10 Better Steps to Help You Get a Great Night’s Sleep

I slept very well at night, but when I woke up, I thought about the powerful effect a good night's sleep has on your metabolism and I wanted to share with you some ideas on how to sleep better at night.

Now, my idea of a good night's sleep is one where you sleep soundly and wake up completely refreshed and energized. During a good night's sleep, you rarely, if ever, think about your problems, you never think about the news, and you usually fall asleep within 10 minutes of touching your head to the pillow (with positive thoughts on your mind). mind).

Additionally, a key factor in determining whether you got a good night's sleep is whether you have "positive" or "fun" dreams. Because if your night is full of "bad" or "stressful" dreams, chances are you'll be tossing and turning all night and NOT getting a "refreshing" sleep.

Why is it so important to get a good night's sleep every night? Your body and mind break down and wear down from stress throughout the day.

The only time your body and mind repair and rejuvenate is when you are sleeping. But it's important to note here that "beauty" sleep is the key. Rolling around in bed all night or waking up every few hours is not considered restful sleep. I recently read an article that came to my research center that explained the facts about how snoring affects sleep and health. People who snore tend to interrupt their sleep, on average, 300 times each night. 

That's not a restful night's sleep! Now think about it this way for a moment: if you've been stressed lately, or if your mattress stinks, or if you just haven't been able to sleep well for the past few weeks (or months), then you haven't given your brain or your body a hard time. the time it needs to repair itself.

So, you actually start each day a little less focused and less metabolically healthy than the day before.

Don't try to catch up on sleep. People tell me all the time that they know they don't get enough sleep during the week, but they "catch up" on the weekends. Let me put that myth to rest now. That does not work!!! Your body and mind need a regular sleep pattern to repair and rejuvenate; Without them, you are actually deteriorating instead of revitalizing.

So, what is considered getting enough sleep?

Generally speaking, everyone should strive for a restful 8 hours of sleep. Now, if you eat a very healthy diet and exercise properly, and take some mental breaks during the day, and if you sleep like a baby and wake up completely refreshed every day, then you might be the kind of person who can get away with yours. sleep less, maybe 6 hours a night.

On the other hand, if you experience extraordinary amounts of stress each day (mental or physical), you will need more than 8 hours. A marathon runner, for example, tends to put his or her body under a lot of stress each day; That person needs more than 8 hours because his body needs more time to repair than normal. The same also applies to the person who is going through massive mental stress.

So, what can you do to facilitate a better night's sleep for yourself and those around you?

Ten steps to help you get a good night's sleep:

1. Make a list of what you need to do the next day, write it all down, and keep your pen and paper next to your bed in case you think of anything else you need to do. When you write things down, you are giving your brain the signal that it no longer needs to think about those tasks.

2. Don't watch TV or listen to the radio (especially the news) before going to sleep, and certainly don't fall asleep with the TV or radio on.

3. Read some inspirational or personal growth material for at least 30 minutes before bed. Your goal is to fill your mind with inspiring thoughts before you fall asleep so that the last thoughts you have before falling asleep are uplifting thoughts, as opposed to the stressful thoughts that most people fall asleep on.

4. Make sure the room you sleep in is as dark as possible (the body is made to sleep when it is dark); The darker the room, the greater the chance of sound sleep.

5. Make the room as quiet as possible: Turn off all electrical devices and ask others in the house to be as quiet as possible.

6. Don't eat at least 3 hours before bedtime. When there is undigested food in your stomach, your body is forced to focus on digesting that food instead of focusing on repairing your body and mind - that's what sleep is all about! The body was designed to digest food best while moving, not while lying down.

7. Try to go to bed around 10:00 p.m. m. and waking up at approximately 6:00 a.m. m. In Ayurvedic medicine it is believed that there are cycles that are more conducive to certain activities. Go to bed at 10:00 p.m. m. and get up at 6:00 a.m. m. It appears to allow the body to rest more deeply, rejuvenate more, and give the person the most energy throughout the day.

8. Do not take medications or vitamins/herbs that are supposed to help you sleep (unless directed by your doctor). Most of these artificial sleeping pills do nothing more than numb your senses: the goal of "sleep" is to give your body the time and means to repair itself and prepare for the next day. When you drug yourself to sleep, all of your body's systems slow down, including all of those systems that are responsible for repairing you.

9. Make sure there is a supply of fresh air in the room. It is said that indoor air is one of the most toxic that exists. When you sleep, you can only breathe the air around you in your closed bedroom. Try opening a window (if it's cold outside, just open the window a little). The fresh air that comes in while you sleep will help your body repair itself because you will have access to cleaner, more oxygenated air.

10. During the day, do 60 minutes of gentle exercise. If you don't have time to do 60 minutes straight, divide it into 2 sessions of 30 minutes, or 3 sessions of 20 minutes, or sessions of 6 to 10 minutes; just spend a full 60 minutes. The best exercise when talking about general health and preparing the body for a good night's sleep is walking.

I wish you the best sleep tonight and every night.