Sleep is very important when it comes to health and productivity. However, not many people are able to enjoy a good night’s sleep and this could lead to serious cases of anxiety, stress and even mental breakdown. Research has shown that everyone needs to enjoy not only the right amount of time in sleep but also to do it qualitatively.
Unfortunately, many people today can’t easily fall asleep without taking sleep pills or drugs. The good news however is that each one of us can enjoy peaceful sleep naturally. This article will discuss some natural ways to help you get a good night’s sleep to help reduce anxiety.
Control the amount of light you are exposed to prior to bedtime
Exposure to light normally triggers the production of melatonin hormone which helps in the regulation of sleep-wake cycles. This hormone is normally secreted by the brain when it’s dark thus helping you to sleep.
When the light is bright, the brain produces less melatonin which makes you more alert. As such, maintaining dimmer lighting in your bedroom could naturally help you sleep peacefully and thus reduce anxiety. It will also be good to avoid watching television until bedtime as this could be disruptive to your sleep.
Try some yoga
Yoga has been found to be helpful when it comes to the calming of the mind and body. When the body is stressed due to the strenuous activities of the day, sleeping peacefully becomes an uphill task. However, by practicing yoga before bedtime, you will be able to relieve the mind and thus helping you to sleep calmly. This is a natural thing and works effectively well.
Check what you eat especially at night
Your eating habits have a direct relation with how you sleep at night. Not only should you watch what you eat at night but also at daytime as this plays a major role in the way your body reacts or responds. You should avoid things such as nicotine and caffeine, avoid eating too much at night and if possible, eat a few hours before going to bed.
An early meal is encouraged and this should not contain acidic and spicy foods as these could cause heartburn and stomach trouble keeping you awake or giving you troubled sleep. Energy drinks should also be avoided at night as too much of the same will cause you to wake up thus disrupting your sleep cycle.
Create the right sleeping environment
The environment you sleep in will play an important role in determining whether your sleep will, be restful or troubled. In addition to lighting, you should try to eliminate unnecessary noise and keep your room cool.
Sleeping environments that are too cold or too hot could greatly interfere with your sleep thus denying you the opportunity to enjoy quality time. No matter how many hours you sleep, your body and mind will still not have rested if you spend most of this time tossing and turning in bed.
Sleep on a good bed
Everything else you do will fail if you do not have the right bed to sleep on. Your mattress should be comfortable and supportive. As such, it is good to have a mattress with the best firmness so as to support the spinal cord and the entire body. You may need to add a nice pillow and mattress topper as these will help improve the support on your head and body respectively. Additionally, your bedding should be made of breathable material and offer enough space for you to stretch comfortably as you sleep.
With these few tips, you can deal with cases of insomnia and get a good night’s sleep to reduce anxiety. We all need relaxed sleep if we are to enjoy good mental, emotional and physical health. Try these methods and enjoy great results.
Molly Garner is a freelance writer at MemoryFoamMattressGuide.com . She also writes about herbal and mental health and shares amazing tips to maintain and rebuild good health. Molly’s mission is to help people get energized and achieve healthy lives so they can concentrate on the important things in life.
I struggle with sleep sometimes because I work a midnight shift and on days I need to reverse my circadian rhythm is extremely hard. I have learn a technique that helps a lot, I clear my mind by thinking of the color white. It works! The thoughts are gone and the sleep is welcome. Great article.
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I sleep deep and sound most nights but have many friends and clients who do not so this article is really useful for them. Thanks for the reminders on how to create the habit of sound sleep night after night.