Sleep sound for a healthy lifestyle 2

What good is success if your health has deteriorated from a lack of sleep? If you don’t get enough sleeping hours, make sure you read our first article Sleep sound for a healthy lifestyle and follow these tips.

1. One key piece of advise is to set a sleep schedule and establish a bedtime routine and stick to them. Perhaps, this is the most important advice of all: Keep a pace of life that suits you, a regular sleep schedule which maintains the timing of your body’s internal clock and helps you to ensure better quality and consistent sleep.

   

2. Have a bedtime routine that you follow and stick to it as best as you can, e.g., taking a warm shower; reading; turn off the lights and all electrical appliances at least an hour before sleeping, put on your pyjamas, kiss your children good night and check that they are OK, close the curtains, etc.

3. Keep a healthy and active lifestyle. Do exercise regularly. Please, before starting any physical activity, consult your health care provider to know about the best physical activities for you.

4. Keep an eye on the temperature. If you feel cold, wear comfortable and warm socks. On the contrary, if it’s too hot, make sure the room is ventilated properly by opening the window. You can also use thin cotton sheets, electric fans, and air conditioning.

5. Keep your room cool, tidy, and dark. Make sure your bed is large enough, clean, and comfortable. Is the digital clock or the phone charging on the bedside table bothering you? Is your room crowded with electrical appliances (TV, Laptops, tablets, etc.)? Perhaps, part of it must be reallocated in other rooms and leave the bedroom for what is supposed to be, a place devoted to sleeping where your bed is the altar. You may also want to double check the mattress, the box-spring for proper support, and the pillow for maximum comfort.

6. Keep you room quiet. Avoid noise by using earplugs or noise cancelling headphones (listen to relaxing or ambient music) and/or insulating your house with double glazing, curtains, carpets, and loft insulation. If your neighbours are very noisy, try to keep your cool and ask them as politely as you can to turn the music down, to control their dogs, etc. If your partner snores, go to bed earlier than him/her, don’t let him/her smoke and drink alcoholic beverages, find the “right” position for him/her, etc.

7. More Ideas: listen to soothing music, pray or meditate, read a book, listen to an audio-book, etc., but do not read an exciting thriller or a romantic novel that gets you hooked after the first page and you can’t stop until you’ve reached the last page. Do not drink too much before going to sleep, so you avoid getting up many times to go to the toilet, eat a light supper and avoid snacking after eating.

Don’t use your bed for anything other than sleep or sex at all costs. The bed is NOT for studying, reading, watching tv, etc.

To sum up, sleep matters! We all need to sleep well.