Making The Most of Your Time in Bed
Is your sleep anything but restful? Here are a few tips for a better night’s sleep.
Nothing’s worse than waking up in the morning tired and cranky, especially when you went to bed the night before just so you would feel better.
You can cut the amount of time you spend in bed by two hours and feel less sleepy during the day if you improve the quality of your sleep.
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Follow your own sleep rhythms. If you don’t feel sleepy until 2 am you may benefit more by getting four quality hours of sleep than by forcing yourself to go to bed at 11 pm.
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Resist the Saturday and Sunday morning sleep-in. You throw off your body’s clock when you wake up later than usual on the weekend.
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Eat balanced meals on a regular schedule and have a light snack before bedtime. The snack should be high in carbohydrates. A glass of milk, cereal or a light sandwich.
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Exercise regularly, but don’t exercise vigorously late in the evening. Your body will be stimulated instead of relaxed. Mild stretching can be relaxing at bedtime.
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If you smoke or chew tobacco, stop well before bedtime. Nicotine is a stimulant.
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Don’t rely on an alcoholic “nightcap” to help you get to sleep. You won’t sleep deeply, and you’ll wake up often.
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Caffeine from coffee, tea or cola affects you for at least six hours, so watch what you drink in the evening. Caffeine makes your sleep restless as well as keeping you from falling asleep.
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Your bedroom should be dark, quiet and comfortable with no drafts or fans blowing on you.
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Follow a regular routine each night. If you brush your teeth, wash your face, set the alarm and turn off the lights every night, the routine will signal to your body that it’s time to go to sleep.
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Read a boring and difficult book to help you sleep. Think about pleasant things that are happening in your life, but don’t get excited over them.
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If you lie in bed unable to sleep for twenty minutes, get out of bed and go into another room. Do something that relaxes you.
How you sleep determines whether your body will be able to ease the strain and stress it suffers during your workday. Your sleeping posture can either help your body relax, or it can make your body fatigue worse.
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Sleep on your back or side. Sleeping on your stomach night after night can cause back strain. It also forces you to keep your neck twisted.
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Make sure your pillow is neither too thick nor too thin. Your neck should be level with the bed. When sleeping on your back, use a thin pillow and curl it slightly under your neck. You can buy a specially designed pillow that helps keep your neck and shoulders level.
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Don’t sleep for longer periods on your back with your arms above your head and neck. This will strain your shoulders and upper arms and can cause numbness and tingling in your arms and hands.
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When you sleep on your side, your legs should be on top of each other with your knees bent. If you have bony knees, place a thin pillow between them. You may place the top knee slightly behind the other one. When you throw your top leg across the bed, you twist your spine, staining your lower back.
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Sleep should be an enjoyable time. If you can’t get comfortable in these “proper” positions, you may have a back or joint problem that you should discuss with your doctor.
Liked it
Angelgirlpj | Mar 29, 2011 | Reply
Unfortunately I’ve tried everything you’ve suggested and it’s not working. this is the 3rd night with little sleep and it’s getting to me. I’ve even tried taking a painkiller for my hip pain as I am a side sleeper and melatonin.
KimTherapist | Mar 29, 2011 | Reply
Allison, great write!
Martin Kloess | Mar 29, 2011 | Reply
well written – thank you
V rank | Mar 29, 2011 | Reply
Had a not so good night last night… well suggested.
Tiki33 | Mar 29, 2011 | Reply
There’s some great tips in this article.
Diane Ziomek | Mar 29, 2011 | Reply
Luckily the only issue I have in sleeping is the snoring beside me. What tips do you have for him? Pillow over his head perhaps? Great article, and well researched!
CHIPMUNK | Mar 30, 2011 | Reply
If you want to have a good night’s sleep stay away from any medication that is causing you sleepless nights
Will Dee | Mar 30, 2011 | Reply
Good advice thanks for the guidance
Dreamy777 | Mar 30, 2011 | Reply
Great information Thanks
whimsyist | Mar 30, 2011 | Reply
i need your advice. thanks!
OhSugar | Mar 30, 2011 | Reply
Great information that I am willing to try and will try.
Erin Miller | Mar 30, 2011 | Reply
I thought I commented on this when I read it last night. I guess I didn’t. Whoops. Anyway, great information contained here.
