Feel Better. Look Younger. Lose Weight. How? With a peaceful night’s sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is beneficial for your body & mind. As we age our body undergoes a shift making it harder to fall asleep, and stay asleep through the night. Most adults need 6-8 hours of sleep but it’s different for everybody. Too much or too little can affect your health by weakening your immune system or ability to think clearly.
Your bedroom could be the most important room in the house. It’s your sanctuary and the place you spent the most time. It should make you feel relaxed and comfortable. If you are having trouble sleeping don’t reach for a sleep aid. First try some of these tips each day to help you sleep better.
1. Try to keep a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time every day.
- It’s not always how many hours of sleep you get, but the quality of the sleep.
- Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to do well on six hours of sleep a night. This gene is very rare, appearing in less than 3% of the population. For the other 97% of us, six hours of sleep is simply not enough.
2. Eating & Drinking at right: Avoid big meals after 8pm. Obviously you want to avoid caffeine at night but you should also avoid alcohol.
- Nix the Nightcap: It can give you a headache and is a cause of restless sleep. You are more prone to waking up in the middle of the night..
- If you can, drink a warm cup of milk with cardamom seeds
- Avoid eating within 3-4 hours of sleeping
- No big meals at night
3. Reduce anxiety & stress
- Deep breathing
- Clear your mind
- Do some easy stretches
4. Create a bedtime routine
- Read
- Take a warm bath
- Listen to soft much: classical or something with a slow tempo
- Make preparations for the next day
5. Your Bedroom is Your Sanctuary
- Create a room that’s ideal for sleeping, keep it cool and quiet
- Make sure you have a comfortable mattress and pillow for a good night’s sleep
- Avoid watching TV in bed. Better yet don’t put a TV in the bedroom.
6. Clean Your Sheets: Your bed should be comfortable not cluttered. A recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that73% of people sleep better on fresh clean sheets. In addition, 85% of people reported improved sleep and 73% said they had improved romantic lives when they slept on comfortable sheets.
- Use Lavender on your sheets with a spray or sachet. The smell of lavender has been proven to help you sleep better.
- Choosing the right sheet set is another way you can make your bed comfortable. A cotton percale is crisp, while cotton sateen is smooth. If its winter time you may consider using a down comforter or cashmere blanket to stay warm.
Next week we’ll discuss in details the factors that affect sleep and Traditional and Non-Traditional remedies.
Factors that Affect Sleep:
- Geobiological Energy
- Mental or Emotional Stress
- Food & Chemical Stressors
- Hormone Imbalance
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Geopathic Stress
Traditional Chinese Remedies as recommended by Dr Suhu, New York, NY
- No TV, wireless router or phone in your room.
- Use a windup or battery operated clock
- Put a piece of sheepskin in between your mattress and box spring. It helps to block Geopathic stress.
- Point your head north or east if you live in the Northern hemisphere. Point your head south or west if you live in the Southern hemisphere.
- Meditation: Take deep SLOW breaths. Deep in and out very slow about 9 times.
- Wash your feet before going to bed and rub sesame oil on your feel and put socks on
- Biosymphonie disc: small ceramic disc which you can put in each corner of your mattress. It helps with body vibrations.
- Drink Linden Chamomile tea, cinnamon tea, or hot soup. Eat cooked or raw, one head of lettuce. Lettuce is from the poppy family that induces sleep
- Rube Rosewater or Alpine Pine Oil from Switzerland on your temples. It helps with sleep.
- Agar 35, a Tibetan herb, which helps you unwind and handle stress and anxiety.