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How to gET BETTER sleep AT NIGHT NATURALLY

Sleep is comprised of five stages: Stage 1: NonRapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep for a few minutes as the person moves in transitional sleep with dreamlike thoughts; Stage 2: NREM sleep that is deeper with fragmented thoughts for 15 to 20 minutes; Stages 3 and 4: Deeper NREM sleep stages (delta sleep) lasting 40 to 70 minutes; REM Stage: Follows the first four stages and is sleep (dream sleep) that can be considered as restorative, or as calisthenics for the brain. The cycles of sleep stages are repeated through the sleep period with increasingly lengthening REM stages until the person awakens. Many activities can interrupt the normal circadian rhythms, disrupting sleep, and causing distress. Lack of sufficient REM sleep affects memory and learning.

Answer the following questions:

• Does it take you at least an hour to fall asleep?
• Do you wake up too early?
• Does your sleep partner complain that you are restless?
• Do you worry about getting enough sleep most nights?
• If you wake up in the night, can you go back to sleep?
• Do you feel exhausted from lack of sleep?
• Do you sleep in on days off or take daytime naps to make up for lack of sleep?
• Do you need caffeine to stay alert during the day? How much?
• Does your mind continue to work excessively during times when your body is resting?

Any "yes" responses can indicate a problem.

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Believe it or not, there are many contributing factors that can have a profound impact on the amount and quality of sleep in your life. Sleep deprivation can have an imperative influence on function, productivity, and attitude. A significant portion of people struggle with a lack of sleep and the clinical diagnosis of this condition actually affects over 40,000,000 American citizens each year.

Sleep is a vital necessity not only for proper function of our bodily structures, but it also ensures that our cells have ample opportunity for repair and reproduction. So what exactly is necessary for a productive night of rest? How do we prepare our minds and bodies for effective sleep? What can we do to ensure that we are making the most of the time that we allot for sleeping?

If you are having trouble with getting a good night’s rest, consider the following ways in which you can address the issues and potentially improve the duration and quality of your sleeping periods.

Diet

Many people might be surprised to learn that how we fuel our bodies plays a huge role in the quality and efficiency of our sleep habits. When we consume food, our bodies pay close attention to the digestion and the initial processing of the structural components that are found within our diet.

Certain ingredients like sugar and caffeine are considered to be stimulants and they tend to make the brain more responsive, reactive, and sensitive to external stimuli. Eating a large meal or consuming caffeine right before bedtime is highly discouraged because it can make it difficult for the brain activity to slow down enough to promote sleep. In fact, to optimize sleep efficiency, avoid any consumption within two hours of your expected bedtime.

Likewise, drinking an excessive volume of fluids right before bed increases the likelihood of interrupted sleep patterns that result from repeated trips to the bathroom. Reduce or eliminate your drink intake right before bed.

In addition, highly acidic foods have a reputation for exacerbating underlying reflux or heartburn, especially when individuals lay down at a horizontal angle. For that matter, it is usually best to avoid anything particularly spicy or high in sodium.

Despite the fact that alcohol is considered a depressant and may help some people fall asleep initially, it does the body no favors in terms of sleep quality. If you want your body to fall asleep and actually stay asleep for the recommended number of hours, avoid adult beverages, especially right before bed.

Some individuals find sleep assistance with the addition of vitamins and supplements that are believed to promote sleep in a more natural manner. Over the counter remedies like melatonin, valerian, and magnesium are the same molecules found within our bodies that stimulate us to go into rest mode.

However, even natural supplements can cause dependency in some people. Always consult with a medical professional before implementing medication into your daily routine. If you are unsure about taking a vitamin or pill as a sleep aid, consider implementing certain foods that are higher in sleep promoting ingredients. Fish, dairy, whole grains, and bananas are great options if you are in the mood for a later snack.

