How to get better sleep and improve your rest, relaxation, and restoration

How do you get better sleep? This is one other area that is greatly affected by our modern lifestyle - especially if you live in a city that doesn't sleep!

Have you ever had this problem? You want to sleep, you're tired. However, no sooner than you drift off into slumberland, you have get up to urinate. So you say, OK. I won't drink any water late in the day, that way my bladder won't fill up so easy.

Ha! You fall asleep again, but you wake up with a seering thirst. Your throat is dry! That is diabetes out of control. That was my actual experience a few years ago.

Sleep deprivation among adults

The National Sleep Foundation estimates that half the number of adults today do not get a good night's sleep every night.

So how do you even begin to get better sleep? The idea here is to cooperate with the body's natural circadian rhythm. Our bodies know the difference between night and day, regardless of what the clock on the wall says. At nights the body prepares for repair processes and certain hormones are released then that are not released to the same extent during the day.

If we cooperate with our biorhythm, our bodies do a better job at repairing damaged tissues. Where do these damages come from? Well, there are always free radicals being produced as a result of normal metabolic activity. These create some damage - it's called growing old - and it happens whether or not we like it.

If we understand, appreciate, and cooperate with our bodies in handling these catabolic and anabolic processes we will have healthier bodies. So...

Consider these 10 tips sleeping better

1. Go to bed early and at the same time each night. It is said that every hour of sleep before midnight is twice as beneficial as an hour after midnight.
2. Get 6 - 8 hours of sleep each night
3. It's best to sleep in the dark. It increases melatonin production.
4. Avoid caffeine - drop coffee
5. Don't use alcohol as a sedative. Why? Because it makes the brain restless later on in the night
6. Exercise early in the morning (if at all possible), but no later than 3 hours before bedtime
7. Eat your evening meal at least 4 hours before bedtime
8. Use a warm foot bath for relaxation. For example, immerse your feet in a basin of warm water for a few minutes. You will feel the sleep coming - it's then time to go to bed.
9. Maintain as regular a schedule as possible; that includes going to bed, waking, exercising, eating, etc.
10. Handle disturbing problems earlier in the day if possible. At that time you should be more emotionally rested. Do not wait until bedtime to bring up problems

Life is like a candle. You may have more light (fun) if you burn it at both ends simimultaneously, but it sure doesn't last as long. A common practice of most centenarians is that that they almost always go to bed early.

Still, despite these sleeping tips, you may find it difficult to get your night's rest and restoration - you might need a little help.

Don't just go for "sedatives" and drugs with multiple side effects. I might be biased to just my personal experience, but I know that seaweed supplement will help you get better sleep.

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