Sleep Better

Sleep Better

Sleep Better - Some suggestions

We all have times when adequate sleep seems to elude us. For the most part, these episodes are a short lived part of the normal cycles of life. * Persistent lack of sleep - beyond several weeks at a time - produces fatigue, depression, confusion, impaired short-term memory, concentration and alertness. Long term lack of sleep impairs your ability to fight off disease and repair tissue. Your proper sleep pattern is what works for you. There are documented cases of people who get by very well with only a few hours of sleep yet others who feel their best with ten! People in many tropical countries find it very necessary to enjoy their mid-day ciesta. If you are reasonably well rested through your day and able to function well, lack of sleep is not necessarily your problem. Your habits - Both what you think and do - can cause many chronic sleep problems.

Sleep problems are not insurmountable. If your sleep is disturbed over longer
periods of time, the suggestions in this post can help you sort your way through.

Here are seven ways to sleep better. Sweet Dreams! If ongoing sleeplessness is a concern to you, take a look at your habits and do some fine tuning as necessary. Establish a sleep schedule.
oing to bed too early! "any people will go to bed because they are bored. #hen they are frustrated because they aren$t tired enough to sleep well. #his only results in longer periods of lousy sleep. Instead, decrease your slumber time by retiring later, to when you are obviously tired, and also rising earlier. %ou may get less bed-rest, but if you accept you$ll sleep more soundly, you will lose your apprehension about it. %our body$s internal timekeepers want predictability. oing to bed and getting up at the same time every day, including weekends, is probably the most important step towards establishing good sleep patterns. &tudies find that adults who sleep more than eight hours a night 'long sleepers( or less than seven hours of slumber, report more sleep complaints than people who get )ust the right amount of shuteye -- between seven and eight hours per night. #oo much sleep may be )ust as unhealthy as too little.

Limit bedroom activities.

*atching #+, scheduling tomorrow$s agenda, problem-solving with your spouse and even reading are activities associated with wakefulness. #hese activities can help someone wind down, but if your rest is poor, use the bedroom strictly for sleep 'and romance(. #his helps separate the active part of your life from sleep time.

Separate sleep from wakefulness.

If you can't sleep - stop trying.

If you persistently find yourself lying awake for a long time, you may soon e,pect to have troublefalling asleep. -ften, worrying about lack of sleep keeps people awake. *hen you languish between sleep and wakefulness for more than /0 minutes, get up. *atch a 1uiet nature program or read something dull. o back to bed only when you feel drowsy.

Regulate your body heat.

2ven small ups and downs in body temperature play a large role in your biological rhythms. &leep generally follows the cooling phase of your body$s temperature cycle. 3ormally, peaks and troughs in temperature parallel e,posure to light and darkness, but if your inner thermostat is following its own independent schedule, your sleep may be disrupted. 4 hot bath )ust before bedtime can increase body temperature ... if you have trouble sleeping, bathe earlier or en)oy a warm but not a hot bath. 4void vigorous activity within a few hours of bedtime as it can raise your body temperature and keep you awake.

hile e!ercise early in the day does not directly promote better sleep at night, it does promote better wa"efulness. #etting outdoors and e!posure to early morning sunshine can help "eep your system in synch with the natural light-dar" cycle. $!ercise helps promote emotional and physical wellbeing and is associated with healthier sleep patterns.

Skip caffeine - even in mid-afternoon.

Stimulants..get it?!
5affeine is a stimulant and can linger in the system up to eight hours. 2ven for people who drink coffee before bed and think they sleep well, research shows significant sleep disturbances when monitored in the lab. 6emember that tea, chocolate, colas, other foods and many medications can contain caffeine and may impair sleep.

Smoking impairs sleep because nicotine has a stimulant effect similar to caffeine.

void nightcaps.
*hile alcohol does help you fall asleep, as it is metaboli7ed by the body, it releases a natural stimulant that disrupts sleep during the second half of the night. #he greater the 1uantity of alcohol consumed, the worse the disruption.

