Remember those days when you laid your head on the pillow and instantly drifted off to a peaceful slumber to wake 8 hours later refreshed and ready to start the day? As we get older, the stresses of everyday life start to effect our sleep patterns and a lot of people find themselves tossing and turning throughout the night. How do we go about getting a better night’s sleep? Here are some useful tips:
1. Watch what you eat.
Eating a heavy meal a few hours before sleep can take a lot of work for your stomach to digest and may keep you up. Eat foods that produce serotonin, a hormone that can help de-stress and calm you. Some examples are oatmeal, peanuts or peanut butter and grapes (also the only fruit found to contain the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin). Just a small portion of one of these a couple hours before bed can have you in dreamland in no time.
2. Simple Relaxation Exercises.
Take a few moments to completely relax yourself before climbing into bed. Find a comfortable place to sit and close your eyes. Imagine a place that is completely calming to you while taking slow deep breaths. Once you are totally at peace and all the stresses of the day have melted away, then get into bed and drift off with a smile.
3. Yoga.
By calming the mind and relaxing the muscles, yoga can have a huge impact on how you sleep. Spend a minute or two practicing certain resting and inversion poses right before bed and you’ll notice a huge difference in your quality of sleep.
4. Herbal Supplements.
Sometimes we just need extra help in relaxing our brain and bodies and supplements can help. Melatonin, holy basil, valerian root and 5-HTP are all natural sleep aids that can help get us back on normal sleep cycles.
5. Choose the Right Mattress.
The wrong mattress can disrupt your sleep for numerous reasons. Look for a natural memory foam mattress that promotes healthy sleep like the ones from Essentia. Their memory foam is made from rubber tree sap, so it’s organic and breathable, you won’t end up in a pool of your own sweat in the middle of the night. They are also chemical free, so you aren’t breathing in toxic chemicals, giving you a healthier sleep.
What are some of your routines that help you get a good night’s sleep?
