Are you struggling to get to sleep at nights? If so, you are with the millions of people all over the world who do struggle with many of them turning to medication often out of desperation. If you are having sleep issues, why not try these ten ways and tips before you turn to medication as one of them might well work for you…
Have a Stringent Sleep Schedule
One of the best tips for helping you sleep without medication is to stick to a good sleep schedule. Go to sleep at the same time every night, even on the weekends. While it can be difficult to make this sleep pattern stringent it really is the best method of making sure you get a good nights sleep.
Try To Get in 30 Minutes Exercise
Most people hate this suggestion as they think this requires them to run for at least that length of time, or do vigorous exercises, but that is simply not true at all. By doing, easier, softer exercises like yoga poses or active stretching are just as good. As a general rule if you get slightly out of breath you have done more than enough, no matter how long it takes you to get to that point.
Get Some Daily Sunshine
Not only does sunshine help your body make the sunshine vitamin ‘vitamin D’, but it can also help you sleep at nights! Make sure you open those blinds all the way, especially during the darker winter days when sunlight is scarce. Doing this should help your body’s internal clock get into a good sleep pattern and make you more tired at the right times.
Goto Bed Clean
While good sleep hygiene is always a good idea it can also be linked to people having issues sleeping. By taking a warm shower or even better a relaxing bath every night before going to bed you should help yourself feel much better and will make your bed smell nicer as well making it even more inviting.
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Use a Weighted Blanket
While weighted blankets are not for everyone they can help a lot of people to sleep at nights. This is especially true if you are restless at nights and find yourself tossing and turning like a whirlwind. You might have some FAQ’s about weighted blankets which you can read here in this blog.
Remove All Technology From Your Sight/Reach
I am not just talking about smartphones and tablets here, but remove alarm clocks, wristwatches, just about anything that tells you the time and place these items out of your reach and sight. This will help you a lot if you find yourself waking up at stupid o’clock and checking the time every five minutes. If you find yourself using your smartphone because you can’t sleep you should definitely give this a go.
Realise That Beds Are For Sleep
More and more people have TV’s in the bedroom these days as well as many other forms of entertainment like books and e-readers. By removing these things like in the previous tips as well as any other distraction should help you sleep better as your body will get used to going to bed and going to sleep rather than book reading or watching TV.
No Food or Drink At Least 1 Hour Before Bed
This tip isn’t just about stimulates like fizzy-pop or tea/coffee, it is about any food or drink. This will help your stomach feel relaxed and settled as well as your relaxing your whole body especially if you sleep on your front like myself.
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Make The Bedroom Cool
While this is easy to do in the colder winter nights there are still things you can do in the summer as well. By opening all the windows in the daytime, then closing the curtains or blinds an hour before bedtime (keep the winders open if you can) should cool the room down nicely. Maybe consider using a fan as the “white noise” from that could also help you sleep.
Get a New Mattress or Pillows
One of the last things you can try before turning to medication is to change your mattress for a new one, or if you can’t afford to do that just changing a single pillow will often do the trick. That clean, new smell helps, but it is the fluffiness of it that you will benefit from the most, especially if your old ones were flat and hard.
If you have any other tips to help people get to sleep without turning to medication do please let others know in the comments below.