Judging from my informal poll, about 75% of people have trouble getting or staying to sleep at night.
Some have trouble getting to sleep keeping themselves busy until they can finally nod off at 1 or 2 AM while others get to sleep well but find themselves waking up a few hours later only to spend the wee hours of the morning trying to coax themselves back to sleep.
Then you have those people (I used to fall into this camp) where you have 3 bad night’s sleep for every 1 good night…not a good average for those of us who have to be on our game each day.
The consequences aren’t pretty:
- grumpy and less social
- reduced cognitive ability
- compromised immune systems
- more prone to errors in judgement including more accident prone
- tend to binge eat more leading to other health issues including being overweight
- higher rates of depression and lower self confidence
- higher rate of relationship problems…it’s no fun living with someone who can’t sleep and then complains about it all day
So what can we do about it?
Many people turn to pills, after a week or two of taking medication many people are amazed at how they can suddenly sleep and seem more relaxed, but the long-term impact of medication is not ideal (to say the least).
Before resorting to medication, try these 5 methods of getting a better sleep.
1. Consistent Bedtime Routine
Find a way to relax in the evening AWAY from the computer. I make my living writing and on computers but I pack it in no later than 10 PM and then either read, watch a light/funny TV show (not the news or heavy drama) or listen to relaxing sounds (I have various tracks on my Ipod with Ocean Sounds, Forest sounds, etc…) – Forcing yourself to wind down and quiet your mind will go a long way to getting to sleep earlier
2. Early Riser – Earlier To Bed
Get up earlier – force your system into a state of tiredness by getting up at 6AM – use that time productively and you will find you’ll be tired by 10-11 where you will want to wind down
3. Exercise
Get more exercise…if you can get 30-45 minutes of brisk exercise each day (ideally outside if you can) then again this will help your body stay balanced and be ready for sleep at an earlier point in the night.
4. Reduce Stress & Get On The Right Emotional Track
If you really get to the bottom of what keeps many people up at night you will find it comes down to stress, anxiety, fear and lack of a purpose or direction in life. Using techniques like those outlined in Attracting Greatness will help to chart a course where you can breakthrough the boredom, fear and anxiety in your life and as a result, improve your health, happiness and sleep patterns.
5. Digestion
A major reason that people end up struggling to get to sleep or end up waking up in the night is digestion (or lack thereof). Conditions such as Acid Reflux, stomach cramping, bloating and overall digestive distress is the #1 cause, along with back pain which is often linked to digestive disorders, for improper sleep. Here again, Attracting Greatness shares techniques for dealing with the incredibly common conditions of indigestion, acid reflux, bloating and overall digestive distress using various techniques including proboiotics, cleansers, candida (yeast) fighting agents and even approaches to fighting off common/but damaging parasites in our systems. With these techniques chronic digestive disorders can be overcome in mere days…your sleep will improve along with this improvement.
There is no need to consider suffering sleep challenges, you can get a good night’s sleep by using these 5 methods AND you will accomplish this change without the dangerous side effects of pills/medications.
Do you have challenges sleeping at night? Leave us a comment.
Jeff
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