Sleep Maximization by Alan Tutt http://www.KeysToPower.comDo you wake up feeling tired and run down, before you even start your day? Do you have trouble sleeping soundly? Would you like to sleep less and use extra time doing other things?
If any of these describe you, you're in luck. I've recently learned about some specific things you can do to make your sleep much more energizing for time invested.
And in that spirit, I'm going to get right to heart of matter and spell out some of most important steps you can take to increase amount of energy you can get from your sleep.
One of most important things to know is that best sleep is deepest sleep. The deeper you sleep, more your mind and body recuperates and more energy you get.
There are a couple of factors that determine how deeply you sleep.
Get Plenty of Exercise
As most of us know, one of those factors is how hard you've worked during day. If you've put in a full day's labor and really worked your muscles good, you will generally fall asleep easily and reach a deep level of sleep. This is because body has a definite need to recuperate and gets right to it.
Most people today don't do nearly enough physical work to activate this natural phenomenon. Our only alternative is to take time to follow an exercise program. Of course, there are many other benefits to this besides just getting better sleep.
The general recommendations here are:
Get at least 15-20 minutes of exercise every day if possible.
Make sure to exercise hard enough to increase your heart rate by 25% of your resting rate.
Exercise early in day, and if possible, right after waking up in morning.
Combine both strength training and cardiovascular training.
Get Out Into The Sun
One of surprising facts that I learned is that more sunlight you get during day helps to promote deeper, more restful sleep. And flip side of this is that darker it is where you're trying to sleep, better too. The body's natural rhythm is based on several cycles. There's daily cycle of bright days and dark nights as well as monthly cycles and so on.
When you're exposed to sunlight, there is a chemical in brain that is inhibited. Melatonin is a chemical produced by brain, and makes you drowsy and ready to sleep. The main thing to remember with this is that more light you take in through your eyes, less of this chemical you have in your system. And so, to have most energy during day, get out into sunlight.
When we spend most of our time indoors, we get very little light. Any photographer will tell you that ambient light levels indoors are pitifully small compared to full sunlight. And when we don't get enough full sunlight, our bodies don't really know if it is day or night, and our sleep cycles are disturbed.
Drink Plenty of Water
Here's something else that we've all been told is good for us. Drinking lots of water (not colas, coffees, teas, or alcohol) will improve your blood-flow, making it easier for your body to repair itself from daily wear and tear of life. All of your physical systems work better when you're blood is flowing right.