How to Sleep for Better Health
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
There are a number of articles concerning sleep on Wikihow see 'Related wikiHows' below for a couple of them. Some people can sleep standing up, and others who may find sleep very difficult it is an art form. Two of the most important things for a long and healthy life may be the right food and the right amount of sleep. If one does not sleep well, the trick may be to discover why, which might be done by experimentation. A few ideas are suggested here:
Steps
- Discover the proper amount of sleep in which one feels best the next day, as the body knows what is good for it. Too much or too little can be adverse, both feeling and health wise. Knowing the proper amount of rest necessary, and since it is so important to one's health and feelings, one might consider altering and constructing one's lifestyle to that necessity. Develop a pattern. Like if one's body expects to eat at certain time everyday and the stomach juices begin flowing, it is the same with sleep. The body will adjust to preparing itself for sleep at a specific time every evening. Begin a wind down process some 2 hours before bedtime. Do not watch #television, movies, radio or Internet that may excite the mind, if those things affect getting to sleep. Begin to slow the mind by refusing to think about one's daily duties and all the stress, tension, bad feelings, anger and negative emotions. Ritualize a successful pattern of winding down.
- A good mattress is a prerequisite and there all kinds of them out there. One might use a (Goldilocks) firm mattress, not too hard and not too soft. One might consider a 4 inch thick cotton Futon style mattress without springs, on some stiff surface like a bedspring, plywood or some stand that may come with it.
- One might consider temperature as critical for some people, where even a single or a couple of degrees may make the difference, and where the temperature may continually change throughout the night. Use any number of blankets in layers that can peeled back or added for the right degree. Sometimes the problem is that the feet get too hot or cold, and which may make all the difference. Make sure the bedding is loose, so that one can regulate the temperature of one's feet and body by exposing one or both to fewer or no blankets. If one gets too cold heat is lost from the body through the top of the head. Try wearing some type of cap or loose fitting hood, and pajamas may be a good idea.
- Find the proper pillow(s). There are pillows for the head and for the body. There are foam pillows, feather and even water pillows. There are pillows of the normal size and pillows that may be about 6 to 12 inches in diameter and anywhere from 3 to 10 feet long. For some, sleeping on the stomach may be necessary to calm the nerves. One might use a pillow under the stomach to concentrate pressure, and to take strain off the back. Also sleep with one leg folded up to further lessen strain on the back.
- Study the affects of foods and drink consumed throughout the day and how they may affect sleep. Every individual is different, like coffee keeps some people awake and puts some to sleep. Caffeine is usually a stimulant as is sugar. For some even coffee after twelve noon will cause difficulty in sleeping. Too much sugar may keep one awake at night. The digestion of food affects the body as it enters the bloodstream. One might consider the time at which dinner and or dessert is eaten. One might exclude sugary desert. One can also try various kinds of herbal teas and drinks such milk and honey, usually warmed. Search Google for home remedies. One might try a really strong Irish style beer to knock themselves out. The right beer will not make one urinate, since its ingredients will most all be digested as food. If one finds a tolerance developing such that one will need two beers to accomplish the same affect as one, then one is using the wrong beer.
- Pharmaceuticals might be employed when absolutely necessary, but should be avoided if not. Pharmaceuticals generally have side affects, in which for any given particular individual, the long range affects cannot be determined. As a substitute for Pharmaceuticals one might try aspirin or search home remedies.
- Learn to relax. In the long run any problems that might keeping one from sleeping in the now, and thus perhaps negatively affecting one's health, cannot be all that important if one cannot recall them in the future. Refuse to think of the problems or resolve them by changing the circumstances of their creation. Some types of thinking will excite the mind and some will slow and retard it. Leave work/school related problems, stress, worry etc. at work. Thinking about it won't change anything. Employ day dreaming style free flowing magical thinking that more corresponds to dream/sleep frame of mind. Try to remember the last dream one had, or any dream. Maybe read the comics. Read a chapter of something very enjoyable, slowly and for the ambiance, if it makes one drowsy just before going to bed. Concentrate on a single problem that is enjoyable for one to think about. Concentrate on slowing the mind.
- *Sleeping in the same bed with others can also affect one's sleep. A restless partner may disturb one everytime they toss, turn, snore, whatever. May have to consider sleeping in a separate room.
Tips
Related wikiHows
Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Sleep for Better Health. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
Wikipedia article on "SLEEP":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep
Link to "AMERICAN ACADEMY OF SLEEP MEDICINE" Website:
Link to "SLEEP RESEARCH SOCIETY" Website:
http://www.sleepresearchsociety.org/
Link to "NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION" website:
Link to "SLEEP REVIEW" : Journal for Sleep Specialists:
http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/
Link to "NATIONAL CENTER FOR SLEEP DISORDERS RESEARCH":
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm
Grateful thanks to wikiHow, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society, National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Review, the journal f0r Sleep Specialists, National Center for Sleep Disorders Research and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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