It can be very discouraging when all we want is to fall asleep peacefully and sleep to cure the stress of the whole day. The problem arises when we are comfortably ‘tucked in’ and our brains don’t seem to want to shut down. Paradoxically, the more stressed we are by day, the more difficult it is to calm our brains at night.
Follow these tips on how to relax your mind at night:
Don’t go to bed early
Going to bed early hoping to make up for sleep deprivation is a big mistake, as it is a great chance to spend a long time spinning and tossing around the bed. These situations create negative associations with going to sleep. A better technique is a behavioral strategy for restricting sleep. It is based on delaying going to sleep, that is, a person who has trouble sleeping several days in a row goes to bed several hours later to increase the need for sleep and rest.
Eat more onions and leeks
Or garlic and artichoke, because all these vegetables contain fibers that nourish healthy gut bacteria. There is increasing evidence that the balance of gut bacteria has a significant effect on human health. A study last year from the University of Colorado at Boulder linked a higher ratio of beneficial bacteria to better sleep, especially in people who are under a lot of stress.
A study in mice showed that after feeding with probiotic foods, rodents spent more time in deep sleep, one that the body needed to recover and create a new energy supply.
Make wearing pyjamas part of your routine
Many adults have long ago given up their bedtime routine, which makes it very difficult for them to fall asleep. Setting up a short routine could mean a lot for a good night’s sleep.
Switching from awake activities to sleep is often a leap for our mind and body; it is very difficult to achieve peace and relaxation if you run around like a rabid dog shortly before bed, but creating a routine to follow every night before going to bed can relax the body and prepare you for sleep.
An integral part of your routine may be wearing pyjamas, brushing your teeth or drinking a warm drink, such as relaxation tea
Grab a bottle of warm water
When people wake up in the middle of the night, their body temperature is low, which causes some discomfort. If you get out of bed and pour yourself a bottle of warm water and go back to bed, you will end the cycle of turning in bed and the warm water along your body will encourage it to relax.
Put a red light in the bathroom
If you wake up because you have to go to the toilet, the light in the bathroom can further excite you, so it is a good idea to place a red night light lamp to use in these situations.
Read a boring book standing up
If you can’t fall asleep 15 to 20 minutes after you go to bed, then you need to get up, get out of bed and do something non-stimulating, like showering for 20 to 30 minutes and then relaxing back to bed.
Reading a boring book – such as a textbook or some instruction manual, such as a washing machine or mixer.
Get regular bedding
Although one would think that investing in quality bedding will have a positive effect on sleep, it turns out that the denser the bedding is, the harder it is to fall asleep. A study conducted by bedspread company Caspar connected sensors to different types of bedding and measured sleep dormancy.
The results showed that people who slept on better quality, denser bedding slept worse than people who slept on slightly less woven bedding. This is probably due to the moisture and heat-accumulating beneath the denser sheets that made the subjects sleep more restlessly. Caspar recommends that bedding with a medium density of the fabric is ideal.
Take Omega-3
The omega-3 essential fatty acid is not only good for the heart and brain, research conducted at Oxford University suggests that it can also stimulate sleep.
A study conducted in 2014 found that taking 600 mg of Omega-3 daily helped a group of seven to nine-year-olds sleep better. The researchers used manual sensors to measure the speed at which children fell asleep and how many times they woke up during the night.
Use hypnosis
Listening to a hypnosis MP3 can be a great way to fall asleep fast.
Hypnosis is relaxing and the extra special suggestions planted in the track will help you to fall asleep fast and have a great night’s sleep.
Going to bed early hoping to make up for sleep deprivation is a big mistake, as it is a great chance to spend a long time spinning and tossing around the bed. These situations create negative associations with going to sleep. A better technique is a behavioral strategy for restricting sleep. It is based on delaying going to sleep, that is, a person who has trouble sleeping several days in a row goes to bed several hours later to increase the need for sleep and rest.
