Do You Count Stars at Night? 8 Awesome Ways to Beat Insomnia
Do you count stars at night? Has sleeplessness become an issue lately? Lack of adequate sleep affects us in several ways. We become cranky, we lose focus and concentration on our work, we become less productive and above all, our health gets affected. An average adult is recommended to have a minimum of 7 hours of sleep everyday which includes a continuous block of sleep without disruption. This continuous sleep sets in the REM cycle during which our brains store our memories and carries out other regulative and restorative functions, which are crucial in making us feel refreshed and energized the following morning. If you are not getting enough sleep or are a victim of insomnia, you should take steps to set it right without any more delay. Listed below are 8 awesome ways to beat insomnia.
1. Sleep during regular hours everyday
You can beat insomnia by regularizing the hours of your sleep. This might be difficult if you have an inconsistent work schedule, but try and sleep during the same hours every day. This will set your body clock right as your body will now know when exactly you go to sleep and prepare accordingly. This will make falling asleep and waking up easier. You will not feel lethargic in the morning, nor will you find it difficult to fall asleep. If you go to bed at 11 PM, then go to bed exactly at 11 PM every day, even on holidays and weekends. Similarly, if you wake up at 6 AM, then wake up exactly at 6 AM even if you do not have work that day. This regularization will enable you to ward off insomnia and also help you get adequate sleep on a daily basis.
2. Sleep in a suitable environment
The environment in which you sleep matters a lot in ensuring whether falling asleep would be easier for you or not. Sleep in a quiet, dark and cool room which is properly ventilated. Avoid noise of any kind – television from the next room or noisy children in another. Shut all doors so that pets do not come in and disturb you. Also, inform everyone at home that you should not be disturbed post 11 PM except in case of an emergency. Sleep in a comfortable bed – it should not be too hard or too soft. Use a good quality pillow and have a clean blanket by your side as well.
3. Shut down all gadgets
Gadgets have become an integral part of our lives today and we cannot do without them, And holding on to a gadget – your smart phone or a tablet or a laptop – on your bed before going to sleep is a habit almost everyone has today. This only causes more harm to your sleep cycle. Firstly, these are gadgets and not books, so they emit a light of their own which you look into directly with your eyes. This light arouses your optical nerves and makes falling asleep even more difficult. If you must use a gadget before bed, use it off the bed. Once you lie down, all your gadgets should be out of your reach. Shut them down and keep them away from you so that you do not feel the urge to just quickly check something or play a game before sleeping.
4. Exercise regularly
Exercise on a regular basis in order to relieve stress from your body and to increase blood flow to all organs of your body. But while exercise helps you get good sleep, strenuous exercise a couple of hours before bedtime will not be beneficial. Either exercise in the morning, or get some exercise in the evening. If work schedule is an issue, take out an hour in between and devote it to your body. This will not only help you get good sleep, but will also keep you healthy is a number of other ways.
