How Exercise May Help You Sleep
Researchers dont completely understand how physical activity improves sleep. We may never be able to pinpoint the mechanism that explains how the two are related, she says. However, we do know that moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of slow wave sleep you get. Slow wave sleep refers to deep sleep, where the brain and body have a chance to rejuvenate. Exercise can also help to stabilize your mood and decompress the mind, a cognitive process that is important for naturally transitioning to sleep, says Gamaldo.
Effective Tips For Better Sleep As A Busy Professional
Business professionals usually have packed daily schedules that make it difficult for them to have a decent night’s rest. A good night’s sleep grants several benefits to the human body, from both mental and physical perspectives. Sadly, with the volume of stress and work that professionals usually have to deal with, getting a decent night’s sleep is not high on their list of priorities, even though it’s a necessity for functioning correctly.
Without adequate sleep, entrepreneurs and business owners simply won’t have the energy or brain power needed to make key decisions each day. To help, 12 experts from Forbes Coaches Council offer their best advice about the techniques they recommend professionals use to get a good night’s sleep and set the rest of their day up for success.
Forbes Coaches Council members offer suggestions for how to get better sleep when you’re a busy professional.
1. Start With The Basics
First, start with the foundation that will help ensure a good sleepyour sleeping area. Start by making sure that you have a quality mattress, sheets and pillow set. A gross mattress fact is that thousands of microscopic dust mites, dead skin cells and sweat may be concealed in your bed. How can you sleep well without ensuring you are first in the best sleep environment possible? – Karan Rhodes, Shockingly Different Leadership
2. Take Power Naps
3. Create A Night Time Routine
5. Step Away From The Phone
Say No To That Afternoon Latte
Participants in the SleepScore Lab survey who drank four cups of coffee a day actually slept 26 minutes less than those who imbibed less than that. Caffeine is a stimulant that prevents your body from initiating sleep, says Buchfuhrer. He advises having your last cup of Joe at least six hours before bedtime. And Blackburn points out that soda, chocolate and certain teas also contain caffeine, meaning they can rev up your body, too.
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How To Sleep Better An Expert Suggests 9 Effective Ways
- From breathing exercises, Nasya to sipping warm milk at bedtime, here are some effective Ayurvedic tips for a good night’s sleep.
We all know that getting a good night’s sleep can have so many restorative benefits for our heart, digestion, nervous system and mental well-being. Yet when it comes to practicing good sleep hygiene, we find it hard to achieve it being unable to leave some toxic habits that prevent us from getting a restful sleep.
From being glued to our screens, eating spicy and heavy meals in the night, not being able to relax the overactive mind and stressed muscles can be some of the reasons we stay wide awake till late in the night. Experts emphasize on the importance of sleeping from 10 pm to 5am for maximum recuperative benefits.
Ayurveda expert Dr Dixa Bhavsar gives tips to sleep soundly on her Instagram page:
“If you’re someone who finds it difficult to sleep early and have a sound sleep at night , try following these tips and soon you’ll be sleeping like a baby,” she wrote.
1. Try waking up early in the morning: Getting your sleep cycle right is the first step towards achieving better sleep. “Starting your day with the sun can help you sync with nature, it’ll be easier for you to sleep with the moon,” says Dr Bhavsar.
9. Prayer/Chant/Gratitude: The best way to begin and end your day is through prayer. Practicing gratitude improves your overall well-being.
Unconventional Sleep Tips: How To Get To Sleep And Stay Asleep
Getting sufficient, restorative, and deep sleep every night is vital to your health and overall well-being. While conditions such as back and neck pain, sciatica, and other sources of pain may keep you from falling asleep, not gaining enough sleep can likewise cause or exacerbate these problems.1
Watch:Video: 11 Unconventional Sleep Tips: How to Get to Sleep and Stay Asleep
As a general rule, a minimum of 7 hours of sleep is required each night for optimal health.1 Read on to learn unique and effective insights into gaining a healthy sleep routine and how to fall asleep and stay asleep for longer.
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Turn Away From The Alarm Clock
Avoid watching the minutes tick away, whether youre having trouble falling asleep, or getting back to sleep at midnight. If you already saw the timeand youre staring at the ceilingtry to put a positive spin on the situation. Panicking about the sleep youre missing is not going to help you sleep, so say to yourself, Awesome, I get X number more hours to get some great sleep, advises Breus. Focus on relaxation and stay positive.
Dr Joseph Krainin Singularsleepcom
1. If you think you only need six hours of sleep or less to function, youre probably wrong.
There are a very lucky few short sleepers out there who have physiology that only requires six hours or less sleep per day.
This trait is very, very rare. The vast majority of us are just plain sleep deprived and this can take its toll over the long term by causing weight gain and increasing our risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.
