Getting a good night’s sleep is vital to your wellbeing, but often the stresses of life can get in the way of your forty winks. Your wellness depends on sleep, as this is when your body heals and repairs your lost or damaged cells and tissues, and your organs also need sleep to work properly. Getting your seven to nine recommended hours can seem like an impossibility, but sleep can be simple if you keep it simple. Try these following tips and, if they don’t work, consider consulting your doctor about sleep-related health concerns, such as sleep apnoea.
1) Try Lucid Dreaming. If you’re losing sleep because of nasty nightmares, try to control it. This is known as lucid dreaming and is very possible with a bit of practice. Manipulate your dreams to your advantage so, instead of being chased by Freddy Krueger, make it Ryan Gosling – much better!
2) Go to bed and get up early. Getting an early night seems like a good idea, but can be tricky to accomplish in practice. Still, your body organs need to sleep as well, and if you delay your sleep, those organs will stay up way past their bed time. Even if you don’t feel sleepy, try to go to bed early a few nights in a row. If you keep at it, your body will get used to the new routine, and will adjust accordingly. Getting up early can help you to implement this cycle, so try challenging yourself to get up and watch the sunrise.
3) Get active. Your body hasn’t actually got a huge amount of work to do on any given day; you drive to work, sit at a desk, relax by being sedentary – when do you actually get moving? The simple fact is that you won’t be sleepy unless you tire your body out, so try to be a bit more active on a daily basis. Even if it doesn’t make you tired, exercise releases endorphins which help to deal with the stress that’s keeping you awake at night.
4) Try natural remedies. Lavender is known to help sleeping, so try to use lavender oil, lavender scent or even the flowers in your room. If that doesn’t work, or you’re allergic, another great sleep-inducer is a glass of milk and a spoonful of honey before bed.