No more tossing and turning!
Do you spend hours just staring at the ceiling of your bedroom when you know you should be sleeping? With these five tips you will never have problems falling asleep again.
1. Think about staying awake
This might sound a little contradictive, but bear with us. Have you ever been in bed – wide awake – even though you felt sleepy just five minutes before hitting the hay? You think about all the things you have to do tomorrow and how you should definitely be sleeping because it’s getting late… But you just can’t fall asleep. Apparently this works the other way around too. If you think about how you want to stay awake, you reduce your worries of not being able to sleep. You start to relax more and more and eventually, you’ll doze off. A little reverse psychology!
2. Breathe
Meditation is your best friend. Also when you are trying to fall asleep. Just focus on your breathing, slow it down a little and breathe in and out. If you want to, you can count from one hundred to zero. That also helps you relax and gradually fall asleep. Unfortunately there is little evidence to support the method of counting sheep so you might want to leave those fluffy white creatures out of it.
3. Room-temperature
Your bedroom should be around 16 to 21 degrees Celsius (around 60-70 Fahrenheit). According to research, this is the ideal temperature for falling asleep. When it’s night time. your body temperature goes down, causing your brain to realize that it’s time to shut down for the night. When your room is hotter than the recommended temperature, it might take longer for your body and brain to take the hint and finally snooze.
4. No pets allowed
Nothing beats cuddling your furry friends and sleeping together. But your pets’ schedule differs from the one you have. This means that when you are sleeping, your faithful cuddling pillow might have other plans. So it might be better to keep your pets out of the bedroom. They could run around at night and you don’t want to lay awake while your dog chases his tail on the pillow next to you.
5. Smooth sleep with a smoothie
This tip is not only good for helping you sleep better, it is also an excuse to grab a delicious snack before bed! If you drink a smoothie, preferably one with yogurt and almond milk, it could help improve your sleep. This is because of the magnesium and calcium found in yogurt and almond milk. If you add some frozen cherries to the mix, you can extend the amount you sleep with an hour! And best of all: it sounds absolutely yummy!
With these tips, sleepless nights will be a thing of the past and you will become a master of naps!
Also read: Why you should sleep on your left side
Source: Happy in Shape, Care Spot | Image: Milan Gaziev