6 Tips For A Good Nights Sleep
When you’ve got a ton on your plate, quality sleep can end up taking a back seat.
But without proper rest, your body inevitably will take a big hit: we’re talking high blood pressure, hormone disruption, weakening of the immune system, reduced brain productivity, increased inflammation…and it can eventually affect your longevity!
So let’s bump the zzzz’s up higher on your list of priorities, and try these six tips for sleep success:
1. Make your bedroom a peaceful sanctuary. Dim the lighting and cool the temperature in your bedroom. Turn on an aroma diffuser or light a calming candle, and set the bedroom up purely for sleep and sex. Ditch the tech and keep them in a different room if you can: cell phones, tablets, computers and TVs emit blue light, which inhibits the natural production of melatonin (the sleepy hormone) in your body.
2. Calm the mind. Find the right wind-down ritual for you. Studies show that mindfulness practices like meditation, breathing techniques and yoga can reduce anxiety and improve the quality of sleep.
3. Get some sun in the morning. Sun exposure in the morning will make you alert and help your body produce serotonin, improving your focus and mood. Serotonin happens to be a precursor to melatonin, which will naturally make you sleepy as you get closer to bedtime.
4. Avoid drinking alcohol and eating too close to bedtime. Booze will disrupt your REM stage of sleep, which is crucial to your brain cognition and memory. Not to mention, eating a late meal or snack will activate your metabolism and increase your resting heart rate, making it harder for you to sleep well. Try to finish your last meal between 6 - 7pm and finish your glass of wine by then too.
5. Get some movement. Exercise elevates your body temperature…and when you’re done, your body cools off, promoting a sense of calm and sleepiness. Exercising your muscles will also tire you out, and induce better sleep as your body goes into repair mode during the deep sleep stage.
6. Be consistent with your sleep routine. This will help set your circadian rhythm, your body’s natural clock. Try to get to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up at the same time each day so that your body gets into a groove and knows when to start shutting down at bedtime.