can't sleep

Can’t Sleep? Top 10 Sleep Remedies

In an ideal world these are the Top 10 Sleep Remedies that will help you have a great nights sleep.

1. Invest in a really good mattress, a comfy bed goes a long way!

2. Don’t eat anything for at least an hour before bed (one exception would be a small fruit)

3. Sleep and wake up at the same hour every day including weekends so you keep your circadian rhythm.

4. Don’t take a nap during the day (if you do make sure it is less then 30mins and before 3pm)

5. Make sure your bedroom is adequately ventilated and that your blankets will not make you too hot

6. Refrain from exercise at least 4 hours before bed time

7. Don’t have any caffeine or alcohol at least 4 hours before bed time

8. Take a warm bath an hour before bed

9. Don’t watch tv or work at least half an hour before bed

10. Read or try meditating half an hour before bed

Ok, so you may have heard all this before but have you actually implemented it into your life? Looking at all the feedback it seems like not many or none of you have. But you can’t just all of a sudden one day just change your habits, your body/mind will simply not allow it as you have been doing things a certain way all your life. So, I want to take this challenge on with you, but not until next week. Over the next few nights lets all start implementing one or two of these suggestions before going to bed. Our goal is to gradually adjust our body to having 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night.

Now let’s rewind a little and look at the science behind sleep. Our bodies have a circadian rhythm which follows patterns of light and darkness which has been essentially ignored by the evolution of mankind. Nevertheless, our ability to rest our body at night has a major effect on our ability to learn, to remember, to handle stress and even maintain a healthy appetite the next day.

But you know what the real kicker is? That lack of sleep has been linked with depression, in fact insomnia (Ambien) appears to be the biggest trigger of depression! This backs up the fact that adequate sleep is extremely necessary for our mental health (a problem a lot of university students unknowingly face when cramming for exams). Chronic insomnia or lack of sleep has also been shown to bring on irritability, headaches and muscle pain. It creates a serious weakness in our ability to cope with everyday stresses and our concentration. And what’s more is that people with sleeping problems also have weight issues, not being able to control their cravings.

Is this ringing a bell with you? Are you finding that you are cursing a lot internally throughout the day? Are you having problems with your partner/family/kids/colleagues that you can’t cope with on a regular day? Do you get uncontrollable cravings for junk food? Maybe this triggered an “aha” moment for you. If it did then follow the Top 10 Sleep Remedies and please post a comment if you have any other tips/tricks you can recommend that can help you fall asleep!