What to do if you’re struggling to sleep
If sleep is so important, what do we do without it? How do we react when our minds just won’t shut down after a long hard day at work? Do we just try to ignore that nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach and stay in bed, hoping the worry will soon fade away?
If this is how you handle the fact that you can’t fall asleep, stop it. When you can’t sleep, don’t try to force it. Rather get up and do something to take your mind off of things and get you in a calm and relaxed mood for bed. Here are some ideas that you can try out, should sleep keep on slipping away from you…
1. Switch off the lights.
It’s difficult to imagine a modern room without some sort of light flashing in one corner or the other. Whether it’s a light flickering on a mobile phone, or your digital alarm clock, it causes most bedrooms to never be completely dark. So when you go to bed tonight, use something to cover up your mobile phone and make sure the curtains are drawn
2. Don’t look at any form of screen before bedtime.
The blue light from those screens tell our bodies to stay awake, when we actually want the exact opposite to happen!
3. Read a book
Try reading a paperback book before you go to bed. Dim the lights slightly and read something that doesn’t glare back at you.
4. Exercise on a regular basis.
Try to stick to a fixed routine and do not exercise too hard right before bed. Regular cardio training helps our bodies to get rid of pent up energy, and when that energy gets burned though, we need to create more. That is where eating and sleep comes in contact.
5. Don’t eat too much before bedtime
If you feel hungry before bed, don’t go to MacDonald’s. Go to the kitchen and have a warm glass of milk with honey or a single slice of toast. Recent studies have shown that snacking on carbs before bedtime can bring along sleep in a jiffy. Don’t go and eat half a loaf though, just one slice should be enough.
6. No caffeine
Obviously, don’t drink coffee, Red Bull or any drink that caffeine before you go to bed.
This article was sponsored by The Mattress Warehouse Randburg.
Visit their store at Canero Business Park, Meadowbrook Estate, Olivedale.
Call them on 086 100 7000 or email mandy@themattresswarehouse.co.za
You can also follow them on Facebook for all their latest specials.
