Sleep Hygiene

If you are one of those that toss and turn on their bed at night unable to get to sleep no matter how hard you try, you are experiencing what 100 million people in the US are going through. Insomnia is a serious issue in a global scale. Its a worldwide health concern especially prominent in more developed countries where the stress level is higher.

Fortunately, there are some tips that can help us sleep better just by taking a few simple steps and perhaps adopting a new kind of healthier lifestyle. By knowing and practising good sleep hygiene, it is likely we can improve our quality of sleep significantly.

What is Sleep Hygiene?
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While personal hygiene is known to be that thing we all do in order to keep clean and fresh smelling and dental hygiene involves keeping our teeth clean, healthy, and in our mouth, sleep hygiene is about those things that you can do in order to have a healthier and more restful sleep life.

Sleep hygiene encompasses all of those things that you can do which can help you to get ready for a restful nights sleep. It involves getting ready for bed, and preparing to easily fall asleep and stay asleep.

Improving Sleep Hygiene
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1. Establish set times to go to sleep and get up every morning.
Oh I believe this is a well known fact that majority of us are aware of, but few actually understand the importance of it and put it to practise. Of course we try to :) Unfortunately, there are many nights in which we get caught up trying to catch with the things that did not get taken care of during the day and we force ourselves to stay up later and later. But, this really does not solve the issue since by doing this we began to create a sleep deficit. Without a set time for you to go to bed and wake up it's hard to get your body in the habit of sleep.

2. Relax yourself before you go to sleep
You cant be jumping into bed after some strenuous exercises for example. Allow your body some time to relax, through means like meditation, listening to soothing music, or just keep quiet and stop thinking about things.

3. Forget about your worries and concerns
Leave them to the following day. It does not help to worry about things in the first place. Worry and thinking about your concerns will heighten your anxiety level and stimulate your nervous system, which means you become more alert and unable to go to sleep.

4. Go to bed once you feel weary and tired
After doing some of the above, when you are relaxed enough and weariness slowly sinks in, its time to go to sleep :) Have a good night :)

Do's
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1. Drink some milk
It helps you to sleep better.

2. Exercise regularly
Exercising keeps you healthy that goes without saying, it also helps you to go to sleep later at night. Try working out around 4 times a week, 20-30mins a day, go for a jog or a swim, it really doesnt take you that long to exercise :)

3. Take a hot bath before you go to sleep
It sooths your nerves, and people tend to be able to sleep better when the environment temperature is considerably cooler relative to their own body temperature. While taking a hot bath does not really keep your body temperature higher after the bath, it does have a psychological effect to that effect.

4. Environment
It should not be packed with stuff that reminds you of the things that you will have to do tomorrow, things that will set your mind thinking about stuff. That'll keep you awake. Just keep your bedroom clean and comfy. It might be the arrangement of your furniture, you can try rearranging your bed to a position where you may feel more relaxed and at ease. Some call it feng shui. But yes, personally I feel it works wonders :)

Don'ts
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1. Don't Smoke
Cigarettes contain Nicotine, which is a stimulant that activates your metabolism, and makes it more difficult for you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

2. Don't consume alcohol before you sleep
Although consumption of a fair amount of alcohol makes u weary and drowsy, it might not be wise to consume alcoholic beverages a few hours before you sleep, or even use it as a sleeping aid, as it can interrupt your sleeping pattern and sleeping hours.

3. Don't consume excessive caffeine
Many people consume caffeinated drinks to forceably keep themselves awake, and needless to be said, you are actually interrupting your sleeping pattern as well.

4. Don't take heavy meals before you sleep
Ever heard your grandmother said that you'd get nightmares if you eat too much before you sleep? Well, indigestion will interfere with your normal sleeping cycle, and who knows there might not be concrete prove of that you'd get nightmares, but your grandma might be empirically correct from experience :)