2. Reevaluate your assumptions.
Most couples have drank the Koolaid that they should sleep in the same bed together this is actually a relatively new societal norm.
While sleeping in the same bed can enhance intimacy for some, bedpartners can be a major cause of poor sleep quality due to snoring, restlessness, or differing sleep/wake schedules. If your bed partner is hurting more than helping, its time to talk about separate beds or separate bedrooms.
3. Dont disrespect the bed.
It should only be used for sleep and sex. Using it as a multimedia center confuses your brain and may promote insomnia.
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Make Sure Your Mattress Is Comfortable
The type of mattress that you use can impact the quality of your sleep. 16,17 If you shift positions often, wake up several times, and/or wake up with shoulder or back pain, your mattress may be to blame. If your mattress sagsmeaning that you can see a compression in some part of the mattress, it will almost always create sleep discomfort and can worsen back problems.
ReadSelecting the Best Mattress
A mattress with ergonomic standards and the right level of firmness may help promote better sleep, typically by providing an even surface and reducing body aches and pains.16,17 A medium-firm mattress may provide adequate body support to enhance your sleep quality.17
What Happens During A Sleep Study
Sleep studies are a strange experience. Wires and electrodes are placed on your scalp and face, near the eyes and chin to detect eye movements and chin movements caused by teeth grinding. Elastic belts may be placed around your chest and stomach to measure breathing. A tube may be placed in the nose to measure breathing, and electrodes placed on the legs to measure leg movement. EKG monitors are used to measure heart rate and a small microphone is placed on the throat to detect snoring. While it sounds impossible to sleep under these conditions, most of the people who need a sleep study eventually fall asleep at least long enough for the technicians to gather the data they need.
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Diet And Sleep: The Big Picture
Its natural to want to find a food to make you sleepy or the single best food for sleep, but its important to be realistic. Sleep is a complicated process affected by many things including mental health, light exposure, and underlying physical issues.
Diet is also multifaceted. It isnt just one food instead, it is cumulative, affected by when, what, and how much we eat throughout a day and over weeks, months, and years. Individuals can have distinct reactions to different diets, making it hard to generalize about the perfect diet for everyone.
Because of these factors, its hard to design research studies that provide conclusive answers about the optimal food for sleep. While its tempting to try to draw hard-and-fast conclusions from individual studies, the science doesnt support broad extrapolations.
Given the complexity of diet and sleep, for many people it may be more meaningful to focus on the big picture healthy sleep and diet habits rather than on individual foods and drinks.
Ways To Wind Down For Better Sleep At The End Of Your Day
Especially after a busy day, itâs important to allow time in the evening to decompress and unwind before heading to bed. That doesnât mean turning your home into a silent retreat. Just a few small changes can awaken your senses and calm your busy mind, easing the transition from daytime to night.
1. Music can soothe us. Rather than listening to the news â or the chatter in your head/mind â when you get home, put on your favorite music. While classical music has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce stress, any music that you enjoy will help you quiet down and lift your mood. If youâre looking for some sounds that are specially designed to soothe, check out Headspaceâs sleep music and sleepcasts.
2. Dim the lights when youâre home at night. Instead of switching on a bright overhead light, think about lamps, a dimmer switch, or candles to create a more serene setting. In addition to being more low key, indirect light is less disruptive the bodyâs natural circadian rhythms.
3. Consider limiting caffeine and alcohol later in the day. Part of the winding down process at night actually begins during the day. It includes exercising early, limiting caffeine â coffee, tea, and soda â after lunch, avoiding foods that might upset your stomach, and perhaps skipping happy hour, since alcohol too late in the day can diminish sleep quality.
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Karen Shopoff Rooff Wellbalancedwomencom
My top three tips for cultivating good sleeping habits are:
1. Establish a bedtime routine
2. set a sleep/wake schedule
Setting a bedtime and wake up time and sticking to it also adds predictability to your body and brain.
The body is meant to function on a diurnal schedule, and keeping it regular helps the body fall asleep faster and wake with more energy.
3. sleep in a dark room.
Sleeping in a dark room contributes to the day/night sense of your brains wiring, and darkness allows us to fall into deeper sleep faster.
Magnesium And Restless Leg Syndrome
People with restless leg syndrome experience uncontrollable urges to move the limbs and sometimes cramping or crawling sensations, often peaking in the evening hours when at rest. The sensation makes falling asleep difficult and can wake you out of your sleep.
Research shows mixed results when using magnesium to treat patients with RLS. One small study found that sleep efficiency increased significantly, from 75% to 85%, when RLS patients took magnesium for 4 to 6 weeks. Other studies have shown that magnesium salts may reduce leg cramps during pregnancy.
