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Getting enough sleep at night shouldn’t be a battle, but insomnia is on the rise. With these simple tips, you can improve your sleep and conquer insomnia for good.
It seems harder and harder to get a good night’s rest. We’re under so much pressure to be perfect and do everything. We have stress at work, pressures at home, and a lot of people depending on us. How can you relax with all your worries running through your head at night?
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Simple tips to help conquer insomnia
Make Your Bedroom Sleep Friendly
It may be hard to do, but you need to get rid of the tv in your bedroom. This means no working in there either. Take your emotional discussions with your spouse to another room also. Your bedroom should be a place for sleep and sex only. You don’t want your bedroom to be associated with anything but sleep.
Use dark curtains to block out light. Adjust the temperature to your comfort level. Make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable and in good repair. Block out unwanted noise with recordings of soothing nature sounds, white noise, or earplugs.
Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine wakes you up and makes you alert. This is the last thing you need when you have trouble sleeping. Caffeine can take as long as 8 hours to wear off. Cut out the caffeine 4 to 6 hours before going to bed. If you still have trouble sleeping, cut it out altogether.
Avoid Alcohol and Nicotine
A lot of people have a drink before bed to help them fall asleep. While alcohol can help you fall asleep, it also causes sleep disturbances. That nightcap will most likely cause you to wake up in the night. Nicotine has a similar effect on sleep.
Exercise
Regular aerobic exercise can help you fall asleep faster. Keep the exercising to the morning or afternoon hours. Exercising in the evening can make you too alert to sleep.
Avoid Eating Before Bed
Having a light snack before bed if you’re hungry is fine, but avoid eating a large meal. Feeling uncomfortably full can make getting to sleep difficult. Drinking a lot of fluids before bed can also make sleep difficult by causing a full bladder to wake you up in the night.
Avoid Napping
The longer you stay awake the more your body wants to sleep. Naps can steal your body’s desire for sleep. If you need to take a nap, make it less than 30 minutes.
Go to Bed and Get Up At The Same Time Everyday
Give yourself a bedtime and stick to it. Also, keep your alarm working even on the weekends. You need to help your body establish a sleep-wake cycle. The more firmly you keep your bedtime and wake-up time the easier you will find it to become sleepy at night and alert in the morning.
Establish a Bedtime Routine
We do this for our kids because it works. Do the same things every night before bed. Take a warm bath or shower, read, or listen to soothing music. This will help alert your body that it’s time to wind down.
Get Out of Bed if You Can’t Sleep
Tossing and turning night after night can cause you to associate your bedroom with anxiety instead of relaxation. Get up after 20 minutes if you can’t sleep and go to another quiet room. Read a book or listen to soothing music until you feel sleepy. Don’t go back to bed until you feel sleepy.
See Your Doctor
If you still have trouble sleeping after trying all the tips, then it’s time to see your doctor. Your doctor can diagnose sleep disorders and prescribe medicine that won’t interfere with your medications.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos
