10 Relaxation Tips for Better Sleep
If you’re like many people, you know the feeling of tossing and turning in bed, watching the clock with time slipping by as you sit there with your thoughts racing. This is why it's essential to get yourself into a regular nighttime routine that will work for you, and let your body and mind know it's time to relax.
You can incorporate various relaxation habits into your nightly bedtime routine, but you just need to figure out what is going to work best for you. Here are 10 relaxation tips to help you obtain better sleep.
- Meditation with Deep Breathing
Meditation is a great way of calming your mind and body, and it's a great activity to perform before going to bed. Here's how it works:
- Lie or sit in a comfortable position
- Keep your eyes closed
- Focus on your breathing
- Inhale and exhale
- Don't allow outside distractions interrupt you
- Feel your body relax
- Push any concerns or worries away (acknowledge one if it shows up, and let it pass)
This is your moment of tranquility and relaxation.
- Take a Warm Bath
A warm bath at night before going to bed is incredibly soothing. You feel like you're washing the stresses of the day away, while making yourself clean and irresistible-smelling. A shower can do the trick too, but baths have a calming effect.
Your body temperature rises when you soak in a warm bathtub, and after you get out, it decreases. This is your body's natural cooling process that causes the release of melatonin. Melatonin is your body's natural hormone that induces sleep.
- Use a High-Performance Mattress, Pillow, and Quality Bedding
A high-quality mattress is important to ensure you're comfortable enough to promote relaxation and sleep. Along with your pillow, it also ensures your spine receives the right support to avoid aches and pains. Your blankets and sheets play a significant role in making your bed feel more inviting. Choose bedding that is comfortable to the touch, and will help keep the temperature at night comfortable.
- Get on a Schedule
Many individuals find having a set sleep schedule makes it easier for them to fall asleep. You have a regulatory system in your body known as your circadian rhythm. It’s an internal clock that prompts your body to feel alert in the daytime, and sleepy in the nighttime.
You can help your internal clock maintain a regular schedule by going to bed and waking up the same times every day. Once your body gets used to this schedule, you'll have an easier time falling asleep and waking up the same time each day.
It's also essential you obtain seven to nine hours of sleep every night, which was found in adults to be an optimal sleep duration.
Allow yourself 30 to 45 minutes each evening to wind down before going to bed. This will allow your mind and boy to relax, and prepare for sleep.
- Sleep on a CBD Pillow
A gel memory foam CBD-infused pillow is a great addition to your quality bedding set. It's infused with millions of CBD microcapsules, filled with a high quality CBD for relaxation, deeper sleep, and a rejuvenated morning.
Some things about CBD pillows are:
- CBD was found to help ease chronic pain, and help with sleep problems
- Unlike ingestible CBD or CBD oil that wears off after three hours, the CBD-infused pillow releases CBD microdoses throughout the night, enabling you to have a soothing, relaxing sleep
- Improves sleep
- Helps you wake up feeling balanced and refreshed
- Experience Both Darkness and Daylight
Light can influence the internal clock of your body, which regulates wakefulness and sleep. Abnormal light exposure can cause a disruption in your circadian rhythms, which makes it more difficult to fall and stay asleep.
When you expose your body to bright light during the day, it tells your body to stay alert. Both artificial light like the type an e-reader emits and natural daylight have this impact on your alertness.
During the nighttime, darkness induces feelings of sleepiness. Studies show darkness increases melatonin production, which as you've learned, is an important hormone for sleep. The body doesn't secrete that much melatonin in the daytime.
Get outdoors, and expose yourself to sunlight, or at least some artificial bright light during the day. If you can, make your bedroom dark during the night with blackout curtains.
- Breathe Using Your Mind
Your patterns of breathing play a role in your autonomic nervous system, responsible for regulating things like:
- Muscle tension
- Heart rate
- Motivation
- Other components of excitement or relaxation
Fast, shallow breaths can generate a sense of anxiety, whereas slow, deep breaths are calming.
A special technique you can try is known as the 4-7-8 technique created by Dr. Andrew Weil. It's a relatively simple process. Here's what you do:
- Place the tip of your tongue on the ridge that's behind your top teeth during the activity (inhaling and exhaling).
- Completely exhale through your mouth, and make a "whooshing" noise.
- Close your mouth, inhaling through your nose as you count to four.
- Hold your breath for, and count to seven.
- Slowly start exhaling from your mouth for eight counts, while making the "whooshing" noise.
Practice this method by sitting down with a straight back before you try it lying down, and repeat the cycle several times to help get you used to it.
- Sleep on Hi-Tech Materials
Tech devices and white lights can steal your sleep; however, modern innovations hold sleep benefits, too. Customizable beds and high-tech materials can enhance comfort, and help you fall asleep faster.
You can also change up the angle of your legs and upper body with an adjustable bed. This can be especially useful for individuals experiencing conditions such as lower back pain and swelling because adjustments like these can promote circulation and decrease back tension to improve comfort. Another thing that keeps individuals up is acid reflux, and you can make a substantial difference by elevating your upper body.
- Avoid Electronics
Try not to use your computer, watch television or use your tablet or cell phone in your bedroom. These devices emit light that might make it harder for you to fall asleep. And, unsettling or alarming movies or shows, such as horror movies, might keep you awake.
- Avoid Alcohol
Keep in mind, alcohol doesn't help you sleep. It can be more difficult to stay asleep, even with small amounts of alcohol.
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