Ima Vee | Apr 1, 2011 | Reply
that’s great tips Allison…Thanks for sharing…:]
CCTV | May 1, 2011 | Reply
ah this is very helpful thanks for sharing great tips
PABX Panasonic | May 1, 2011 | Reply
thanks for sharing, i need this tips
health tips | May 1, 2011 | Reply
I liked your article!!! keep on posting many interesting topics!!!
mike | May 1, 2011 | Reply
Great tips as sleep is so essential to our lives. Getting enough sleep when you are in an exercise routine is beneficial for recovery.
seth | May 2, 2011 | Reply
great tips on getting sleep, I can definitely use some of these.
Insomniac | May 2, 2011 | Reply
great tips on getting sleep, I can definitely use some of these.
Mississauga houses | May 2, 2011 | Reply
Very useful tips. We always skip basic requrements for good sleep. Thanks for sahring
sleepaids | May 3, 2011 | Reply
I LOVE your site! Very useful information. Thanks for the always interesting and useful posts! Look at this Health blog. Keep blogging.
Tracy Mc Manamon | May 4, 2011 | Reply
I follow a strict schedule and go to bed at 10:00 pm. After all, no point in staying up late and waking up tired or fatigued.
AshlynBuffaloNY | May 5, 2011 | Reply
Great info. I suffered from fatigue & insomnia myself for a while. One day a friend recommended I do acupuncture here in my local buffalo city. I tried at first, but didn’t feel much of a difference, but for some reason I kept going back again & again, until I actually started to sleep better and wake up almost without any fatigue. I still take those needle treatments, and I’m still gradually improving.
It doesn’t hurt by the way, any one here should try it too if your having sleep problems. But the recommendations and tips they give above are awesome too.
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Madrid Quiropráctico | May 11, 2011 | Reply
I wrote this article http://www.jlquiropractico.com/2011/04/sleep-advice-for-people-with-back-pain-or-neck-pain/ that has a lot of what you mention, it does also mention using pillows to ease tension in your lower back.
Knoxville Chiropractor | May 12, 2011 | Reply
Great article! Following these simple guidelines can help your body get the rest it needs. It is important to give your body what it needs.
antheay | May 13, 2011 | Reply
Keep your room dark and cool..When it’s time to sleep, make sure that your environment is dark..HIPPA Compliant Medical transcription services
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laurier | May 22, 2011 | Reply
Great article Allison. I have suffered with chronic insomnia for over 20 years. I have listed a few additional points that may help others on my website. You can see this article at
http://www.coping-with-pain.com/natural-sleep-remedies.html
Laurie
sleep apnea manhattan | May 23, 2011 | Reply
Great article! i suffer from insomnia so this is really very helpful information for me. Thank you.
Joanne | May 25, 2011 | Reply
Good tips. I’ll try this tonight. Sweet dreams….
janice201149 | May 26, 2011 | Reply
Greetings,
You post great.You discuss it in excellent manner. I agree on you sleeping is the most important to us to have a better next day. If we sleep satisfaction we can perform well in daily routine.
Best Regards,
Smith
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minneapolis dentists | May 27, 2011 | Reply
Ah, I do so many things wrong!!! Lol, the habits are so hard to break though. I love smoking a cigarette right before I wash my face and brush my teeth for bed. Caffeine consumption totally gets me too.. Man, I do a lot of things wrong.
The next time I’m lying sleepless in bed, I will definitely have to weigh the pleasure I get from my coffee and cigarette routine versus the frustration and stress I feel lying sleepless and waking up dead tired the next day.
Yonka | Jun 2, 2011 | Reply
Thanks your tips works good. I had a good and deep sleep after so many days.
Ventura Personal Injury Lawyer | Jun 11, 2011 | Reply
Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep more easily at night.
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Brian Sweet | Jun 19, 2011 | Reply
Good stuff especially about the sleeping positions. I’ve given up coffee altogether and it seems to help. Also lettuce and bananas are good snooze foods so a lettuce and banana sandwich before retiring helps – probably – I’ve never tried it.
LongNaturalHealth101 | Jul 5, 2011 | Reply
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Paleo Diet Meal Plan | Jul 7, 2011 | Reply
Great info in this article. Thanks for sharing!
RushFit | Aug 24, 2011 | Reply
Getting exercise is a great way to help you sleep.
Best cosmetic dentist nyc | Jan 14, 2012 | Reply
Retire for the night and obtain upward from comparable period every single day, actually about the weekends. Sticking with the routine assists strengthen your own body’s sleep-wake period as well as will help you drift off easier through the night.
marco | Mar 9, 2012 | Reply
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Sleep Disorders | Apr 6, 2012 | Reply
Good Article! A good Sleep Hygiene if followed regularly helps avoiding most of the Sleep Disorders.