Tips to Help You Get a Good Night's Sleep

If you are like a lot of people you may find that you wake up in the morning feeling more tired than you were when you went to bed.
Obviously this is not an ideal situation, so how can you ensure that you get a good night's sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the new day? Here are a few good tips to help you.

It is important to try to mentally unwind before going to bed. An overactive mind is one of the primary causes of poor sleep and broken sleep. Try to carry out a low-stress activity in the 30 minutes to an hour before you retire for the night. Examples of such activities are reading and listening to relaxing music.

A relaxed body will lead to a relaxed mind. Two of the best ways that you can relax your body are to engage in meditation or take a warm bath.

It is important not to indulge in a heavy meal immediately before going to bed, but a light snack that is high in carbohydrates can help to relax the body.

If you are prone to sleep problems it is particularly important that you adhere to a regular sleep routine, going to sleep at the same time every night and getting up at the same time every morning. Yes, this includes weekends. If you are tempted to sleep in on the weekend you will usually find that this leads to you struggling to get to sleep at the end of the day and feeling tired when you have to get up on Monday morning to start a new work week.

Try to cut out taking a nap during the day. You only need a fixed amount of sleep during any 24 hour period, so clearly, if you take a nap during the middle of the day you may well struggle to sleep through the night.

Your bedroom should be quiet and dark. If you cannot block out all noise and light you might want to invest in some good quality ear plugs and a sleep mask. It is also important that your bedroom temperature is comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold. Body temperature is ideal.

If, after trying these tips, you still have difficulty sleeping, then you should consult your doctor to ensure that there is not an underlying medical problem that is responsible for your poor sleep pattern.

by Kim Archer