Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Six Easy Things You Can Do to Get a Good Night's Sleep: Part I

SleepingImage by soylentgreen23 via Flickr
Everyone knows that in order to maintain good health and function optimally, we need a good night's sleep. The amount of time that is for each individual can vary, but experts agree that we should get at least 6-8 hours of sleep. Do you fall short of that number? Most people do.

What can you do to help yourself in this regard without downing a lot of pills and other unsafe stuff? I invite you to read on.



The importance of sleep

Sleep deprivation is a chronic condition whose effects are felt in all systems of the body.  Depression, high blood pressure, tumor growth, yes, when the body's circadian rhythm is disrupted, the body produces less melatonin, which is an antioxidant and a hormone.  That means that it fights free radicals. And, free radicals cause cancer and tumor development This is why sleep deprivation has of late been associated with tumors and cancer growth.  Anyway,  without sufficient sleep, the immune system  is weakened and heart disease can run rampant.

Another thing that lack of sleep does is to make you look older! And, who wants that?

With all the health problems brought on by lack of sleep, what can one do to get some zzzz's and rest, without drug intervention?

How to get some much needed sleep

Here are some really good tips to use to go  to sleep.

1. Sleep in complete darkness as much as possible.  A small amount of light can disrupt your internal clock and through off the body's production of melatonin and serotonin.
2. Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degree Fahrenheit.  Studies have shown that optimal sleep temps range from 60 to 68 degrees. Interestingly, scientist have found that  the body temp drops after having slept for about four hours.  Therefore, cooler bedrooms mimic the body's natural temperature drop.
3. Move the alarm clock and/or clock radio as far from the bed as possible to avoid the anxiety associated with waking up and watching the hands of the clock drag on. And, try not to use an alarm clock that is too loud as this can jolt the body awake.  This is not good.

4. This is a well known tip, make sure that you reserve the bedroom only for sleep and sex.  Otherwise, work related activities can cut into the sleep habit that you are trying to develop.
5. Get to bed early.  The body's adrenal system does its charging between the hours of 11 pm and 1 am. Also, the gallbladder dumps its toxins during this period. Be kind to your body as it attempts to maintain and restore health.

6. Try not to change your patterns of sleep and rise.  This can also help the body establish a pattern.

Hopefully, if you have been problems these six easy tips can help restore your rest.  If not, take a look at the next post.  More significant tips are presented.

Source:

http://www.mercola.com/ "How to go to sleep"








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