Dreaming about sleeping peacefully during the night? Hoping for a productive and care-free day? You are not alone!
Sleeping well is a major building block to feel happy to be alive. Just remember the last time you left the night tossing and turning and praying for a little sleep that never came?
Then you know what it means to crawl out of bed the next day with no will to leave your bedroom and sometimes no will to live, either….
Are you sick of counting sheep? Here are a few tips that will help you fall asleep lighter and enjoy a deeper sleep:
Keep your bedroom for what is was created: for a good night’s sleep! Your TV, computer, laptop, iPhone and all electronic devices have no place in the bedroom. They will be disturbing your sleep even if switched off. Plus, it is nearly impossible to fall asleep after being confronted with exciting or horrible news. Give yourself the peace you need and leave all news from the world behind when you enter your sleeping quartier.
Time your exercise! Doing exercise during the day will help you with your sleep – no doubt about this. But if you are in the fitness center till 9pm and expect to sleep like a baby by 11pm, you might face some difficulty. Your body and mind needs some time to slow down and get ready to hit the pillow. If you have trouble falling asleep after exercising, pay attention how long your body needs to slow down and try to move your exercise time to the morning hours or in the lunch break.
Try yoga! Give a gently yoga class a chance. You can take a Vinyasa class even in the evening and not risk tossing and turning in bed for hours. Yoga can help you enjoy deeper sleep, too! Our Clayton Yoga classes are especially helpful to end your stressful days with relaxation and awareness.
The early bird… gets a better sleep? Why don’t you find out? Especially if you are used to going to bed real late. Try to wake up earlier… might be just 15-30 minutes before your usual time. Besides enjoying a more relaxed morning “rush hour”, it can increase your ability to fall asleep in the night. Plan to run a test on being the early bird for 2-3 weeks, though to really understand if this will benefit your sleep.
Create a bedtime ritual! Gently invite sleep doing the same things every night – this will give your body the clue to slow down and unwind. You can try journaling. I especially recommend keeping a gratitude journal, it really feels you up with positive energy to think about all the wonderful things you can call your own, let it be the beautiful flower arrangement in your living room or a wonderful conversation with a loved one. Count your blessings for a happy sleep.
Take a journey… in your imagination. You can have your own guided meditation to ease you into slumber; you don’t even need to listen to a CD or pm3. Come up with a favorite location where falling asleep will be a joy. Create a mental picture of this special sleep sanctuary with as much detail as possible. Then imagine a wonder-full journey you take every night to get there. You can take the flying carpet to bring you there, have an angel guide you or have a bird give you a lift on its back….just use your imagination! Count back from 10 to 1, see the numbers appear then disappear in your mind’s eye. When you hit 1, you arrive in your sanctuary ready to sleep like a happy baby.
Hope these tips will help you enjoy an awesome night of wonderful dreams!
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