After breathing, sleeping might be one of the most important biological functions in our lives. It serves a range of critical purposes from improving memory and increasing the ability to lose weight, as well as curbing stress and anxiety during your waking hours.
With all of these benefits, still almost 70 percent of Americans report trouble falling asleep. If you find yourself in this unfortunate majority, here are some easy ways to help yourself get back into a healthy rhythm.
- Make a schedule and stick to it.
Consistency is king when it comes to getting regular and adequate sleep. Put together a schedule for your week that does not deviate day to day by more than 2 hours in either direction. While the weekends might be used for catching up on lost sleep throughout the week, try and maintain the schedule 7 days a week. The idea is to get regular amounts of sleep between the relatively same periods of time. - No devices.
At least one hour before your scheduled sleep time, turn off all powered devices, especially those that emit a blue light. This means anything from a cell phone or a tablet to a computer or a flat screen TV. Blue lights are known to interrupt the release of melatonin, the body’s naturally produced relaxation drug. - Stay active.
An active lifestyle is known to help the body reach the most restful deep sleep stage more quickly. - Stay healthy.
Eating well and limiting your intake of substances like alcohol and caffeine, especially close to bedtime, is a great way to help ensure that you get adequate amounts of sleep. - Take a soak.
While it might sound biased, research shows that soaking in a warm, therapeutic hot tub prior to going to bed is a great way to relax and begin sending signals to your mind and your body to get ready for rest.
All of these ideas are about developing positive sleep habits that when combined, result in higher quality and more consistent sleep. For the hot tub part, give us a call!