Sleeping issues can be caused either due to a disorder or by experiencing anxiety, stress, and other health issues. Doing these simple tasks daily can help you.
Life is great when you have good food to eat and enough hours of sleep. You get to complete your chores on time, you are active throughout the day, you feel energetic and your overall health is in great shape. But very few hours of sleep can be a nightmare, literally and metaphorically. You feel tired, cranky, and it’s hard to concentrate. While one factor can be disorders such as insomnia (inability to sleep due to less secretion of melatonin) , sleep apnea, and sleepwalking/talking, the others include stress, anxiety, or a health issue like heart disease.
If you are having trouble sleeping, you should first eliminate the possibility of a disorder by getting yourself tested. If not, there are easy and simple tricks you can apply to sleep better.
What you can do
Plan a sleeping schedule: Get your body used to a certain clock. After having your food, go to bed and wake up for the same amount of hours and at the same time every day. If you must go out, avoid stretching your time no more than an hour. Being consistent will help your body develop sleep patterns.
Block all kinds of light: It’s one thing switching off the night lights of your room, but did you know that bright light, such as the blue lights that are emitted from your television or mobile phones have a significant role to play in disrupting your sleep? Try and keep the room as dark as possible. If you are afraid of the dark and scared to sleep at night, try these techniques suggested by Huffpost.com
Wash your feet before going to bed: We bet you find this tip slightly strange but it is highly effective. As validated by Express.co.uk, washing your feet with cold water before going to bed helps in calming the body and improving blood circulation. This, in turn, results in your mind being calm while you’re asleep. This trick also helps one wake up without being drenched in sweat, during summers.
Indulge in physical activity: It’s a no-brainer- a physically tired body rests better. If your mind is overactive, use it to focus on any form of physical activity; it could be a sport, a hobby, a form of exercise, etc. This in turn reduces blood pressure, risk of heart disease, and more.
Meditate: This is one of the most effective ways to fall asleep quickly. There are YouTube videos of meditation available that are specifically designed for people that have trouble falling asleep. Creative visualization and soothing music help in calming the mind and body.
Count sheep: This may sound silly, but it is a highly effective technique, as suggested by this report in the Business Insider. Counting sheep is nothing but a mindless game where you count backward from 100. Believe it or not, but this game can induce restful sleep.
Practice deep breathing: Breathing deeply instantly releases stress and anxiety, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and sleep apnea. So, if you have trouble falling asleep due to any tension that you are experiencing, engaging in this breathing exercise and you will feel your body calming down quickly.
Have chamomile tea: It’s a given that you should avoid having coffee before going to bed as it affects the brain’s melatonin levels, but one beverage that you can enjoy is chamomile tea, an hour before bed. This tea is known to have ingredients that help balance melatonin levels.
Take supplements: There are certain supplements such as Melatonin, Lavender, Magnesium, etc. that are known to reduce sleep troubles, including sleep apnea. If none of the above methods seems to work, you can try taking these pills, after consulting your doctor.
There are other methods that you can apply such as reading, listening to a relaxing audiotape/ music, lowering the temperature of the air conditioner, etc.
Which of these techniques do you think will be the most effective for you? Try and let us know!
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice but suggested techniques that you can try. If none of these seems to work, you may need an advanced form of treatment.
Here’s a long-lasting solution to get rid of your sleep troubles
Neurofeedback: With this treatment, you can overcome your sleep troubles completely. To learn more, watch this video.
