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Top 12 Sleep Tips for a Long and Healthy Life
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9. Figure Out Your Sleep Preferences
Find out which room temperature works best for you (for most people, that is 65 or below but everyone is different) , which type of mattress you sleep best on (harder, softer), how many hours sleep is the ideal amount for you, and what type of pillow suits you best (full, flat, lumpy, several pillows, no pillow). Once you know the perfect conditions that make you feel most comfortable and make you wake up feeling refreshed, keep your bedroom in that type of condition so that you can get your rest and give your body the quality sleep time it needs to repair itself. Read also sleeping positions that are good for you.
10. Focus on Relaxing, Not Sleeping
It might sound strange, but when you only focus on how much sleep you are getting, you don’t get much! Have you ever gone to bed and after about an hour you realize that you aren’t going to fall asleep quickly, so you start checking the clock every 5 minutes and thinking “If only I could fall asleep now, I could still get in a good 7 hours…6 hours…5 hours.” Rather than concentrate on how many hours you should be getting, or aren’t getting, focus on relaxing. A body and mind that is relaxed will fall asleep easily. You might want to practice tightening each part of your body, and then relaxing it completely. Turn on a white noise machine and pretend that you are lying on a beautiful beach. Don’t think about sleep, think about relaxing and sleep will come.
11. Manage Your Stress
You can’t sleep when your mind is going over all the things you have to do the next day and trying to figure out how you will manage to do it all. Stress cannot be completely avoided, but it can be managed. Get organized, delegate certain tasks when you can, set priorities, and be sure that you make your own health and well-being a priority. Admit and accept that you are human and that you need breaks. Take them! Call a friend or family member and have a good laugh, get some exercise, practice meditation and yoga. Some people find that just before bed, they jot down the things they will do the next day and then imagine leaving their troubles on that piece of paper. Troubles and tasks can wait for the morning.
12. Enjoy Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Although a good night’s sleep is super important, it won’t make up for daytime bad habits such as eating a diet filled with junk food, fast food, sugar, lack of exercise, smoking, and excessive drinking. Sleeping well each night is just one part of an overall healthy lifestyle that will keep you free from disease and give you a long and happy life.
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