Trouble Sleeping?

Frequently tossing and turning at night lately? Making sure that you regularly get a good night’s rest can make all the difference in your level of productivity and emotional state. Crankiness and irritability can be indicators of a lack of rest, while being well-rested will result in a better mood and better overall health.

Here are a few tips to consider on how to make sure you are getting the rest you need in the best environment:

1. Have a regular bedtime and stick to that schedule. An earlier bedtime for many people is better than later to increase their amount of rest and productivity the next day.

2. Limit the amount of sleep you get during the day. Doing so allows you to make the most of the best hours to sleep during the night. Mini breaks and short naps can be helpful to your productivity, but napping for hours each day can begin to disrupt your sleep patterns and become more destructive than helpful. Fifteen to twenty minutes is good. Over an hour is too much.

3. Avoid fatty or spicy foods that are hard on your digestive system and can cause heartburn. Eat the most nutritious diet you can throughout each day to help your body function optimally.

4. Limit the amount of liquid you intake after sundown. Avoid alcohol right before bed. Avoid any products with caffeine in the evenings as it can increase frequency of urination which can cause you to awake throughout the night.

5. Do your best to create an optimal environment for rest. Keep your sleeping environment clutter-free, dark and quiet. Good ventilation along with a supportive mattress and pillows also provide you with better conditions to rest and may possibly decrease your tossing and turning throughout the night.

6. Engage in regular exercise as it promotes greater health and better sleeping habits. Avoid working out directly before bedtime so that it will not have the opposite affect you desire by winding you up.

7. Decrease your levels of anxiety through prayer and meditation. At times worrying about what lies ahead the next day, next week, and next month or even in the upcoming year(s) can keep us lying awake for hours. By talking about and addressing the issues through prayer, it allows you to release your concerns and worries to God and trust that a solution, guidance, and provision will be provided. In other words, you can trust that your concerns are being worked on and worked out as you sleep. Pray, breathe, relax, and let yourself drift to sleep so that you are well-rested to address and tackle all issues that need to be handled the next day.

8. Engage in deep-breathing. As you breathe, relax every muscle in your body and let the stress of the day go. Consciously think “in with the good and out with the bad, in with the positive, out with the negative”. Breathe in and out, releasing all the tension from your day.

9. Live as peaceful a life as you can during the day so that you can have more restful nights. Do everything you can to exercise wisdom and decrease the amount of harmful conflict in your life. Strive for peace, look for peace, surround yourself with others who love peace, and be a peaceful person yourself. Life will not be perfect, but you will get more of what you desire by actually pursing it than avoiding it.

10. Find ways to wind down each evening that work for you: a peaceful environment, an organized, clean, beautiful bedroom, a warm relaxing bath, a great book, gently stretching, or calming sounds of nature or music. Make an effort to include into your daily routine whatever will help ease the tension in your body from your highly productive day.

Good health and a good night’s rest to you!

 

Reminder: The information contained on TheRealLifeAdvice.com is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for advice from your doctor or healthcare professional. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition. Use of any information provided by TheRealLifeAdvice.com is solely at your own risk.

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