tips for better sleep?

Answer 1

you're having trouble sleeping, change your sleep habits for a better night's rest.
Feeling crabby lately? It could be you aren't getting enough sleep. Work, household responsibilities and child care can make sleep difficult to come by. Factor in other unexpected challenges such as financial worries, layoffs, relationship issues or an illness, and quality sleep may be even more elusive.

You may not be able to control or eliminate all of the factors that interfere with your sleep, but you can create an environment and adopt habits that encourage a more restful night. Try these suggestions if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep:

Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, even on the weekends. Sticking to a schedule helps reinforce your body's sleep-wake cycle and can help you fall asleep better at night.
Don't eat or drink large amounts before bedtime. Eat a light dinner about two hours before sleeping. If you're prone to heartburn, avoid spicy or fatty foods, which can make your heartburn flare and prevent a restful sleep. Also, limit how much you drink before bed. Too much liquid can cause you to wake up repeatedly during the night for trips to the bathroom.
Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening. These are stimulants that can keep you awake. Smokers often experience withdrawal symptoms at night, and smoking in bed is dangerous. Avoid caffeine for eight hours before your planned bedtime. Your body doesn't store caffeine, but it takes many hours to eliminate the stimulant and its effects. And although often believed to be a sedative, alcohol actually disrupts sleep.
Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful. Don't exercise within three hours of your bedtime, however. Exercising right before bed may make getting to sleep more difficult.
Make your bedroom cool, dark, quiet and comfortable. Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Adjust the lighting, temperature, humidity and noise level to your preferences. Use blackout curtains, eye covers, earplugs, extra blankets, a fan, a humidifier or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
Sleep primarily at night. Daytime naps may steal hours from nighttime slumber. Limit daytime sleep to about a half-hour and make it during midafternoon. If you work nights, keep your window coverings closed so that sunlight, which adjusts the body's internal clock, doesn't interrupt your sleep. If you have a day job and sleep at night, but still have trouble waking up, leave the window coverings open and let the sunlight help wake you up.
Choose a comfortable mattress and pillow. Features of a good bed are subjective and differ for each person. But make sure you have a bed that's comfortable. If you share your bed, make sure there's enough room for two. Children and pets are often disruptive, so you may need to set limits on how often they sleep in bed with you.
Start a relaxing bedtime routine. Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This may include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music. Relaxing activities done with lowered lights can help ease the transition between wakefulness and sleepiness.
Go to bed when you're tired and turn out the lights. If you don't fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, get up and do something else. Go back to bed when you're tired. Don't agonize over falling asleep. The stress will only prevent sleep.
Use sleeping pills only as a last resort. Check with your doctor before taking any sleep medications. He or she can make sure the pills won't interact with your other medications or with an existing medical condition. Your doctor can also help you determine the best dosage. If you do take a sleep medication, reduce the dosage gradually when you want to quit, and never mix alcohol and sleeping pills. If you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day, talk to your doctor about changing the dosage or discontinuing the pills

Answer 2

1-Do not eat two hours before bed to avoid indigestion
2-Take a shower before bed to soothe your muscles and relieve tension
3-Stretch before getting into bed
4-Read in bed to help tire your eyes
5-When lying down, meditate or pray (what i do sometimes is concentrate on breathing)
6-Establish a routine and be consistent about a bedtime
7-Exercise during the day so that you work off stress to help your body repair itself (sleep) also, take a multi vitamin before lying down
8-Avoid caffeine, spicy foods, and alcohol (alcohol actually will disrupt sleep)
9- Don't hold onto stress, get things off your chest or let them go
10-Try buying a sleep machine or running a fan to provide a lulling background noise that blocks other sounds
11-Wear a sleep mask or put a pillow over your head if you cannot block light
12-Lavender is a soothing aromatherapy treatment that helps people relax
13-If you're overweight, lose weight
14-Practice silence and clarity of thought in your bedtime routine
15-Sleeping in a cooler room may help. Lower the AC or sleep with fewer blankets.
16-Avoid over the counter sleep aids like Tylenol PM and melatonin . They could make you feel too groggy throughout the day and it can be very difficult to wake up in the morning.
17-See your doctor.

Answer 3

Go to bed an hour earlier than usual.
Do not drink any decaffeinated drinks including Coke or Pepsi three hours before bedtime.
Darken your room with insulated curtains.
Run an air cleaner in bedroom to block out noises.
Get a memory foam topper for your bed.
Get a massage from your partner!
Worst case, you can always take some Benadryl, take two pills to have you fall asleep faster. Same ingredients as in the name brand sleep aides. Need to have at least 8 hrs of sleep when taking that.

Answer 4

I find that washing sheets and opening windows to let cool air in helps. Also try finding a regular bedtime that is late enough so you are tired when you go to bed. Exercising during the day, checking stuff on your electronic devise right before bed and getting everything done before your head hits the pillow so you don't fall asleep worrying is also a good idea. One more thing is only use your bed for sleeping. Don't sit on it to do homework, check news, read, etc... That way your bed will seem more comfortable. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

1. Stay on schedule -- even on weekends. Going to sleep and getting up at about the same time every day gives your body the cues it needs to fall asleep.

2. Exercise regularly -- but not too close to bedtime
Working out increases the time your body spends in deep sleep, the stage during which your body repairs its cells and refreshes the immune system. But exercising less than three hours before lights out can leave you too pumped up to sleep.

3. Cut the caffeine. Switch to decaf at least six hours before bedtime.

4. Say no to nicotine and nightcaps.

5. Dine early -- and keep it light. Eating a big meal in the evening isn't conducive to sleep. Try to eat a light dinner no later than 6:30pm.

These are just a few examples but hope they are helpful.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Alot of people that I know who have trouble sleeping have a common thread.

1) they are over weight
2) They don't work out
3) The have seditary jobs (sit at a desk)

My theory is that we are designed for more activity than sitting behind a desk and the body was not tired so they would not get good sleep.

If you don't workout you should start and maybe it will help. Ifit doesn't help you sleep it will help you anyway.

Answer 7

Sleep in darkness, close shades, curtains, try warm milk before bed, it does work, eliminate noise like tv's and radios, try eye blinders.

Answer 8

Get plenty of fresh air and exercise during the day.

Answer 9

take a warm shower before bed time....lie down in lose clothing...have some warm milk before bed time