As I have discussed in previous articles sleep is an absolute necessity for humans.
Millions of people suffer every night from poor quality sleep.
Many people suffer from sleep disorders and these should be treated by a physician.
For most of us we can learn how to sleep better by adjusting our lifestyle and habits.
After years of research I have put together a five point sleep plan.
If you follow the steps outlined below you will soon learn how to sleep better.
1.
Beds are for sleeping in.
This is an absolute priority and is the first bad habit that most people should change if they want to learn how to sleep better.
If you want to read or watch TV before bed do it in you lounge or salon, make sure you only go to bed when you are ready to sleep.
This sets up a positive mental association between the bedroom and sleep and helps stop negative associations such as tossing and turning or sleeplessness and the bedroom developing.
2.
Avoid tossing and turning.
This behavior is what typifies a poor night's sleep for most of us.
Lying awake fretting isn't going to do us any good.
If you find yourself restless during the night it's best to get up and do something relaxing until you feel drowsy once more.
Try activities like reading, watching TV, sewing and knitting are all good examples.
However try to avoid bright light late at night as it can stimulate the brain and trick it into thinking its daytime.
3.
Have a nice hot bath before retiring.
To some people this seems to be a counter intuitive idea as our bodies need to lower our core temperature to help the onset of sleep.
Here's how it works.
When you have a really hot, long soak it raises our core temperature but as we cool down our bodies notice an even bigger drop in temperature than we would have experienced had we not taken a hot bath.
So, it's not the temperature per se that triggers drowsiness but rather the drop in temperature 4.
Eat to sleep.
A lot of people are worried about what they eat at night.
Some think it's a bad idea to eat at night for fear of weight gain.
Although I would say it's probably not wise to eat just before you retire there is no real evidence that eating late affects one's weight.
More important to a good night's sleep is learning that what you eat at what time of day can help you to sleep better.
There is ample evidence e that carbohydrate based meals produce sleep inducing chemicals in the body.
In most of western Europe we eat a heavy carbohydrate meal in the middle of the day and feel sluggish and indeed sleepy for a longtime afterwards, think of the siesta.
It's a much better sleeping plan to have a light protein based lunch and eat your carbohydrate meal later in the evening.
5.
Develop a sleep culture and routine.
Your body has a very efficient internal clock that works best if it is set to the same time every day.
You may have noticed that towards the end of the week, if you have been retiring at the same time, that you are awake before your alarm clock.
Conversely, on a Monday you may oversleep.
This is the effect of reinforcing our internal clocks by regular use and also shows us how quickly it can desynchronise.
To summarise, consistency is key.
Try and get to bed at the same time every night.
There you have it a five point sleep plan designed to let you learn how to sleep better.
Remember, sleep disorders can be very serious and if you suspects you are suffering from a sleep disorder you should see your doctor immediately.