7 Sleeping Tips for Health and Vitality

By Val Silver

Want to sleep like a baby? These five sleeping tips will help you enjoy a good night sleep. Quality rest is a top priority for mental and physical well-being. You will look better, feel better and function better when you are well rested.

1-Get enough sleep.

This sleeping tip is the most important, the most obvious, and often the most neglected.

Sleep deprivation is the norm these days for many people because they are either burning the candle at both ends or suffering from insomnia. Our lifestyle habits keep us on the move and plugged in. It does not emphasize peaceful, restful sleep. Some people even treat it as a luxury or annoyance, instead of the necessity it is.

How much sleep do you need? For health and vitality, seven to nine hours of quality shut eye every night is a must for most of us. An exception may be senior adults who often sleep less at night, and nap during the day.

You can tell if you are getting the sleep you need if you usually wake feeling refreshed and alert. A good test is that you wake up without the help of an alarm clock. If you need the alarm clock every morning, and you feel groggy and tired, try going to sleep a little earlier.

This is a sleeping tip to take to heart. For better health, greater productivity, better moods, and less chance of causing an accident, get enough quality sleep.

If you regularly get at least eight hours of sleep and still feel tired a lot, you may have an underlying health problem. Please check with your health professional.

2-Mindset sleeping tip: Make sleep a priority.

Add sleep to your daily list of necessary things to do.

If you are one of those people who think of sleep as an interruption to life, you may want to shift your thinking. Sleep has major positive effects on health and brain function. Likewise, lack of sleep, even just for a night or two, negatively affects how well you function and your health.

3-Set a regular bedtime.

Commit to a lights out time every night. Make it a habit and part of your bedtime ritual. You will sleep better if you are comfortable and the room is dark and quiet. Some experts suggest lights out for sleep by 10 pm at least a few nights a week has added health benefits.

4-Take power naps.

No need to feel guilty about your daily doze. Napping is good for you! Dogs, cats, and lots of other animals take time to doze during the day. In some cultures, an afternoon snooze is the part of the daily routine.

It is normal to feel drowsy after being up for eight hours. A short nap can help you sail through the rest of the day.

Nappers experience less stress, improved memory and better mood than sleep deprived people who skip a nap. A 20-60 minute mid afternoon snooze is more restful than extra shut eye in the morning. Just try not to interrupt a sleep cycle when waking or you will feel groggy.

For you non-nappers, gift yourself ten to twenty minutes of time to close your eyes for meditation or rest. This slows down your brain waves and help you rejuvenate. Even five minutes of eyes closed with deep relaxed breathing can work wonders.

Image by Randy McGuire from Pixabay

5-Have bedtime rituals.

Your brain loves ritual and routine. You will have much less of a struggle getting to bed on time when you have a bedtime ritual and stick with it. You probably already have a few rituals in place such as brushing your teeth, setting out your clothes for tomorrow, and putting on your pajamas.

Here are a few ideas for nightly rituals:

Schedule in a half hour or more of wind down time to help you get right to sleep. Turn off the computer and TV and turn off your electronics so the light and noise don't disrupt your sleep. Jot down anything pressing such as unfinished tasks and worries so you can forget about them until morning.

Read an inspirational book, meditate, listen to soothing music, and/or enjoy some cuddle time and quiet conversation. Let go of the day's stress.

If you take a hot bath, allow at least 90 minutes for your body to slowly cool and signal snooze time.

6-Tend your sleep environment

Have a comfortable supportive mattress
Have comfortable bedding
Keep your bedroom dark at night
Keep electronics several feet away and turned off.
An ideal bedroom temperature varies by individual. 68 degrees is a good guide give or take a few degrees.
Keep your bedroom clean and tidy so you feel relaxed in that space.

7-Use natural sleep aids when you need them.

Is it difficult for you to unwind and fall asleep? Natural sleep aids can help.

Sip a soothing cup of chamomile or other relaxing tea blend.
Eat a few tart cherries for a little sleep inducing melatonin.
Play ambient music or white noise in the background to block out other noises and give your mind something to listen to other than your thoughts.
Take a few deep focused breaths to relax.

Courtesy of: On Stride

Summary of Sleeping Tips

Positive sleep habits are helpful for anyone wanting to enjoy quality sleep for health and vitality. Getting adequate rest is vtial for your mental and physical health and quality of life.

If you suffer from insomnia, employing these sleeping tips as well as these additional insomnia relief tips and remedies should help you get the rest you need.

Get more healthy living tips here.

For Educational Purposes Only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. Please consult with your health provider before using natural remedies and/or complementary therapies if you are pregnant, nursing, or you are being treated for a medical condition. Be aware that certain herbs and supplements interact with medications.