A well-rested body and mind can achieve great things!
Blessed are the people who can activate their snooze mode the minute they hit the pillow! And for the others, there’s no respite from all the tossing and turning in bed! Do you belong to the second category of people who just cannot fall asleep and then wake up all groggy and tired next morning? Is the lack of sleep, disrupting your life and work? Follow these simple tips to help you get a good night’s sleep and wake up to a refreshing morning too!
Eat light at night
The key to a good sleep begins hours before the actual bedtime. And one important routine is to eat a really light dinner. Heavy food, spicy food, stimulating food can all give you trouble falling asleep. So have a light meal consisting mainly of carbs, tryptophan, calcium and magnesium. These are your snooze chemicals.
Such foods could be nuts like almonds, and peanuts, seeds like poppy seeds, bananas, cherries, tofu, cheese, milk, red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, whole grain cereal, beans, lentils, and eggs which have a combination of these snooze chemicals and eating a small quantity of these could be helpful. Eat a combination of two or three of these foods. Avoid alcohol, tea or coffee at bedtime.
And yes, eat at least an hour before bedtime.
Fix your sleep routine
It is important to have a fixed schedule for sleep. Sleep and wake up at the same time every day. Even if it is a weekend or a holiday. Once your circadian rhythm is set, you’ll be snoozing at a fixed time each night and even waking up without an alarm!
Also, ensure that you get a minimum of seven hours of sleep every night. You don’t want to keep feeling drowsy at work all day, do you?
If you are at home, avoid the temptation of taking an afternoon nap. Take up an activity instead.
Alter the mood
Keep the bedroom dark. Draw the curtains and switch on dim lighting an hour before you sleep. Bright light could hamper sleep. Keep the room noise free. Ensure that the room has the right temperature to sleep – not too cold, not too warm.
Keep those gadgets away. Switch off the TV, phone, internet, laptops etc an hour before bedtime. I know…that’s the most difficult part. But who said it would be easy? There’s a price to be paid for everything!
Instead take a walk, read a book, and do activities that could tire you out or make you drowsy. Maybe you could take up yoga or meditate as you lie in bed.
Some aromatic oils like lavender, chamomile or sandalwood could help you relax and thus sleep better. Spray your room with these fragrances and help calm yourself.
Sometimes there could be underlying medical problems like sleep apnea or stress which is interfering with the sleep. In such cases see your doctor.