Like a newborn baby that is, that wakes up every few hours. Do you sleep through the night? Most nights I don’t. I’ve almost always had issues in this area. The reason varies, but usually it’s not from lack of tiredness. It used to be because something would wake me up and my mind would start going. I’ve fixed that by focusing on not thinking anything at night if I wake. Lately it’s been from drinking the gallon (literally) of water a day.
Getting adequate rest is just as if not more important than nutrition and working out. Muscles don’t grow and repair when they are being worked. They do it when they’re resting. Most people run short on sleep every week. I’m a 9 hours a night person for sure. If I get less, the world around me suffers. Grrrrr. Most people need 7 – 9 per night but fall short.
Here’s a few tips that I’ve read to help with insomnia and overall sleeping better:
- Make sure your bed and bedroom are comfortable. Clean sheets with the right amount of covers helps a ton. Not too hot, not too cold either, Goldilocks. Just the right temperature is perfect to catch zzzz’s.
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day if at all possible. Yes, even on weekends. Don’t try to make up for lost sleep on the weekends. It won’t work and you’ll just get your schedule out of whack come Monday.
- Easy on the coffee, sodas and even chocolate if you’re caffeine sensitive. Try to not have these after 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I try to not drink liquids after 8 pm to avoid nighttime bathroom trips! Yeah, doesn’t work most nights for me.
- Daily exercise can help wear you out so you are tired enough to sleep come bedtime, but don’t work out right before bed. That may make you more alert and harder to fall asleep. This actually doesn’t affect me. I can run 5 miles, sit down, and fall asleep on the sofa. No problemo!
- Make your bed for sleep. Don’t watch TV, pay bills, or other mentally challenging things in bed. You want to mentally train yourself to get sleepy when you lay in bed, not to write reports or do logic problems.
I’ve also found a pretty cool app for my phone that plays different soothing sounds. It even has a timer so I can set it to turn off after I’m most likely sound asleep. It drowns out the noise around me with relaxing ocean waves. Ahhhh, just like the Atlantic in my own room! Jealous, aren’t you? 😉
I finished my gallon of water today at 3:55. I’m waiting to see if that helps any tonight. Do you have trouble sleeping through the night? What are some tricks you use?
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