In contrast, a study of magnesium as a treatment for nocturnal leg cramps in older adults showed no significant change in symptoms. More research needs to be done to determine who can benefit from magnesium as treatment for RLS, and therefore improve their sleep.
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Tips To Create A Restful Environment For A Good Nights Sleep
Your bedroom should feel like a sleep oasis â stress and distraction-free. While creating the right environment is, to a certain extent, a matter of personal preference, sleep experts offer these sleep hygiene suggestions that are backed by science.
1. The ideal room for sleep is cool and dark. Most experts agree that the sweet spot for temperature is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, 73% of Americans say the darker the room the better. 65% of people use shades, curtains, or blinds to block unwanted light.
2. Peace and quiet make for bedroom bliss. 74% percent of Americans think that quiet is crucial for getting good sleep. That said, many people rely on âwhite noiseâ or some type of ambient sound to help mask disruptive noises like car horns or highway traffic. You can also use a fan or try one of the many soothing sleepcasts or some sleep music from the Sleep experience in the Headspace app. Sleepcasts run about 45 minutes and can help create a relaxing, peaceful environment for sleep. Help create an environment that’s conducive for a restful night’s sleep â .
5. Pick the perfect pillow for you.Pillow fill is important to consider if you suffer from allergies. Fills vary from natural choices like feathers to synthetics like rayon, foam, or latex. Look for pillows that are hypoallergenic to lessen the chance of nighttime congestion and sniffles that can keep you awake.
Dr Kate Klein Durhamnaturopathcom
Here are my top three tips as a naturopathic doctor who consistently sees and treats patients with poor sleep habits, insomnia and other sleep disorders:
1. Invest your time, money, and efforts into good sleep hygiene install black out curtains, turn off all lights, eliminate noise, ensure your sleep space is clean, and only use the bedroom for sleep and intimacy. Most importantly avoid screen time before bed blue light transmitted from electronic interferes with brain waves and can cause insomnia.
2. Rule out underlying health conditions.
Seek professional help to rule out underlying health conditions that may be causing issues with your sleep such as food sensitivities, menopause, thyroid and other hormonal imbalances, or sleep apnea.
3. Try Herbal Remedies.
Still not sleeping? Try an herbal remedy such as valerian, passionflower, kava kava or chamomile.
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Is Magnesium Better For Sleep Than Melatonin
Magnesium and melatonin have different functions in your body. Magnesium is a nutrient that regulates different body processes, while melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep patterns.
The supplement you should take ultimately depends on your goals for sleep. Magnesium helps the body relax. This nutrient reduces stress and helps you sleep longer. In contrast, melatonin helps you get to sleep faster. Both magnesium and melatonin can be used to treat insomnia, sometimes even in combination.
Always consult with your healthcare provider to determine which supplement is right for you.
Do Natural Sleep Aids Have Side Effects
Some natural sleep aids can have side effects. For example, certain herbs or dietary supplements may cause allergic reactions in some people. Melatonin may cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and excessive sleepiness . Drug interactions can also occur, which is why it’s important to check with your doctor before taking any new supplements.
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Hide Your Alarm Clock
Set your alarm and then get those glaring red numbers out of sight. Jonathan Alpert, New York City-based psychotherapist and author of Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days, recommends turning your alarm clock away from you in the bedroom. Have confidence that it will sound when it is supposed to, he says. Looking at the time only increases anxiety about going to sleep and getting enough of it.
Eliminate Sneaky Light Sources
Health guru Shawn Stevenson talks about the importance of keeping your room completely dark at night, even buying blackout curtains. He explains that its not just our eyes that have light receptors, but our skin as well. He says that if theres light in your bedroom, your body is picking it up and sending messages to your brain and organs that can interfere with your sleep.
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Take A Warm Bath Or Shower
Speaking of the ideal sleeping temperature, studies suggest that taking a warm bath or shower at night, one or two hours before going to bed, can help get you there. If you time it right, a warm soak will naturally heat up your body while the cooling down process will make your body’s pre-sleep dip in temperature even more pronounced. Plus, a nice bath or shower is a great way to relax and decompress at the end of a long day.
Switch Off The Screens
TVs, phones, computers, video games screens are the enemy of a good nights sleep. The bright light emitted by electronic devices can confuse our body clock, disrupt the level of melatonin , and overstimulate our brain at the time we need to be calming down. Switch off the screens at least 30 minutes before bed time to support your pre-bed routine.
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Are Natural Sleep Remedies Safe For Pregnant People
Certain natural sleep remedies like yoga, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques are great for pregnant people to maintain a healthy, relaxed body and mind. If these techniques also aid in sleep during pregnancy, that is even better. However, some supplements, aromatherapies, herbs, and teas may not be safe to use while pregnant, and you should consult with your physician before trying any of these methods.
