What To Do When You Can't Sleep At Night
By: Suzanne Kvilhaug
Two of the most frustrating things in the world have to be lying in bed unable to fall asleep and waking up in the middle of the night bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Unfortunately, a lot of us find ourselves in one of those circumstances pretty often.
Each year more than 50 million Americans suffer from over 80 different sleep disorders and another 20 to 30 million suffer intermittent sleep problems. So, if you’re one of the millions finding it difficult to fall asleep at night, here are a few tips that might help you get a good night’s rest.
Change The Temperature
The “best” temperature for sleeping varies for everyone, but the recommended bedroom temperature for optimal sleep is typically between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. So if your bedroom is too hot or too cold, that could be a reason you’re not falling asleep easily. Your perfect sleep temp may range a little from the average, so keep making adjustments until you find a temperature that works for you. It may mean investing in a small bedroom AC or a heated blanket to get to “just right” but a few degrees may make a big difference.
Try Out A New Mattress
If your mattress is shot, it may be sabotaging your sleep quality. If you can’t get comfortable when you’re trying to sleep, or you wake up during the night with pain, that could be because your mattress that has outlived its lifespan. Most mattresses will typically last 5-10 years so anytime after year five is a good time to start checking for signs of wear and sagging. Mattresses can be expensive but having a good one can completely change the way you sleep. Fortunately, a lot of mattress brands offer trial periods that last anywhere from about 3 months to a year, so you can return it if your sleep doesn’t improve.
Use Herbs Or Other Natural Ingredients
Yes, it feels a little new-agey but herbs and other plants can work wonders when it comes to sleep. For example, Valerian is a plant with mild sedative properties that can work as a sleeping aid and help anxiety. Studies have shown that valerian root extracts are widely used for inducing sleep and improving sleep quality. Taking Ginko Biloba 30-60 minutes before bedtime may also help promote rest and relaxation. When it comes to natural sleep remedies, you just have to try out different options to see what works for you. If you aren’t into taking herbs as pills, you can also take natural sleep aids in liquid form.
Drink Tea Before Bed
If you’re one of the 80% of Americans who already drinks tea, this is definitely worth trying. Look for sleep teas or nighttime teas because they are caffeine-free and often use many of the same materials that are found in sleep supplements. Lavender, chamomile, and passionflower tea are popular varieties for a calming bedtime experience that promotes sleepiness. Tea may or may not work for you, because it affects everyone differently, but it’s an easily available natural option that many people swear by.
Supplement Your Diet With Magnesium
Adding more magnesium to your diet could also help with your sleeping problems. Magnesium plays a role in supporting deep, restorative sleep by maintaining healthy levels of GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter, that promotes sleep. Studies show that supplements can counteract magnesium deficiency and help improve sleep quality. You can also get more magnesium in your diet by eating things like halibut, spinach, bran cereals, almonds, flaxseed, and peanut butter.
Practice Guided Imagery
What makes you feel calm and at peace? Picture it and you may just start nodding off. Guided imagery is a relaxation technique where your thoughts are redirected through imagination and visualization to help you achieve a goal. This can be particularly effective if you find yourself struggling to sleep because of an anxious mind. If your thoughts are racing, guided imagery can help you focus on a mental picture or story that allows you to take some control and break the cycle of restless thoughts to feel more peaceful.
Start Meditating
Meditation is one of the fastest-growing health trends for good reasons. In addition to a multitude of health benefits during your waking hours, meditation has been shown to increase sleep time, improve sleep quality, and make it easier to fall and stay asleep. Like guided imagery, guided meditation can help you relax and quiet your mind. It can also help increase your body’s production of melatonin and serotonin while also activating the part of your brain that controls sleep.
Do Specific Breathing Exercises
If full-on meditation isn’t your thing you can still use the breathing component to help you sleep. Some believers claim that the 4-7-8 breathing technique method can help people get to sleep in 1 minute. It is designed to beat stress and bring balance to the body, all while giving your organs and tissues a much-needed oxygen boost. The 4-7-8 breathing technique, also known as “relaxing breath,” involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds.
Use White Noise
You know when you’re about to fall asleep and a loud noise startles you and brings you back to square one? That’s where white noise comes in. White noise reduces background sounds to give you a better chance to sleep through it undisturbed. You don’t have to buy a fancy white noise machine, a good old-fashioned fan works wonders and there’s also white noise apps you can use on your phone.
At PureHealthyLiving we know that better sleep means better health and a better life. Here are some more articles to help you get high-quality sleep every night!
Why Do We Sleep? What Sleep Does For Your Body
Fix Your Sleep Schedule: Why A Regular Sleep Schedule Benefits Your Health
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