Better Sleep After Exercise

An active lifestyle is certainly more conducive to productive sleep habits. Many research studies have been conducted to determine that maintaining a sedentary lifestyle increase the likelihood of insomnia and other sleep complications. Scientists and medical professionals have also proven that an exercise routine is very successful at improving your overall sleep consistency and quality.

Be advised, there is a very fine line between a healthy level of activity and over exertion which causes intense exhaustion. In other words, don’t overdo it! When your body is overtired, your sleep can be compromised. You might also consider certain exercise routines that are known for reducing stress. Yoga and Pilates are fantastic methods of relaxation as well as a great way to improve your physical well-being.

Daily Habits

In addition to diet and exercise, pay close attention to your daytime habits that could be hindering productive sleep. Avoid long naps, especially in the late afternoons and evenings. At the same time, it is important to allow your mind the opportunity to recognize the natural changes in lighting. Changes in the amount of daylight actually trigger our internal rhythms. In other words, let the sunlight in during the day, and turn bright lights off at night so our brains can signal to our bodies that time for sleep is approaching.

Take note of any situations that might be causing you excessive levels of stress. Try to find ways to reduce this mental turmoil because not only will stress reduction improve your sleep habits, but it will improve your overall physical condition as well.

Bedtime Routine & Relaxation

Your nighttime behaviors and typical routine are incredibly influential on sleep quality. If you have trouble settling into a restful state, consider implementing a relaxing routine that your body will eventually begin to recognize.

Just like our circadian rhythms establish what is considered to be an internal alarm clock for waking up in the mornings, if we are consistent with a nighttime routine, our bodies will start to recognize the sequences and queues that precede sleep.

Allow yourself plenty of time to slowly wind down from your stimulating day. Take a relaxing bath, play soft music, read a book, or practice meditation techniques. Dim the lights and turn off your distracting electronic devices. You may have to experiment with different activities to determine which ones are most successful at relaxing your mind and preparing your body for sleep.

Aromatherapy is another potential practice that many people utilize for inducing sleep and mental relaxation. Lavender, valerian, sandalwood, and chamomile are popular essential oils that have a reputation for soothing and calming.

Research the amount of sleep that is recommended for your age and always make a conscious effort to achieve that number. After all, your body deserves the opportunity to rest and your productivity and focus will be significantly better if you have had a good night’s sleep.

To figure out your average sleep time, simply jot down your best estimate of how many hours and minutes you slept the night before, as soon as you get up in the morning. After fourteen nights, add up your numbers and divide by 14. This will be your average daily sleep time.

You can even design your  own sleep schedule by adding a half hour to your average sleep time. Decide what time you want to get up every morning, take your average daily sleep time figure, then work back from this wake-up time by that figure plus half an hour to determine your bedtime. So if you want to get up at 7 AM, and your average sleep time is eight hours, then count back eight hours from 7AM = 11 PM. Subtract half an hour = 10:30 PM. That's your new bedtime.

Medical intervention

If your attempts are unsuccessful at improving a sleep deprivation disorder, you might consider seeking the advice of a licensed medical professional. Many sleep specialists have suggestive techniques, equipment, prescription medications, or potential surgery options that are useful at improving sleep quality.

Your doctor or healthcare provider will likely suggest that you have a sleep study conducted to determine the root cause of your sleep issues. This consists of an overnight stay at an office where your neural activity, sleep quality, and breathing are monitored for a certain number of nighttime hours. The information provided by a sleep study is necessary for finding an accurate diagnosis and potential solution for your sleep disorder.

For example, individuals suffering from sleep apnea might benefit from using a CPAP machine which is a device that actively pumps oxygenated air through a facemask. This pressure helps to keep the airways open and reduces wakeful periods that result from the body naturally seeking relief from reduced oxygen.

Other sleep disorders may require a prescription medication that alleviates certain chemical and/or various hormonal imbalances that are usually found within the brain. Perhaps your current medications are actually resulting in a stimulatory effect, so your doctor might suggest adjusting your regimen.

There are a plethora of potential physical and anatomical reasons that might help explain your sleep complications.