1. Make Sure You’ve Got A Great Mattress
While it might seem obvious, many people don’t think much about their mattress when they’re trying to pinpoint the cause of their sleepless nights. This is a mistake, since an old, uncomfortable, or worn-out mattress can cause a host of problems, including:
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Difficulty falling asleep
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Difficulty staying asleep
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Tossing and turning
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Morning aches and pains
If any of these sound like you, or if you mattress is more than 7-10 years old, it’s time to consider getting a new one.
2. Set Your Clock
Your body has a host of mechanisms that help it to determine what time it is, many of them keyed to light or temperature. For millennia, these “body clocks” worked perfectly. Then came modern life, with its electric lights, late-night movies, and round-the-clock inboxes. Nowadays, it can take some real discipline to keep your body clock running smoothly enough to ensure that you’re sleepy at the right times. Here are a few tricks you can use:
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Get up and go to bed at the same time every day.
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Avoid bright light in the 3-4 hours before bedtime.
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Avoid caffeine and alcohol late in the day, since both can interfere with your sleep-inducing body chemicals. If you’re sensitive, you may have to cut out these substances altogether.
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Struggle with too much light in your bedroom? Blackout curtains can make a real difference.
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Quit smoking–nicotine keeps you awake, and the cough it can induce can make it difficult to stay asleep.
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Set up a bedtime ritual. Remember what we said about your body clock? Ritual is one of the most powerful ways to trigger a relaxation response. Need some ideas? A relaxing bath or shower, journaling for a few moments, or meditation and prayer are a few of the ways that people wind down.
Sleep is as important for health and vitality as proper nutrition or getting enough exercise. It’s worth investing in–and, unlike getting to the gym or choosing carrots instead of donuts, curling up in bed almost always feels amazing. Why not start investing in yourself tonight?
Sources:
How To Sleep Better – www.webmd.com
20 Ways To Sleep Better – www.prevention.com