How to sleep better
Are you a night owl like me who prefers to stay up late? Or are you an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ person? If we both get the same amount of sleep, which one of us gets the ‘better’ sleep?
There are so many unknown elements to sleep yet it is something that is essential to our existence. I wanted to explore it a little bit more to see if I am making the most of my sleeping time.
How much sleep should I get?
Studies show that adults aged 18-45 years should get 8 hours of sleep per night. But as we know, some people don’t need this much yet others need more!
Personally, I aim for 8 solid hours per night.
When is the best time to sleep?
Remember the days when you could sleep in till 10am after getting into bed at 2am? You would get a full 8 hours but you still felt terribly tired. It seems that for most people, it matters WHEN we go to sleep.
Getting into bed between 9pm and midnight is agreed to be the optimal time for us to begin our sleep. This of course changes for the elderly who may have less energy (though some seem to have more!) and go to bed earlier than 9pm.
I go to bed early, but how can I sleep better?
Don’t eat a heavy meal directly before bed. Always try to eat at least a couple of hours before you go to sleep.
Our stomach digests food while we are sitting up so lying down straight away impairs this process. It also takes around 3 hours for the stomach to clear itself, so it is best to be sitting upright for this.
Relax and eliminate stress in the evening before sleeping. Try to read a book or meditate. This will clear your mind and relax your body allowing you to fall asleep easier.
Avoid your computer or smart phone. The blue light emitted from these devices interferes with your body’s circadian rhythm putting you out of sync.
Use your bed to sleep – turn off the TV! If you watch TV in bed your brain does not associate your bed with sleep.
Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time. This supports your body’s natural rhythm and encourages it to set it’s internal clock. It may take a few days to get into this habit – you might even have to be tired for a few days to ensure you are tired enough to go to bed earlier – but it is well worth the investment of time.
Finish exercise at least 3 hours PRIOR to sleeping. We all know it is important to do regular exercise – even just 10 minutes per day – to sleep better. However if you are doing vigorous exercise it is important to finish at least 3 hours prior to sleep to give your body time to cool down properly to a temperature that is ok for sleeping.
Keep your room cool and dark. The optimum temperature for sleeping is 18 degrees Celsius and it is best to have a well-ventilated room.
If you wake up in the middle of the night and are having trouble going back to sleep, here is a little trick – make RELAXATION your goal, not sleep. The more you force yourself the more restless you will get.
Try a relaxation exercise to trick your mind into relaxing until you fall asleep. And even if it doesn’t work, relaxation still helps to rejuvenate your body even if you aren’t sleeping.
Here is a free technique that I developed called The Insomnia Obliterator. Click here to download.
I would love to hear any tricks that work for you. Feel free to email me!
Julie Lewin – a world renowned Medical Intuitive started her journey in the art of intuition in 1984. She appeared in four episodes of the TV show “The Extraordinary” which was syndicated to 22 countries. She’s a published author, Amazon #1 Bestseller and has a Bachelor in Metaphysical Science. Julie won the Our Internet Secrets Business Builder Award 2013, has founded a charity, and runs transformational retreats. JOIN our VIP membership program.
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