There are three important factors when it comes to health; diet, exercise and of course the most over looked component, sleep. Sleep is one area where many think they can take shortcuts, getting several hours less than they should. One major health risk from lack of sleep is a rise in cytokine molecules and by association inflammation. The end result is a plethora of cardiovascular issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease and ultimately a stroke. There is no reason to let it get that far though, simply get better sleep and you will feel better.
One of the first things you can do to help ensure you get better sleep is to quit consuming caffeine after lunch. It’s not uncommon for caffeine to impact the body up to hours, which can make it hard to sleep later. Consider dumping caffeinated drinks for things like water and herbal tea. Another good tip is to give yourself a buffer from when you exercise till you go to bed. Exercise is, as always important and will help you sleep, but if you aren’t giving yourself time to cool down then it might be having the opposite of the intended effect.
Something else that gets overlooked by most is when they are consuming liquids before they sleep. It’s not hard to understand that if you drink something before bed, you will probably have to get up in the middle of the night to get rid of it, not having to do so means uninterrupted sleep. A few of these small steps will help greatly when it comes to getting better sleep. If you find yourself getting up at random times and getting to sleep at random times, your body has to adjust. So if you can stick to schedule, your body will naturally be ready to sleep and wake right on time every day. You should also make sure you are sleeping in the most comfortable position, so you are not getting up in pain due to sleeping in stressful positions.
Ensure you are keeping your neck parallel when sleeping. If your neck isn’t straight, it’s putting stress on it, so use the appropriate amount of head support to achieve this. Additionally keeping your sleeping quarters dark will help you get better sleep. Some people go as far as putting tape over items with small lights in them to ensure the room is totally dark. You should always make sure you are comfortable when you sleep. Don’t wear restricting or uncomfortable clothing, and you want to ensure you aren’t getting too hot or too cold. Finally, consider eating a small amount of a food with tryptophan before bed, things like peanuts, yogurt, ice cream and of course turkey will all help make you drowsy.
