Don’t you just hate it when you keep tossing and turning the whole night?
Not anymore!
Hey there viewers and welcome back to another bestie video!
Sleep is essential and often a neglected part of our lives.
It’s when you sleep that your body starts its repair and maintenance work.
Getting adequate sleep allows your body and mind to recharge and refresh which keeps disease
at bay.
Not getting enough won’t just make you super annoyed the next day, but it has also been
linked to several health problems like diabetes and depression.
Turning to sleep medicine for help comes with a host of side effects that causes a lot of
discomfort.
So what should you do?
Not to worry, because today we’re gonna talk about tips to achieve a deeper sleep
at night.
Will exercising during the day help you sleep better?
No more evening cups of tea or coffee?
Do deep breathing exercises really work?
Stay tuned till the end to learn about all this and more!
Stick to a regular sleep-wake cycle This has to be one of the most difficult yet
important aspects of achieving deep sleep.
Sticking to a regular time to go to bed or wake up is difficult especially in this day
and age of smartphones and social media.
However, if you are done with feeling like you haven’t slept properly the whole night,
then establishing a strict sleep wake cycle will definitely work.
Basically a sleep wake cycle reminds the body to sleep after a certain time and regulates
sleep intensity.
This sleep drive gets stronger every hour you are awake and causes you to sleep longer
and more deeply after a period of sleep deprivation.
Let’s be honest here, how many hours of sleep do you manage to get every night?
Tell us in the comments below.
Ignore your late evening caffeine craving Evenings are incomplete without a soothing
cup of coffee or tea.
Caffeine offers the perfect ‘pick me up’ you need to push through the day.
Sadly this evening cuppa joe could be the sneaky reason for your broken sleep that often
goes unnoticed.
Caffeine, being a stimulant, is disruptive to sleep.
Do you know that drinking caffeine laden drinks even 6 hours prior to your bedtime majorly
diminishes sleep quality and quantity?
You don’t have to cut it out completely , though.
The cut off for drinking coffee or tea should be 2PM.
Swap your regular coffee with matcha tea, rooibos tea, lemon water or golden milk.
De-stress by doing progressive muscle relaxation It’s no surprise that chronic stress wreaks
havoc on your sleep patterns.
When you have a lot going on in your head, you just toss and turn restlessly in bed or
lay there awake.
Progressive muscle relaxation is a sure way of relaxing and getting rid of muscle tension
for a full night’s sleep.
For this, start by laying down in a comfortable position.
Begin tensing groups of muscles one at a time as you breathe.
Hold the tension as you inhale, then release it as you exhale.
Take a few breaths as you notice how relaxed each muscle group feels.
Exercise at the right time In addition to creating pre bed rituals, it
is also important to take the right steps during the day.
If working out everyday is part of your routine then that’s great, but when is the ideal
time to workout?
Some say it's early morning while others say it's evening.
Exercising during the right time improves sleep health and reduces symptoms of insomnia.
Although daily exercise is key to peaceful sleep, doing it just before bed or late in
the evening will have an opposite effect.
Keep it simple, exercise during the day.
Take a relaxing bath Nothing feels more relaxing than a nice shower
before bed.
This therapeutic ritual of washing away not only the day’s toxins but also the worries
helps you sleep better.
Some peaceful alone time and feeling refreshed is an award winning combination to achieve
awesome sleep, especially a warm shower or a bath.
Reason being warm water relaxes the body by elevating its temperature.
When you get out of the shower, the natural drop in temperature triggers a hibernating
response in the body which makes you feel sleepy.
Taking a bath around 1 or 2 hours before going to bed makes you fall asleep faster while
also releasing endorphins or the happiness hormone.
No naps after 3 PM Nothing feels better than a quick nap on a
sunny afternoon.
While a brief nap can be refreshing, especially if you are sleep deprived, longer naps can
have a negative impact on your sleep quality and duration.
This doesn’t mean no more naps!
A successful nap just comes down to timing.
10 to 20 minutes, early to mid morning will help you fall asleep at a reasonable hour
come bedtime.