A small snack - not a feast - eaten before bed promotes sleep. Screen out nocturnal noises.

%ou will likely get used to soft, rhythmic sounds such as the furnace kicking in, however, louder sporadic noise from traffic or aircraft can be more disruptive than you might think. If you can$t eliminate the noise, try muffling its sound. 5arpeting and draperies help. 5reate white noise - an even low level sound that masks other more intrusive noise.... 6un a fan, tune the radio to a blank spot on the dial.

!eople who try to "sleep on their problems# neither solve their problems nor get their sleep.

Do battle through the day - you've earned your rest.

It$s hard to sleep if you$re a wound tangle of nerves. &ome helpful suggestions... Leave work at work. &ince we$re paid to fill our minds with ideas, letting go of them isn$t always easy. 5reate a symbol or simple ritual to signify the end of your work day... shutting off your computer, ceremonially closing the door, locking your desk... buying a flower8.when the ritual is done, so is the work day. If you must bring work home, when you have given your due, put the work away and close the 9bo,9. %ou control your work, it does not control you.

If you are a worrier and its bedtime when your mind wanders, carve :; minutes of 9worry time$ out of your day. *rite down your thoughts and plan of action. If your troubles return as you try to dose off, tell yourself, <I$ve already worked that out and now it$s my time ... to sleep.= >ot down your thoughts on a notepad through the evening or keep one at the bedside. Let the notepad $remember$ your thoughts instead of holding them in your head all night long. !ractice progressive rela$ation. &tarting from the top of your head, let the tension go ... rela, the furrows in your forehead ... lips together - teeth apart ... breath deep feel your chest and diaphragm move gently ... rela, the neck and shoulders - feel them get heavier ... let the feeling spread into your arms and hands as you let them ease ... continue into the buttocks .... legs ... feet. For further information see our brochure about how to handle stress. %f an!iety continues to get the better of you, consider the services of a &ualified counselor, therapist or clergy.

%or &our 'ondsideration....

The concept of eight hours of uninterrupted sleep may not be natural to humans. %t is more an adaptation to the industrial -commercial wor" schedule. ?rior to the industrial revolution, people would retire shortly after dark, sleep for several hours then awake. @uring the mid-night hours people might pray, practice music, do chores, visit with the neighbours or be active under the moon$s light... then sleep several more hours until dawn. ?eople commonly referred to their first sleep and second sleep. %s it possible then, that being awa"e in the wee hours is natural' (ave you ever wished you had an e!tra hour in your day' Perhaps you do. )ather than lament lost sleep, consider the e!tra hours as found wa"eful time. This could be time to stay current in your reading... learn a musical instrument... develop some creative s"ill.... advance your "nowledge.

%or &our 'onsideration....

&tress, negative thoughts, worry and emotional upsets can manifest themselves in the spine and muscles. #he function of the spine and muscles can be impaired by repetitive motions, long periods of sitting, improper lifting and many everyday activities. #he mind-body connection can get locked into destructive patterns... impaired sleep is one symptom that something is wrong. !hiropractic helps restore the ability of the mind and body to relieve stress and permit rest .... chiropractic is safe and naturally effective.

"his brochure is offered for information and #uidance. $ometimes poor sleep can si#nal other health problems. %f your concerns persist consult your health professional.

@r. *ayne5oghlan, B&c, "4, @5.

'ollingwood 'hiropractic ( Sports In)ury 'linic *ollingwood-chiropractor.com+chiropractor 'ollingwood 'ounselling !sychology *ollingwood-chiropractor.com+counselling *+, -uronatario Street at .th 'ollingwood, /ntario, L.& 012

34* 55*6*54+
drwaynecoghlan7gmail.com

Wor !hen you !or " rest !hen you rest

#elp for sleeping better.

Sleep better - naturally

Sleep naturally - $olling!ood $hiropractor %osted by Wayne $oghlan at &'() %* +mail ,hisBlog,his!Share to ,!itterShare to -aceboo .abels' Sleep Better