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5 Simple Ways You Can Get More Sleep

By Akinwale Akinyoade
15 August 2019   |   8:00 pm
There are many reasons as to why people have difficulty sleeping. From a woman having her first child, menopause, to work, relationship or societal issues that keep the mind spinning at night. Though often people are prescribed pharmaceutical sleep aids to handle insomnia, research suggests that these may not work well in the long run.…

A lady sleeping

There are many reasons as to why people have difficulty sleeping. From a woman having her first child, menopause, to work, relationship or societal issues that keep the mind spinning at night.

Though often people are prescribed pharmaceutical sleep aids to handle insomnia, research suggests that these may not work well in the long run. Here are some of the tips that can help with sleep.

Track your sleep

The first step is to figure out how much sleep you are getting and when. Tracking your sleep helps you to figure out what the problem is and have a realistic picture of the problem. It also means that when you try out various changes, because you already know how much sleep you get, you are able to understand if you are getting enough sleep.

Eliminate “sleep stealers”

Avoid things that prevent you from sleeping like alcohol, nicotine, and heavy meals within three hours of your bedtime. Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool. Don’t exercise or take a warm bath right before bed. Don’t drink caffeine after 2 p.m. Wind down before bed. Don’t nap to make up for lost sleep. Always set a morning alarm to get up at the same time every day. Don’t look at the blue light of screens for at least one to two hours before going to bed

Learn to “love your bed”

Your body should be trained to love your bed and associate it as a space for sleeping. That means going to bed at bedtime and getting right out of bed when your alarm goes off, too. If you occasionally break the stimulus control rules, you’re giving a confusing signal to your brain and body.”

Spend less time in bed

This may sound totally counterintuitive, but if you have insomnia, it’s often better to restrict your sleep than to let yourself sleep whenever you’re tired. The reason this works is that it builds up your body’s sleep drive, which ultimately makes it easier for you to fall asleep and sleep well when bedtime arrives.

Take care of worrisome thoughts

Due to the fact that many of us juggle a lot of things in their lives, we may spend hours thinking about it hence why it is important to cultivate the habit of controlling your thoughts. The less worry you have on your mind, the easier it is for you to fall asleep.

The medical information provided in this article is provided as an information resource only. This information does not create any patient-physician relationship and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.

 

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