Getting Great Sleep

Ah . . . the bliss of deep, restful sleep. There is nothing like it. You climb in between the crisp, clean sheets, sinking into the comfort of knowing that the day has ended, and you are ready to drift off into dreamland. You give yourself over to that mysterious cloud of slumber, knowing that you can take this time for yourself -- to recover, to rejuvenate, to replenish.

It is necessary for most adults to get eight hours of sleep each night to be rested and maintain good health. However, many of us fail to achieve this ideal of sleep, both in quality and quantity. 40 million people in the United states put up with sleep troubles every year, as stated by the FDA.

Here are some suggestions and home remedies to help with improving sleep.

Stress is one of the chief causes of sleep problems.

Demanding days filled with too much to consider, economic stress, family difficulties, worries . . . it is too easy to lie awake at night -- and consequently be depleted the next day.

Deep Relaxation is needed to combat unhealthy levels of stress. Deep relaxation may be highly effective with difficulties in sleeping, lowering your stress, and allowing your body and mind to let go of being on "red alert".

Relaxation is a very vital element in preparing for high-quality sleep. Deep Relaxation allows your body and mind to quiet down from the day’s activities. It’s then a good deal easier to go to sleep, stay asleep, and sleep deeply.

Many people discover that listening to a relaxation CD at bedtime assists them to attain a pleasing night’s sleep. Peaceful words and calming music bring about for adults what a lullaby does for an infant! It’s a superb way to let go of the day’s concerns and fall into restful sleep.

The following is an example of a relaxation CD. It is a selection from my 2 CD-set: The Alchemy of Peace & Love. For more information or reading regarding this relaxing CD, go to www.Imagery4Relaxation.com

Happy listening!

Parents of young children know that bedtime rituals reinforce their effort in getting their children to sleep, and help to ensure that their children will sleep soundly through the night. Did you know it’s helpful for adults as well?

Having a customary routine around bedtime where you get ready for restful sleep can greatly increase the likelihood that you will sleep well. Doing the same things each night before you retire is a vital piece of the mental and physical shift involved in winding down and moving into slumber.

Here are some tried and tested elements of a bedtime routine that may promote better sleep:

• Luxuriate in an unhurried bath or shower. The benefits of soaking in warm water are numerous! The delicious warmth of the water will help your body to relax and your mind to let go. Adding bath salts or a mixture of Epsom salts and baking soda can enhance relaxation and a sense of well being, as well as helping to get rid of toxins in your body.
• Try candlelight. Along with that nurturing bath or shower, treat yourself to an aromatherapy candle containing lavender. Lavender, a versatile and highly regarded essential oil, is prized for its calming and healing qualities. In addition, the lowered lighting helps to create a path to better sleep as it smooths the passage from wakefulness to sleepiness.
  
• Do some reading. However, make it light! Tranquil, non-stimulating reading before sleep can help to reduce stress and prepare for a good night's sleep by taking one's mind off of the day's events.
• Enjoy a hot beverage. You might try Yogi Bedtime Herbal Tea Supplement -- or any other non-caffeinated beverage of your choice.
• Take pleasure in soothing music. Research suggests that 45 minutes of calming music before bedtime can pave the way to a more restful night. Listening to music creates physical changes such as lowered heart and respiratory rate which support tranquil sleep.
• Move your body in gentle ways. Movement in the form of gentle stretching is a perfect approach to relieve tension, relax the body, and prepare the mind for soothing sleep. We tend to create tension in the muscles of our neck, back and shoulders during the day. Mindful stretching helps those muscles to relax and delivers warmth to the joints and surrounding tissues. Stretching focuses one's awareness on the body's ability to lengthen and release.
• Remember your breath. A few minutes of breathing exercises helps to reduce stress and insure a good night's sleep.There are many such exercises designed to calm your nervous system. One is to simply focus on the feeling of the breath -- feeling the inhalation and the exhalation. Be aware of the movement and sensations that accompany the breath. Allow the breath to flow all the way down into a very soft belly. You can imagine that your belly is like a balloon . . . on the in-breath, that balloon softly inflates. On the out-breath, it releases. Just a few minutes of soft-belly breathing can transform tension into release!

• Stay with a schedule! Do your best to support your body's natural sleep-wake rhythm by going to bed and getting up at nearly the same time each day, even on weekends. This kind of schedule can help you fall asleep with more ease at night.
• Create support for your sleep in the bedroom. You will sleep best if the room is cool, well-ventilated, dark and quiet. Adjust the lighting so that it is completely dark. Darkness stimulates the production of the hormone melatonin, which helps us sleep more deeply. Use blackout curtains or eye covers to create an absence of light. Adjust the temperature so that the room is cooler and use blankets to regulate the temperature inside the bed. Use soft music or a white noise machine to blunt the effect of undesired noise.
• Be choosy about your mattress and pillow. Everyone is different when it comes to what they want in a comfortable mattress and pillow. If you are sleeping on a mattress that is more than 10 years old, you may need to look into purchasing another one. I find the MEDIFLOW Water Based Pillow to be extremely comfortable and supportive of my neck during sleep.
  

• Be sure not to exercise or eat a heavy meal within four hours of bedtime.
  
• Research any medications you are taking to make sure they are not getting in the way of your sleep.
• Restorative yoga or meditation before going to bed can help your body relax, and your mind to become calm.
• If you have tight muscles, listening to a relaxation CD or doing progressive muscle relaxation can help you release tension.
• Do not consume caffeine (coffee, caffeinated soft drinks, chocolate) or other stimulants late in the day; alcohol and nicotine can also interfere with sleep.
• If you experience involuntary leg movements during the night you may be experiencing Restless Leg Syndrome. This may sometimes be the consequence of a folic acid deficiency, so try taking a dietary supplement containing folic acid. Folacal by Thorne Research is an excellent one; you can take 2 capsules with meals and before bedtime.Gentle stretching of the legs (quadriceps, hamstrings, calves) may help as well.
• If your sleep problems continue, consult a sleep specialist. Frequently they will put in an order for a sleep study, where you sleep a night at their office while connected to monitors to help with assessment. Sleep apnea (stopping breathing intermittently) is a frequent discovery, and there are excellent therapies available.

Approach your sleep routine with a plan. Give yourself time to experiment and try numerous things. It may be helpful to keep a sleep journal, where you make brief notes concerning the day's events. Beneficial things to include in the journal are: your state of mind upon going to bed; when you ate or exercised; caffeine, nicotine and alcohol consumed; relaxation or meditation or other practices done before bed; and, finally, how you slept that night.

SWEET DREAMS!