Eight Ways to Sleep Better
1. Find a good bed: Make sure your bed is neither too soft, nor too hard. The mattress should support your spine in what would be a good standing posture.
2. Exercise regularly: Exercise enhances sleep by burning off tension. The ideal exercise time is late afternoon or early evening, when your workout can help you shift gears from daytime pressures to evening pleasures.
3. Go for quality, not quantity: Six hours of good, solid sleep will make you feel more rested and alert than eight hours of light or disturbed sleep.
4. Don’t go to bed stuffed or starved: A big meal late at night forces your digestive system to work overtime. But don’t go to sleep hungry. An empty, rumbling stomach will also interfere with a good night’s sleep.
5. Keep regular hours: Keep your regular sleep schedule on weekends and holidays, as well as workdays. When travel interferes with your routine, return to your normal schedule as soon as you can.
6. Cut down on stimulants: Late evening caffeine or too much alcohol can make it harder for you to fall asleep, diminish deep sleep and increase night time waking.
7. Set aside worry: Deal with what you should have done or have to do before getting into bed. If daytime distractions follow you to bed, tell yourself you’ll deal with them during the next day’s worry time.
8. Develop a sleep ritual: Your sleep ritual may be simple or elaborate. Whatever you choose, be sure to do the same things every evening until they become cues for your body to settle down for the night. more