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Tips on Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

image: ketosea @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ketosea/511861529/

As promised, here is what I had intended to post about tonight! 😉

This is a condensed version of an article by the same title that I wrote for MIKA Magazine earlier this year (you can visit MIKA Magazine online here). I hope that you find this post interesting and helpful!

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Sleep is something many of us take for granted. It allows our minds and bodies rest and down time, and it is during sleep when many cell renewal and hormonal release processes take place. In recent years, studies have even suggested that due to such processes, lack of sleep can influence weight gain! If we do not get enough sleep on a regular basis, our short term memory, concentration, and also physical abilities and coordination can be affected. For example, some research indicates that the impact of a lack of sleep on one’s ability to drive can be similar to that of someone who attempts to drive after having had several alcoholic drinks!

People’s need for sleep varies. On average, however, approximately 8 hours a night is sufficient. Many of us are lucky enough to manage this each night, but others can struggle, even when going to bed early enough to allow 8 hours of sleep.

So how can we get enough sleep? Here are 5 tips to help:

Routine

Make an effort to go to bed and wake up at the same time most, if not all, days of the week. This helps the body to keep its natural rhythm (technically called the “circadian rhythm”) on track. Exposing yourself to sunlight after awakening (e.g. by opening your bedroom curtains and letting in natural light) also helps with this process.

Watch your caffeine intake

People can have different levels of sensitivity to caffeine. To promote a good night’s sleep, avoid all caffinated drinks (coffee, black tea, cola, etc) after dinner. If you find that you are particularly sensitive to caffeine, reducing your consumption further may be necessary.

Lay off the alcohol!

Some believe that having an alcoholic drink, or several, helps them get to sleep. However, studies have found that alcohol consumption before bed has a negative impact upon sleep quality and can lead to more awakenings in the night.

Use your bed wisely

Avoid being on or in your bed when watching television, playing video games, studying, using the telephone, or doing any other mentally stimulating activity. Doing such activities in or on your bed can lead to your mind making a subconscious association between bed and activity, rather than bed and sleep, which makes it harder to fall asleep in that location. Reserve your bed for sleep and sexual activity only; move other activities to different areas of your room and/or home.

Know what to do when you wake up in the night and cannot get back to sleep

Often it is tempting to remain in bed and watch the clock when unable to get back to sleep. However, if you do not fall back into sleep within 5-10 minutes of awakening, try getting out of bed for 10 to 15 minutes and do a quiet activity, such as working on a jigsaw puzzle, drawing, knitting, or reading. You can also try out relaxation strategies such as controlled breathing or meditation. Return back to bed after the amount of time has passed or earlier if you are beginning to feel sleepy. Repeat as many times as needed.

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If you are having troubles sleeping, why not give these tips a try? If difficulties persist, speak to your Doctor/General Practitioner. I will talk more about relaxation and meditation – and tips on how to do these – in a future post! 🙂

Let me know what you think of this post peeps! x

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Hi everyone,

Just want to let you know about this before I upload my post on sleep (tips for getting a good one)!

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*Road Safety Alert* – the Tour Down Under is starting soon!

image: http://chitanda.poznews.net

Happy Thursday everyone! 🙂

Now, I do intend to post about sleep today but – after hearing so much advertising on the radio on my way home from work – I felt the need to post about this first!

My home town, Adelaide, is in the midst of preparations for a massive international competitive cycling event – the Tour Down Under (click here to view the official site and learn more, if interested!). It officially starts on Sunday and takes riders through varied terrain around Adelaide and surrounds including the Adelaide Hills (very pretty area) and down by the ocean.

I’m all for exercise and healthy activities such as cycling, and the event is great for local tourism. However, I’m not a fan of the unexpected by-product this event produces reliably every year it is on – chaos on suburban roads…

What do I mean by this? I’m not talking about the race itself, as that is well organised and roads are blocked off to ensure the public’s vehicles don’t interfere. I’m talking about the phenomenon by which almost everyone who owns a bicycle in Adelaide, regardless of how long it’s been since they’ve been on it, decides to hop on, in their lycra, and clog main arterial roads riding to and from work in peak hour traffic, and on most weekends, during this event!

Unfortunately Adelaide drivers have a reputation in Australia as being the worst in Australia. Add tons of Adelaidian cyclists to the mix = chaos! People suddenly decide it’s okay to ride 3 or 4 abreast, outside of the designated bike lanes, and break other road rules, which can lead to dangerous situations with cars.

I drive my car to and from work on the days I work in the ‘burbs (2 days/week), and consider myself a responsible driver. I keep my eyes out for cyclists when I’m on the road and am careful. But it gets very frustrating when cyclists don’t obey road rules and cause or almost cause serious accidents.

Anyhow, I’ll end my rant here. The key message I want to send out is enjoy the Tour and getting back into bike riding but please do it safely and observe basic road rules!

With luv,
Sarah

PS. On another note, Adelaide’s annual German festival Schutzenfest is on tomorrow and Saturday – anyone going? It’s the largest German festival in the Southern Hemisphere, complete with all kinds of beer! (More info here.)