15 Good Practices for Getting a Good Nights Sleep
Many people, all over the world, have trouble falling asleep; they have problems with waking up in the middle of the night, they wake up to early, they don’t feel well-rested when they wake up in the morning, and the list goes on. You don’t want to be one of those people, do you? Here’s a list of 15 things you can do, to improve the quality of your well earned sleep.
1. Wind it down, bro!
Being physically active before going to bed isn’t a very good idea. It stimulates your brain and your blood pressure, making it harder for you to fall asleep!
2. No bedtime coffee
Limit your use of caffeine (coffee, tobacco, chocolate, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks etc.) during the day, and especially before going to bed.
3. Avoid snacks before going to bed
Eating a snack before sleeping is not recommended. It will raise your blood sugar level, and then when it drops, you might wake up and have trouble falling asleep again.
4. Sleep as dark as possible
Even the smallest light in your bedroom can disrupt your sleep drastically, or said in another way:
“If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and seratonin” – Dr. Joseph Mercola
5. Peeing before sleeping
It’s a really good practice, to go to the bathroom as the last thing on the day, everyday. Waking up in the middle of the night because you have to pee is unbearable.
6. Don’t turn it on!
If you do have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, then whatever you do, don’t turn on the lights! As soon as you press that switch, you lose a whole nights production of the sleep aid, melatonin.
7. No TV / computer watching
Keep the TV and computer activities as long away from bedtime as possible.
8. Keep your feet warm
The feet often feel cold before the rest of your body, and that’s why it is such a good idea to wear socks to bed.
9. No alcohol
Though it’s a common myth that alcohol can help you fall asleep, the drowsy effect is short lived. You won’t get into the deeper stages of sleep, where most of the healing takes place and you have a high chance of waking up just a few hours later.
10. Turn the clock away
Constantly staring at the alarm clock is not a good idea. It starts a really bad circle, where you just think about how hard it is for you to fall asleep, and when you think in a pattern like that, it often gets true. Simply turning the clock away is very easy, and very effective.
11. Use your bed only for sex and sleep.
No work, no reading, no TV, no phone calls, etc. Keep your bed only for sex and sleep.
12. No long naps
If you feel tired through the day, and feel that you need to take a nap, then don’t sleep for more than half an hour, and if you can, take a power walk instead. Walkingfor just 15 minutes can work wonders on a tiring day.
13. Don’t go to bed on an empty stomach
But don’t eat a big meal just before going to sleep, either.
Tip: Have a glass of (hot) milk, not only is it nutritious, milk also contains Tryptophan, which is a natural sleep inducer. A banana has the same attributes.
14. Expose yourself to sunlight soon after awakening
This will help your biological clock find out whether it’s night or day.
15. Make sure your bed is comfortable
A good pillow and a big warm bed can work wonders.
This is just some of the things you can do to get a good nights sleep. Do you have a tip? A special routine? Feel free to share it in the comments!
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unfortunately i have hard problems to sleep. All of this tecnics i’ve tried but without success. Today, i can sleep only with some kind of psycho drugs to pull down my anxiety. Another good way – with me works well sometimes – is do an ‘body fitness’ some time (like 3 hours) before you sleep. When you stop with the exercices, will be unavailable to sleep, but after 3 hours, will be good.
hugs and sorry for my english.
Traduzi algumas práticas para ter um bom sono, as outras vocês conferem no post original em inglês
Tradução para português [Brazilian translation]
Sem “café da noite” antes de dormir. Limite o uso de cafeína durante o dia, espec…
Tip 14 is particularly important for those of us who get into the habit of working into the early hours of the morning on a regular basis. This confuses the circadian rhythms and you have to re-set your body clock.
Painful as it is you have to force yourself out of bed to expose your eyes to natural sunlight for about an hour before 9 am. No sunglasses either but don’t stare directly into the sun. Just enjoy being bathed in the clear morning light. You may need to do this 2-3 times to achieve the desired effect.
Most chemists and doctors will have leaflets on this kind of thing. Usually called bright light therapy.
Nice tips. I might have to try a few more of them. I’m terrible at actually managing to fall asleep. It’s annoying to say the least!
I find the one thing that works for me is to completely clear your mind, which can be very, very hard to do… :(
Hello… Man i just love your blog, keep the cool posts comin’
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I’ve just read in a book written by a psychiatrist about keeping your feet warm helps promote sleep. I’d never have thought of that. Must try it.
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Some mattresses are now designed to make your 6 hours or less of sleep feel like 8. Take mattress buying seriously because this can make a huge difference in your life. Choose those mattresses that can support your back better. We often wake up feeling like we just participated in sports events because of pressure points.
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Make sure your room isn’t too humid. When a room is too humid it can cause dehydration which will make getting to sleep very difficult. Another tip is to take a warm bath before bed as this can help relax the body and send it off to sleep.
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