A good night’s sleep is beneficial for many reasons. It is the body’s way of rejuvenating itself. Muscles relax, aches and pains can disappear, mental clarity is resumed, etc.
However a good night’s sleep is not an easy thing to achieve. With only as little as three or four days lack of sleep the physical repercussions are terrible. Sleep deprivation has been actually listed as a form of torture!
So what can we do to help ourselves get a better night’s sleep?
There are things you should avoid and there are things you can do. Let us look at a few points.
A cup of tea or coffee before bedtime is a bad idea. These drinks both contain varying degrees of caffeine, which is a mental stimulant that can keep you awake.
Avoid intense concentration. Sat in bed with a laptop computer shining its bright white screen in your eyes whilst you work away will not help you fall asleep.
How long has it been since you last changed your mattress? Mattresses form shapes where we lie over prolonged periods. It is into these ‘shapes’ our bodies fall and that then restricts natural movement throughout the night.
Make sure any medication you use does not induce insomnia.
There are many herbal remedies on the market that can help calm you before going to bed. Always check with your medical professional if you are on other medication to see if there is a problem taking both.
Make your bedroom as light free and as quiet as possible. Heavy curtains will help keep out unwanted light from the streets outside and even help deaden some of the noise from outside. If noise is still an issue then there are windows that are better at sound reduction than others.
As a final option it is possible to be prescribed medication to help you sleep. These have to be taken with caution though because they are habit forming and can cause drowsiness the next day.