How was your night? Did you sleep well?
After a good night’s sleep, I realized how important quality sleep is for maintaining a healthy metabolism and decided to write this article to help you improve your own sleep habits.
What I consider to be an excellent night’s sleep is one in which I am able to drift off to dreamland and then awake feeling completely renewed and brimming with vitality. Most people can fall asleep within ten minutes of laying their heads on a pillow after a good dinner, and during a good night’s sleep, they don’t dwell on their problems or the news (with positive thoughts in their minds).
A good indicator of a good night’s rest is whether or not you get what people call “positive” or “pleasant” dreams. If you frequently wake up throughout the night from “poor” or “stressful” dreams, it’s safe to assume that you aren’t enjoying a “restful” night’s sleep.
Why does it matter that much that you get a good night’s sleep every single night? Your physical and mental resilience breaks down and wears thin as the day progresses due to the cumulative effects of stress.
Sleep is the only time when your body and mind can restore themselves and feel refreshed. Nonetheless, the key is “restful” sleep, so keep that in mind. Not getting enough sleep because you toss and turn or wake up frequently is not normal. A recent article that made it to my library’s reading room presented hard data on the negative consequences of snoring on sleep and overall health. On average, snorers awaken 300 times per night, which is hardly conducive to a deep slumber. Now, consider this: if you haven’t been getting enough sleep because of stress, a bad mattress, or any number of other factors in recent weeks (or months), you haven’t given your brain or body the time it needs to repair itself.
This means that you begin each day with a slightly lower level of concentration and metabolic fitness than the day before.
Do not attempt to make up for lost sleep. I have several friends who admit to me that they are sleep deprived during the week but that they “catch up” on the weekends. Let me bust that myth right now. That’s not how it works!!! In order to restore and revitalize your body and mind, you need to adhere to a normal sleep schedule.
Okay, but how much sleep is enough?
Everyone, on average, needs to sleep for 8 hours per night. If you eat well, exercise, take mental breaks, sleep like a baby and wake up rejuvenated every day, you may be able to get by on 6 hours of sleep per night.
However, you’ll need more than 8 hours if you’re under extreme mental or physical stress. If you’re a marathon runner, for example, you put your body under a lot of stress every day. Because of this, you need more than simply 8 hours of sleep because your body needs more repair time than usual. The same applies to the mentally stressed person.
The question then becomes what you can do to improve the quality of sleep for yourself and others around you.
10 Steps To Help You Get A Good Night’s Sleep
1. Always have a to-do list for the next day.
Write down everything on your to-do list for the following day and keep a pen and paper next to your bed in case you remember anything else. When you write things down, you tell your brain to stop thinking about them..
2. No Radios or TVs before bedtime.
avoid listening to the radio or watching television (particularly the news) right before bed, and never, ever go to sleep with either device playing.
3. Read anything motivational before you sleep.
For at least half an hour before you sleep, read anything motivational or aimed at helping you improve yourself. If you want to avoid the typical stressful thoughts that keep individuals awake at night, try filling your head with positive, encouraging thoughts before bed.
4. The darker the room, the better.
The human body is designed to rest when it’s dark, therefore the darker the room, the better chance you have of having a restful night’s sleep.
Read also: The Best Couples Bedroom Ideas to Inspire You
5. Make sure everywhere is quiet.
Ensure complete silence by turning off any electronic devices and asking anyone else in the house to maintain a hushed atmosphere.
6. Refrain from eating within three hours of bedtime, as recommended by experts.
Undigested food in the stomach prevents the body from healing the body and mind during sleep, which is why it’s important to eat before bed. The body was built to digest food while it was moving, not when it was resting down.
7 Get to bed at 10 o’clock and get up around six o’clock.
Ayurvedic medicine postulates that there are optimal times of day, months, and years for engaging in various pursuits. Sleeping between 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. appears to provide the best opportunity for restorative sleep and to maximize the next day’s productivity.
8. Stay away from sleep aids like medication or dietary supplements (unless required by your physician).
Most of these synthetic sleep aids only dull your senses when the point of sleep is to allow your body to recuperate and get ready for the next day. Inducing sleep with drugs slows down every function in the body, including the ones that are supposed to be fixing you.
9. Make sure the room has a constant supply of clean air.
Many people believe that indoor air is more hazardous than outdoor air. You can only take in the air that’s already in your bedroom when you go to sleep. In order to let in some fresh air, you can open a window (or, if the weather is chilly, only a crack). Because your body repairs itself as you sleep, you’ll benefit from breathing in cleaner, more oxygenated air.
10. Get 60 minutes of light exercise each day.
If you can’t devote 60 minutes straight, split it up into two 30-minute sessions, three 20-minute sessions, six 10-minute sessions, or whatever works for you as long as you put in a total of 60 minutes. For optimal health and to set your body up for a restful night’s sleep, walking is the ideal exercise.
For tonight and always, may you have the deepest, most peaceful and good night’s sleep.
