Here’s How You Can Have Better Sleep At Night
The sedentary lifestyle has gifted us with loads of comfort at the cost of our health. Our food patterns have taken a disastrous turn and it is common to find young people suffering from critical disorders such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, etc. Moreover, the race to be the best performer at workplace has compelled us to invest extra hours to our work and the rising stress with least physical activity has robbed us of our sleep.
‘Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ – this quote by Benjamin Franklin is no longer feasible for the people of this era. In fact, as we are advancing, we are bringing those harmful gadgets to our bed, which releases harmful rays and even distorts our sleep patterns by delaying the production of melatonin or sleep inducing hormone.
If you are feeling difficulty in falling asleep and the lack of sleep is taking a toll on your health, then before rushing to the doctor’s clinic, try some easy home remedies that will naturally regulate the hormonal secretions and will help you catch better sleep. Since stress, over thinking and body fatigue keeps you awake frequently, then why to get your body hooked to chemicals when you have solutions right at your home?
Here are 8 easy remedies of getting more and better quality sleep that will save you from dreadful chemicals in the form of sleeping pills:
1. Say Goodnight To Gadgets Early
Lately, the ease of accessibility to social networking sites, chat groups, e-mails, etc that connects us to the rest of the world in seconds, have posed as a critical issue for our health. We have become addicted to smartphones, televisions, computers, etc to such an extent that we are ruining our health and personal lives in a bid to stay update in the virtual world. Many people have developed the habit of using these gadgets while lying on the bed thinking that they will fall asleep soon.
But the blue light hitting the retina confuses your mind that it is not yet time to sleep and hence, your sleep patterns get distorted. Better step into the real world where your body and mind requires rest to repair and revitalise and switch off the gadgets half an hour before hitting the bed. You will definitely sleep with mental peace.
2. Keep Your Feet Warm
Many medical experts have suggested that keeping your feet warm while sleeping makes you feel cosy and comfortable. If your feet is cold, then possibly you may feel discomfort in your whole body, owing to which your mind will remain alert. So before sleeping, ensure that you were a pair of cotton socks during summers or woollen ones during winters to keep your feet warm and protected.
Recommended: How to Keep Your Feet Warm
3. Shower At Night
Taking shower at night helps your body muscles relax and your mind feels less stressed. The drizzling effect of shower helps in improving the blood circulation and the production of melatonin hormone while making you feel cosy and comfortable after shower. You can also massage yourself with aroma oils such as lavender, hibiscus or lily oil, which are extremely fragrant and beneficial in keeping your stress levels low.
4. Say No To Caffeine At Night
You sip numerous cups of coffee or tea during the day to keep yourself mentally awake and to give the afternoon blues a kick of energy. Caffeine causes the mind to remain super active for longer durations and thereby, if you feel like having something warm before bed, grab a cup of warm milk, green tea or chamomile tea.
Recommended: 7 Reasons To Limit Caffeine Consumption
5. Try This Breathing Technique
Some of the most common techniques followed when you are unable to fall asleep is counting backwards or counting sheep. These seems quite amateurish since your mind may become active in concentrating on the figures. If you want to try something fun, then here’s a breathing technique called 4-7-8 that can help a lot in making you sleep faster. Some studies have in fact, found this technique very useful in improving the production of sleep hormones. The technique begins with inhaling through your nose for 4 seconds and holding breath for next 7 seconds and then exhaling from the mouth for 8 seconds. If you repeat this technique thrice, you will definitely feel sleepy in next few seconds.
6. Have Some Chamomile Tea
Not many are aware of the health benefits of chamomile tea. Chamomile tea is not only fragrant but is stored with essential anti-oxidants and nutrients that help in relieving stress from mind and body. It helps in relaxing your brain’s nerves while acting as a mild sedative. So why not sip a cup of healthy and rejuvenating chamomile tea to keep insomnia at bay!
7. Avoid Gorging On To Heavy Meals
Most people have a king size dinner because of the habit of late night partying or the exhaustion caused during the day compels you to pamper yourself with delicacies. But your body doesn’t require heavy calories when it will be at rest for the next 8 to 9 hours. Your body systems tend to slow down when you are sleeping and this is why you must consume low calorie food two hours prior to sleeping. The heavy dinner generally, gives your digestive system a tough time and this is why you may face acid reflux, heartburn and other gastric disorders in the middle of the night.
Moreover, some people feel that they are hungry and this is reason why they are unable to fall asleep. Thereby, they head to the kitchen and indulge in some midnight snacking. This snacks fills up your energy levels and lowers the production of sleep hormones, making you feel super active. So avoid having heavy meals and even snacking during sleep hours.
8. Set The Alarm Clock
Following a routine is extremely crucial because it can have drastic effect on your sleep patterns. When you have a fixed time for having meals, then why not for sleep! Make a habit of sleeping earliest by 10 p.m and set the alarm clock to ensure that you wake up on time. When you start setting up the alarm clock, you will automatically have the urge to sleep fast to have sufficient rest.
While these habits will definitely bring a change in your sleeping patterns, you must think of broader vision and imagine how healthy you want to be in older age. No one wants to remain bed-ridden and pop a dozen tablets. So understand that while the truth is that you cannot run away from living a sedentary lifestyle, but modifying your schedule to incorporate healthy food, exercising, adequate rest and positive mental attitude will make you age beautifully inside out.
Recommended: Diseases You Can Avoid By Sleeping More
Snehashree Bhat
A young writer who loves to pen words from creative perspective. Passionate internet surfer, a versatile homemaker and a person who finds pleasure in adopting healthier and positive changes in her persona. An enthusiastic feminist who wishes to make serious changes in the stereotypical thought process of the society via the voice of her words.