6 Health Tips To Sleep Like A Baby

May 30, 2018

Many people have trouble sleeping. As people get older, they often find it harder to stay asleep. In addition, the sleep cycle gets shorter as we get older, so we spend less time in deep sleep. That also makes it hard or impossible to catch up on sleep by going to bed earlier. Health problems like depression or sleep apnea can increase the difficulty of getting a good night’s sleep. 

Fortunately, there are ways to improve sleep. Here are six of them: 
 

As a rule of thumb, stop drinking caffeinated drinks in the early afternoon at the latest. The “Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine” published a 2013 study that demonstrated that caffeine drunk six hours before bedtime could still disrupt sleep. 

The Mayo Clinic recommends that the average healthy adult drink no more than 400 mg of caffeinated drinks per day. That’s roughly equivalent to four cups of coffee, or two “energy shot” drinks, or ten cans of cola. Remember that caffeine is also found in cocoa, tea, and certain medications. 

While alcohol is a depressant and makes people feel sleepy, it actually impairs the quality of one’s sleep. Alcohol keeps people from reaching the deep sleep they need to feel truly rested. It can also affect breathing. You should thus have no more than one drink per day, and you should have it at least three hours before bedtime. 

You can train yourself to wake up without an alarm if you go to bed and get up at roughly the same times every day. You do have some wiggle room of around 20 minutes before or after your stated bedtime. 

Sleep experts generally agree that you should use your bed only for sleep and sex. Having sex, particularly if you have an orgasm during the act, causes hormonal changes that make it easier for people to fall asleep. For example, it reduces the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Sex also causes the body to release the neurotransmitter dopamine and the “cuddle hormone” oxytocin. Such chemicals make people feel secure and relaxed and thus more inclined to sleep. The act itself can leave people feeling pleasantly tired. If you don’t have a partner, masturbation produces the same effects. 
 

Make your bedroom a calm and soothing place to sleep. Keep it quiet and dark. Use shades or blinds if necessary to keep your room dark during bedtime. Even light from such small sources as a smartphone or alarm clock can impair sleep. Cover them up or keep them turned away from you so you can’t see the light. 

If you live on a noisy and busy street, use an app or fan to produce white noise to lull you to sleep. Keep your bedroom relatively cool at night, for that will also help you sleep. 

If you haven’t fallen asleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet until you feel sufficiently sleepy. Don’t use a smartphone, tablet or computer, though, for the blue light emitted by the screen will only make you more wakeful. Instead, read a book, meditate, do relaxation exercises, or listen to some soothing music. 

Have you tried any of these tricks to get to sleep? What do you think of the above list? Please tell us in the comments box below. 

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!