The amount of sleep the body needs depends on age. Babies can sleep as much as 15 to 16 hours while children can sleep 1-12 hours. At the other extreme, elderly people rarely enjoy a sound, unbroken sleep of more than 5 to 6 hours.
Modern life bombards us with stimulation: television sets, cell phones, radios, and late night parties are constantly reminding us to stay alert, our early ancestors did not have these impediments to sleep.
They did not have houses with dark shades to avert morning sunlight, nor did they have light bulbs, to stimulate them in the evening. Their biological clocks were constantly being tuned to the systematic dark and light cycle of earth’s changing seasons.
SLEEP IMPROVING TIPS
- Ensure that the bed is comfortable and environment relaxing.
- Choose the right bed and pillows. You will spend approximately one-third of your life there.
- Follow a daily ritual, drink herbal tea in the evening, your body’s chemicals and hormones gradually learn an established pattern and will trigger to prepare you for sleep if you follow a daily ritual.
- Be certain to avoid coffee, soda, and chocolate in the evening
- Resist napping during the day.
- Drink a minimum of at least 15 glasses of water each day.
- Avoid bright light because it can trick our brains into thinking and heightened states of anxiety
- Try to avoid eating heavy before bed
- Divide all the stresses in your life into two categories, those you can do something about, and those that are out of your control. Work on handling the first type and avoid the other whenever possible.
Namaste!
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