If you don’t have the time or space for a cat nap, you can splash cold water on your
face to get rid of the grogginess.
Try pink noise Racing mind, midnight and still no sleep.
Sound a bit too familiar?
If losing sleep has been sabotaging your life, then maybe it is time for you to try pink
noise.
You may have come across sounds like relaxing forest sound, babbling brook and rainfall
at night, they’re powerful tracks that help you nod off.
These sounds are called ‘pink noise’ because that is the color of sound which is kind of
similar to white noise.
Difference being pink noise is perceived as being flat while white noise is perceived
as static.
It enhances brain activity, improves memory and is also associated with deep phases of
sleep.
Control light exposure Getting sun baked during day time is important
for a number of reasons.
It boosts brain function, reduces blood pressure and heals skin disorders.
Sunbathing is also your immunity’s best friend.
But that’s natural light we’re talking about.
If you keep a number of lights on at night then it may backfire.
Too much light at night in your room may trick your brain into thinking that it's daytime
and this will interrupt your sleep pattern.
Even the light from smartphones and laptops reduce melatonin production which is responsible
for helping you relax and get that precious deep sleep.
Eat smart It goes without saying that food is crucial
for maintaining good health.
Your food choices will make or break you.
Eating less fiber and more saturated fats and sugar throughout the day is linked with
lighter sleep.
A grumbling stomach can keep you up at night but so can a stuffed belly.
A balanced diet made up of fresh fruits, fiber and vegetables promotes better sleep.
Foods like fatty fish, nuts, turkey, tart cherry juice and kiwi fruit will enable you
to sleep better.
You can even go for the mediterranean diet which is known for combating insomnia.
Before moving ahead, wondering what food promotes better sleep?
These are some of the best foods that will help you sleep better instantly.
Now let’s get back to tips for a deeper sleep at night.
Melatonin supplements With stressful times causing disruptive sleep
patterns, the popularity of melatonin supplements has shot up.
If you are looking for some additional ways of dealing with sleeplessness then melatonin
supplements is something you should try.
Melatonin is a hormone that the body produces naturally when it's dark outside.
Kind of like a signal to the body that it’s time for bed.
However, if melatonin levels are too low you will find it difficult to sleep properly.
Supplements will help you sleep by regulating the body’s blood pressure, temperature and
some hormones through binding the nerves and reducing activity.
Do some yoga before bed If you are not a gym bunny and prefer something
much more soothing and effective then you’ll love yoga.
Just google it, you’ll come across a variety of yoga types including beer yoga and goat
yoga!
We are not sure how effective those particular types will be but a bit of yoga before bed
will definitely help you get a complete night’s sleep.
It is a gentle and restorative way of winding down after a tough day as these poses are
designed to help relieve stress.
Doing poses like the child’s pose, standard forward bend, standing half forward bend and
legs up the wall pose for 3 to 5 minutes each, will have you sleeping like a log.
Have some bedtime drinks We understand that the recommended full night’s
7 to 9 hours of sleep doesn’t come easy but thankfully there are drinks that can help
you catch some z’s.
After all there’s no harm in trying out this natural way of inducing sleep.
With chamomile tea and warm milk topping this list you can also drink decaffeinated green
tea, tart cherry juice and valerian tea.
These drinks reduce insomnia, regulate sleep cycle, relax the muscles and even curb late
night cravings.
It’s that easy!
Drink right and sleep tight!
Paying attention to the amount of deep sleep you are getting is crucial in maintaining
a strong immune system.
Sleeping soundly for 7 to 9 hours will help you get sick less often, think more clearly
the next day and even improve your mood by reducing stress.
So if you find it difficult to relate to people who are energetic and refreshed early in the
morning then maybe it is time for you to switch up your lifestyle a bit.
These videos will help, watch...
10 life hacks to get a good night’s sleep.
OR Try these 11 weird tricks that help you go
to sleep.
Watch one of both of these videos and get the beauty sleep you’ve been craving.
Enough sleep talk!
How do you beat the mid afternoon slump?
Share your ‘pick me up’ ideas in the comments below.