Improve your Sleep

Are you getting enough sleep? The chances are, because you are reading this blog, you're not getting sufficient sleep.

While researching this article I came across lots of data telling how much sleep people need. And there didn't seem to be an exact amount. Perhaps that's because all of us are different and have different metabolisms and lifestyles.

I wonder then if the simplest way to figure out what we need is to ask yourself 'Are you tired during the day?' Do you have enough energy and can think clearly? If the answer is 'yes' well then you are probably getting enough sleep.

Here are a few healthy ways of improving your sleep pattern.

1. Bye Bye Caffeine.  Sleep and caffeine don't have a great relationship. If you have caffeine four hours before going to bed half of it is still in your system when you 'hit the hay'. If you stop taking it you will notice a big improvement in a few days.
2. Cool room. Science says the ideal room temperature should be 19 celsius.
3. Bye Bye Smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant and can disrupt your sleep.
4. Avoids naps.  It can be very tempting to grab forty winks, specially if you've had a bad nights sleep. However, if you do this regularly this can become a habit and exacerbate your problems. So, avoid if possible.
5. Regular Routine. We are all creatures of habit, so going to bed at the same time every night and arising at the same time (weekends included) every morning gets our bodies into a good habit.
6. Exercise is good.  It boosts the mind and the body as well as the quality of our sleep.
7. Electronic Devices.  No phones, TV, laptops, tablets or other light emitting technologies in the bedroom.  They trick the brain into thinking it's daytime, thereby slowing down the production of our own natural sleep hormone Melatonin. Old fashioned books are okay.
8. Can't sleep, get out of bed. If we stay in bed when we can't sleep we run the risk of setting up an unhealthy habit that's says 'it's ok to stay awake' while in bed. I suggest that it's better to get up, read a book, drink a glass of warm milk until you feel sleepy. Then return to bed (and go to sleep).
9. Therapy. If you find yourself caught in a cycle of poor sleep then being anxious that you aren't sleeping perhaps a visit to a trained therapist might be worthwhile. They can help you change the cycle and adopt new healthy ways of getting that good night's sleep.