Lack of sleep makes one grumpy and cranky. One little slip up from the people around you and you may get all fired up! You become so sensitive to the things around you. Being sleep deprived and worn out causes one to become inattentive in classes, unproductive at work and distracted in whatever activities you may be engaged at.
So, what does it take to have a better sleep at night? What should we do to be all sparkly and bright for the day's activities ahead? Here are just some easy yet helpful things that one can surely do.
Exercise and Stretch. It has been said that Exercising 3-6 hours before going to sleep increases your body temperature and that the gradual decrease in temperature that follows help lull you into sleep. (A Stanford University School of Medicine study of 55 to 75 year old sedentary individuals who struggled with insomnia revealed that adding 20-30 minutes of exercise every other day cut the time needed to fall asleep in half and increased sleep time by nearly one hour.) Exercise is my form of stress reliever. It allows me to keep track and get to feel the changes of my body. It helps me be trim and the health benefits are great.
Alcohol & caffeine. According to studies, it takes about 2-hours to metabolize an ounce of alcohol, so try to limit intake to no more than one drink at least 2-hours before bedtime. Caffeine metabolizes far more slowly. A large cup of coffee could take up to 15 hours to fully metabolize, so the general rule is no caffeine after lunch. I am not so crazy with alcohol and coffee, so I will gladly settle with a cup of Hot Choco with marshmallows to make me doze off easily. It works wonder for me. It soothes me and relaxes my dead beat and aching muscles.
Read. Anything that catches my attention is worth my time. I love scanning old written reaction papers from school, browsing through magazines (lifestyle, Hollywood buzz, Home improvement, etc.) and books. There is so much potential in every story/news/article I read. It opens up all the doors to my imagination and allows me to wander in my thoughts.
Write. Write about something that stirs up your curiosity. Or make a journal and document your experiences for the day. All the emotions come pouring in and writing about something makes you see things in a different light. Writing can be very therapeutic and may very well lead you to closely exam your life. You can chronicle your day to day experiences or you may want to start a “To-do List” . You will be surprised when you read through your past journal entries. It's like walking down the memory lane. It definitely will make you a lot wiser... to be able to see and appreciate the developments (the unfolding of the drama) in your life.
Go to sleep at a consistent time. Consistency is the key. Establish a dependable sleeping time schedule and make it a priority to pursue it, even on weekends (or not?). It will help train your body clock to acknowledge your fixed sleeping schedule. Ultimately, following a schedule that works well for you may just do the trick. Stick to the plan and make good at it!
