Ever find yourself lying in bed, wide awake and staring at the ceiling? A night without 40 winks can be pretty frustrating, so here are five ways to make sure another restless period never enters your bedroom again.
5) Eat the Right Foods – Liquids and foods containing serotonin ensure you’ll sleep well throughout the night. Things like milk, chamomile tea, and even kiwi – it’s not only delicious, but Taiwanese researchers say there’s enough serotonin in kiwi that eating two of them an hour before bed will help you fall asleep faster and longer.
4) Stretch Out – Stretch your legs prior to slipping under the covers. Leg cramps can form in the middle of the night, leading to insomnia and unwanted pain. Focus specifically on stretching your calves and hamstrings. This will lengthen your tendons, and reduce your cramps to nothing.
3) Meditate – Clear your mind of the day’s work to give yourself a good night’s sleep. Often times, our brains are slow to shut down; our heads are full with thoughts about work and life, and our eyelids feel as light as a feather. Give yourself a few minutes every night to meditate before putting on your PJs. It’s a wide, open door into Slumber Land.
2) Read A Book – Reading can calm one’s nerves. Many of us think that curling up to a movie or listening to music is the best way to induce sleep, but reading has many effects. While calming us down and preparing us for sleep, reading simultaneously improves our abilities to reason and think, so take some time to delve into a rich fantasy story before bed. You’ll be sleeping soundly before you know it.
1) Turn Off All Technology – An hour before bed, shut off your computer, television, phone, and all things that reek of modern-day technology. The artificial light these items emit have serious effects on our “body clocks,” and even promote sleep disorders. Shutting everything down removes distractions, and allows you to fall asleep much faster.
