subject: Sleeping tips: How to get a good night's sleep [print this page] Insomnia may feel like a never ending story, especially you have gone for days without sleep; however it is still possible to overcome your sleep issues and benefit from a full nights sleep without having to spend a fortune.
In the following guide we will show you our 8 top sleeping tips for a restful night which you can not only begin using straight away, but that are guaranteed to help you sleep peacefully.
1. Try taking a sleeping aid
Natural sleeping aids such as NightCalm are a simple yet effective way to resolve your sleep issues and ensure you get plenty of rest.
Formulated from the plant Griffonia, its active amino acid 5HTP has been proven to stimulate the production of serotonin in the brain which works to regulate your body's mood, appetite, muscle contraction, memory, learning and most importantly your sleep.
But this is not all
By helping you to experience steady, restful sleep, NightCalm can also help to improve your memory recollection and sexual appetite as well as fight depression, anxiety and stress, and reduce migraines/headaches, appetite, cravings and aggression.
2. Do not oversleep
It may feel tempting after a poor night's sleep to sleep in, but it is essential that you get up at the same time you would every day to get your body into a routine. Oversleep too many days in a row and you will end up resetting your body clock and making your body sleepier later in the day, which in turn will make you wake up later.
3. Exercise throughout the day
This sleeping tip is especially important if you have slept badly the night before
Insomniacs are well known for being less active in the hours leading up to their bedtime. Yet, by simply being more physically active during the afternoon i.e. going for a brisk walk, swimming or jogging, you can easily change that.
Even going for a light walk in the evening can help to prepare your body for the night ahead, so if you are having trouble sleeping try to increase your physical activity.
4. Avoid napping
Whilst it sounds logical to have a nap to make up for lost sleep, napping is the last thing you should do. Instead as soon as you start feeling sleepy go for a walk, do some errands or if you are studying do some gentle exercise and stretches. This will help to increase the flow of oxygen to your brain and make you more alert.
5. Organise your bedtime
In this sleeping tip, you will need to do it in 2 stages. First, set your bedtime for the same time every night and stick to it. Like hunger, your body gets into a routine which recognises when it is time to sleep.
Second, whenever you have trouble sleeping go to bed later. So if for instance, during an insomniac period you sleep only 4 hours, make sure that you go to bed 4 hours before your natural wake-up time. In addition, you must avoid napping as well as increase your physical activity during the day.
NOTE: as soon as you begin experiencing good sleep time, gradually pull back your bedtime, so you are still able to get up on time.
6. Darken your house
Your body naturally associates daylight with being awake and the dark with being asleep. To help you experience a good night's sleep, a few hours before you go to bed start making your house dark. This will make your body enter into shut-down' mode and help you to sleep better.
7. Never go to bed hungry
Go to bed hungry, and you run the risk of waking up from hunger pains during the night. For this reason try to incorporate potatoes, rice, pasta, porridge or bread into your evening, as these take longer to burn and will help you to get through the night until you eat breakfast.
8. Relax and unwind
If you are prone to stress or anxiety, this next sleeping tip will help
Try to incorporate some light reading, yoga, breathing exercises or music into your evening. Each of these will help your body to relax, forget your daily stresses and focus on you.
Simply lie down and beginning with your face, relax your jaw and imagine your worries floating away. Next moving up from your feet, release your tension until your muscles feel loose and supple.
To finish take slow deep breaths through your nose into your abdomen and continue to do this for 5 minutes; this will help to induce natural sleep and ensure your mind is empty and light.
