How To Fall Asleep: Tips
& Suggestions
A good sleep increases energy levels, sexual potency, vitality and reduces
the risk for medical conditions. Deep sleep has anti-aging
benefits too.
The amount of sleep that a person needs to function normally depends on several
factors (e.g., age). Infants sleep most of the day
(about 16 hours); teenagers usually need about 9 hours a day; and adults need
an average of 7 to 8 hours a day.
Here are just a few tips on how to fall asleep and get a good night's sleep.
1. No activities before going to sleep
You shouldn't let adrenaline come into your blood before going to sleep. Avoid
anything exciting or stressful including television and
reading! For example do not watch a horror movie before going to bed. This will
trigger your emotions and adrenaline will start flowing
eventually.
Remember that if you are a hard working person your body will need longer time
to recover from the physical effort.
2. Follow a strict sleep routine
Ok this is not the easiest thing to do but try going to bed always at the same
time everyday. We all know how working in shifts and
jet-lag affect sleep: do not emulate them by going to bed at random times each
day!
Even on weekends try to stay as close to your sleep schedule as possible. If
you sleep late on Saturday and Sunday mornings, you'll
get Sunday night insomnia. Instead, go to sleep and get up at about the same
time every day and you may not need to rely on an alarm
clock to wake up when you get enough sleep.
3. Don't eat or drink too much before going to bed-
Eat a light or medium sized snack about 1 to 2 hours before sleep. If you drink
too much liquid before sleep, you'll wake up repeatedly
in the night for trips to the bathroom.
Don't eat too many spicy or fatty foods. They may cause heartburn and interfere
with proper sleep. Eat something that triggers serotonin,
which makes you sleepy. Carbohydrates (whole grain bread, pasta with tomato
sauce, potatoes, lentils, barley, fruits, or cereal) with
small amount of foods containing the amino acid L-tryptophan (milk, tuna, or
turkey) will do the trick.
A fruit salad and vegetable soup are good options. Another idea is whole grain
bread with tomatoes and melted cheese.
Don't drink more than one or two ounces of alcohol before sleep. It may cause
you to wake up repeatedly, snore and possibly develop
sleep apnea.
4. Stay away from caffeine, nicotine, and stimulants-
Smokers experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and they have a harder time
both falling asleep and waking up. some people are so
sensitive that even a cup of coffee drank at lunch can interfere with sleep.
Caffeine is found in tea, certain soft drinks, chocolate, cocoa, and of course
coffee. Caffeine is also found in certain herbs such as guarana
and kola nut.
Diet pills that contain stimulants such as citrus aurantium can keep you awake.
So can the nutrients phenylalanine, tyrosine, certain hormones,
ginseng and other adaptogenic herbs, tongkat ali, LJ100, muira puama, maca,
horny goat weed, dodder seed or cuscuta, and the anti-
depressants St. John's wort and SAM-e.
High doses of vitamins may act as stimulants, interfering with sleep. Take
most of your supplements early in the day. Many herbs not
mentioned above can cause alertness late into the night.
Avoid spices and herbs in large quantities, particularly at dinner, since certain
spices and herbs can influence sleep by making you too
alert. If you have trouble sleeping, consider stopping all supplements, herbs
and spices for a week to see if you sleep better.
5. Give your body time to crash down
You cannot fall asleep while there is too much adrenaline running through your
veins. It can take a while (even hours) before you crash
down, and often people lie awake in bed waiting for sleep to come.
The problem is that after a while it is very easy to start obsessing about not
sleeping, which is a sure way of keeping yourself awake.
The idea is to only get ready for sleep once you have crashed down and feel
tired. Before you actually get into bed, just lie there for a
while (even with your clothes on), until you feel rested and tired.
6. Go to bed early
There are several reasons why this is a good practise: foremost to be able to
wake naturally rather than with an alarm clock; but also
to avoid being out of sync with the solar cycle, and to give your body time
to crash down.
7. Make your bedroom your sanctuary
Do not have an office in the same room as where you sleep. Dedicate one room
simply for sleeping, and make it as uncluttered as
possible. Silence is more conducive to sleep. Turn off the radio and TV. Use
earplugs, a fan or some other source of constant, soothing,
background noise to mask sound that you cannot control, such as a busy street,
trains, airplanes or even a snoring partner.
Double-pane windows and heavy curtains also muffle outside noise. If you share
your bed, make sure there is enough room for two.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
Also remember that a slightly cool room is best for sleep. This mimics your
internal temperature drop during sleep, so turn off the heat
and save on fuel bills.
8. Sleep only at night
Daytime naps steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to 20-minute,
power naps. Don't take a nap after 2 PM.
If you work nights, keep window coverings closed so that sunlight, which interferes
with the body's internal clock, doesn't interrupt
your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble
waking, leave the window covering open and let the sun's light
wake you up.
9. Take a Hot Shower
Soak and sack out. Taking a hot shower or bath an hour or two before sleep helps
bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.
By Maria Markella
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