Tips and Strategies For a Good Night’s Sleep
One of the most problematic areas in the life of people today is sleeping. As a chiropractor in charlotte, nc, I have seen that with the busy schedules of today, it can be difficult to get enough sleep. There is a difference between sleep and rest. Sleep is commonly thought of as the number of hours you are in the bed. Rest on the other hand is the completion of the restorative process. This is what allows your body to recharge and heal during the night.
There are basically two types of sleep. These are rem (rapid eye movement) and non-rem. Rem sleep is know as the dreaming state. Non-Rem is referred to as the quiet sleep. In rem sleep the brain is active. This is when you can observe the eyes moving rapidly. Rem sleep helps to restore your mental functions. Non Rem sleep is more of the deep sleeping and helps to restore body immunity and other processes.
You may not realize it but what you do every day can hinder your chances of getting a restful night's sleep. Studies were done on how electronics affected a person's sleep. The results were that televisions, video games, computers, etc. interfered with how well a person slept. Electronics keep your brain active so it's vitally important to set aside some quiet time to unwind before you go to sleep.
When a person wants a good night's rest, they need to avoid drinking certain beverages. These include any kind of caffeinated beverages like soda, coffee and sports drinks. If a person wants tea, they need to read labels since some teas do have caffeine.
If you're not an active person, you may suffer for it when you try to rest. It's important to put together a workout plan that you will follow through since exercising helps to develop better sleep patterns along with boosting your quality of life. Not sure how to go about this? Then hire an exercise trainer to work with you. By understanding their experience, you can keep yourself from doing the incorrect exercises.
Another way to get some good sleep is to deal with your bedroom. Do you have a television that you go to sleep by? Do you think of your bedroom as just another living room but with a bed instead of a couch? If so, then you may need to do something about this. Remember your bedroom should be a place to relax.
When a person uses their bedroom as another "living room", their body associates this room with that concept. If a person were to remove these items, they could retrain their minds to think of it as a bedroom. While a person may really like their bedroom to be an entertainment center, it's one of the worst things they can do for themselves.
It's important to identify how much stress you're under since this is a culprit in the lack of sleep a person gets. Stress can eventually lead you to depression, which will also interfere with your ability to get a good sleep. Determine what makes your mind run wild and find ways to slow it down.
There are other things that a person can do besides reorganizing their bedroom. They can repeat the same things every evening before heading to bed. This means giving themselves a 30-minute window to wind down. This allows the brain to understand the person is getting ready for bed and is calling it a day.
Some things that a person can do is read in bed, drink decaffeinated tea such as peppermint tea. Rather than using the overhead light or lamp, a person should use candlelight; a lavender candle helps to relax the body.
As with everything, change is challenging. To improve your sleep you need to change your patterns. It can be difficult be it is achievable. Customize your own wind-down ritual and have a good night's sleep tonight!
Author: Dr. Robert Simmons is a charlotte chiropractor using applied kinesiology technique. We regularly hold free charlotte chiropractic nutrition seminars and workshops.