercise
Doing some form of vigorous exercise during the day or afternoon will use up physical energy, let off mental steam and help to balance hormone levels. Be aware that exercise has a stimulating effect, if you exercise too late in the evening, it will take longer for your body to wind down and get tired. Try not to exercise much after 8pm.
9. Write Lists
if youre a worrier, then if you have lots of thought or ideas pop into your head when youre in bed, then write them down on a piece of paper and deal with them at a more appropriate time. You will function beter as a human and accompolish more if you are well slept.
10. Read / Meditate
In the same way that you can make your body feel tired by doing exercise, you can make your mind tired too. Learning how to switch off from the days worries and tomorrows jobs is as much of a discipline as it is a choice. Switch the TV off, read a book, or learn how to meditate to control your thoughts and relax your mind for a smooth transition to sleep.
