Subscribe Feed (RSS)Sleep Hygiene – The Natural Remedy For Insomnia
August 26th, 2010 by admin | Filed under Uncategorized.We’re all familiar with personal hygiene to keep our bodies clean and odor free and dental hygiene to keep our teeth healthy, white and strong and our breath smelling sweet, so what about sleep hygiene?
Well, there is indeed such a thing as sleep hygiene which involves all of those things that we can do when it comes to bedtime to ensure that we fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly through the night. So, what sort of things are important when it comes to sleep hygiene?
The first, and arguably most important, thing that you can do is to establish a set time for both going to bed and getting up in the morning. A regular bedtime is something that we all get used to as children and insist on with our own kids and so it should come as no surprise to find that it is just important for us as adults.
For most of us getting up at a set time is easy because our daily routine of getting to work, taking the kids to school and so on sets a pretty strict timetable for us. However, when it comes to bedtime this is a very different matter and there’s really nothing to force us to bed. But our bodies need time each day to shut down and recharge and it’s very difficult for them to do this unless we train them for sleep - and training means following a set routine.
The next important element of any sleep hygiene plan is to learn to relax in preparation for sleep. If you simply throw on your pajamas and jump into bed without any preparation there’s a very good chance that you’ll lie in bed wide awake or tossing and turning for some time before sleep finally catches up with you.
It’s important therefore to set aside some time each evening just before you go to bed to consciously relax your body and mind. This doesn’t have to be a great deal of time and most people find that anywhere from about twenty minutes up to an hour is more than enough.
Try to pick an activity that works best for you and which, preferably, doesn’t involve the television. Some excellent activities are yoga and meditation, or even simple breathing exercises, possibly accompanied by some quiet, soothing and relaxing music.
Although it might seem strange if you’ve never tried it, you actually need to work at relaxation and simply flopping down in front of the television and letting that do the job for you really doesn’t work. To relax both your mind and your body, you need to find yourself a quiet spot and take some time to consciously and progressively relax you’re your mind and body.
These two simple aspects of sleep hygiene provide a great basis for any bedtime routine and we’ll look at some other things to consider is a follow-up article.
Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health-related publications discussing the problems of sleep and giving detailed advice on a help-me-to-sleep.com” target=”_blank natural remedy for insomnia. For more help-me-to-sleep.com/articles/” target=”_blank articles on insomnia please visit help-me-to-sleep.com/” target=”_blank Help-Me-To-Sleep.com
Tags: exercises, sleep
