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One of them is temperature of your bedroom. Adjust temperature of your bedroom so it's conducive to sleeping. It's usually best to have your room a little on cool side, but be sure you have enough blankets on your bed.
Another environmental issue is darkness of our bedrooms. Many people prefer sleeping when it's totally dark, so turn off lights except for night lights.
A key bedroom environment factor is your bed. Purchase best mattress you can afford since you'll spend a large proportion of your life on it.
Quietness is very important to our rest. Try to keep noise down. If that's impossible, consider using ear plugs. Play calming music and avoid watching television just before bedtime. Violent scenes can lead to sleeplessness and violent dreams!
Design your bedroom to be a peaceful sanctuary in your home. Separate your work from bedroom area so your body knows bedroom is a place to rest - not work.
4. Prepare yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually for bedtime.
There are a number of steps you can take before going to bed to prepare yourself physically. Slowly stretching before hitting sack can help you relax. Regular exercise during day will enhance your ability to fall asleep. Taking a warm bath - not a shower - can be helpful too. If you are still tense, a back massage can help you relax. Wear comfortable nonbinding clothing.
Here's most important thing you can do once you've hit sack - let go of day's worries. Bedtime is a bad time to dwell on problems since worry can keep you tossing and turning for hours! I've found that reading Bible and praying before going to bed is a wonderful way to end day. Then I can truly relax and lay down my problems. My sleep is much sweeter and so are my dreams!
5. Seek specialized help if needed.
A medical condition could be preventing you from getting your full rest at night. See your doctor if you have continuing difficulty with falling asleep. Usually it's not wise to take sleeping pills since they can become addictive. They also interfere with body's own inner sleeping rhythm.
Here are three organizations that offer specialized help:
National Sleep Foundation http://www.sleepfoundation.org/about.cfm
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine http://www.aasmnet.org/
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm
The suggestions in this article have been listed to help you get a better night's sleep. Now try putting them into practice and enjoy a more rested and energetic lifestyle.
Pleasant dreams!
Copyright ©2004 by Patricia Wagner
Patricia Wagner offers informative tips on living a more energetic lifestyle at http://www.a-to-z-wellness.com and through her free "A to Z Health Tips" newsletter. Contact Patricia at wagner.art@verizon.net