Getting Sound Sleep With Help From The Kitchen
Medical benefits of sleep extend beyond the feeling that’s experienced in the morning. It not only recharges one’s energy levels, but also replenishes the important body systems. Sufficient sleep nourishes the immune system and enables it to operate at its finest. Your body repairs itself, building muscle, bone, and other tissues which are necessary by your body to operate at its finest, if people sleep.
Enhanced mental wellbeing is in addition one of medical benefits which can be achieved through sleep. It enables the mind to regroup, unwind, and adapt to the anxiety and issues which are experienced in daily lives. Sleep is crucial in keeping compounds and neurotransmitters within the mind balanced allowing the entire body to encourage appropriate wellbeing.
However many persons don’t gain from such health benefits due to sleep problems which are encountered. Dieticians and nutritionists counsel these persons to calm the mind as well as munch on foods which could loosen stressed muscles, head for your kitchen, and encourage the creation of melatonin and serotonin – – hormones which are known to cause sleep. Here is the listing of top foods which may boost sound sleep.
Getting Sound Sleep with Help From the Kitchen
Bananas: This fruit is believed to be rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that’s converted into serotonin and melatonin. Magnesium is also contained by this fruit, a known muscle relaxant.
Warm Milk: The next day protein naturally present in milk may improve sleep quality and alertness. It contains alpha-lactobumin which is rich in tryptophan. Milk promotes sound sleep and with no negative effects which are frequently experienced after taking sleeps inducing drugs.
Honey: Since the brain is told by the right amount of glucose to turn off orexin, a neurotransmitter that’s linked to alertness honey may act as a sedative.
Oatmeal: Oats may sooth the nervous and digestive system. The simplest method to enhance sleep is use up a helping of oatmeal every day. Because an excessive amount of oatmeal might cause gas but start with small helpings.
Turkey: This meat is likely the most plentiful generator of tryptophan. However, tryptophan works when the gut contains food made up largely of carbs. Two lean pieces of turkey on whole wheat bread are perfect sleep inducers.
In case these food choices still don’t help enhance one’s quality of sleep, individuals with sleeping problems may use over-the-counter and prescription drugs as treatment for their sleep disorder. But prior to using them, these persons are advised to seek the acceptance of health professionals. They may recommend particular medications which are needed for your own health needs.
Sleep is composed of distinct periods with each period giving the body advantages and different health functions. When persons sleep the amount of hours the body needs which is about seven to eight hours for adults and more for kids and teens the benefits are attained. This enables your body to encourage improved general well-being and go through each of the periods correctly. They may wind up getting stressed, sluggish, and sickly if persons do not get the sleep. In addition, extraordinary cases of sleep deprivation can result in melancholy or stroke.
10 Steps To Assist You Get A Great Night’s Sleep
1. Keep that pencil and paper close to your bedside in case, write everything down and create a listing of stuff you should do the next day you think of anything else you should do. Whenever you write things down you’re giving your brain the sign that it no longer needs to think about those jobs.
2. Don’t see television or listen to the radio (notably the news) before retiring for the night – and definitely don’t fall asleep with the TV or radio on.
3. Read some inspirational or self-development material for at least 30 minutes prior to bed. Your aim is to fill your head with inspirational thoughts before falling asleep so that the last thoughts you have before drifting off are uplifting thoughts – as opposed to the thoughts that most individuals fall asleep thinking about.
4. Make sure the room that you are sleeping in is as dark a room as possible – the body is made to sleep when it is dark out – the darker the room the more potential for a heavy sleep.
5. Make the room as hushed as possible – turn off all electric devices and request others in the home to be just as quiet as they can be.
6. Don’t eat for at least 3 hours before going to sleep. Your body is forced to concentrate on digesting that food rather than being focused on fixing your head and body – which is what sleep, is all about, when there is undigested food in the belly! The body was designed to digest food best while moving – not while lying down.
7. Attempt to go to bed at approximately 10:00 pm and awaken at approximately 6:00 am. In Ayurvedic medicine it is believed that there are cycles that would be the most conducive for particular activities. Arising at 6: 00 am and going to bed at 10: 00 pm seems to enable the body to rejuvenate the absolute most, rest the deepest, and give the absolute most energy to the individual during the day.
8. Don’t take drugs or vitamins / herbs which are likely to assist you to sleep (unless by your doctor). Many of these artificial sleeping aids do nothing more than deaden your senses – the aim of ‘slumber’ is to give the body time and means to fix itself and prepare for the coming day. Whenever you drug yourself to sleep, every system in your system is slowed down, including those systems which are in charge of fixing you.
9. Ensure that there is a clean air supply within the room. The air inside is believed to be some of the very hazardous air around. Whenever you sleep, you are just able to breathe in the atmosphere that surrounds you in your enclosed bedroom. Try opening a window (if is cold outside then only open the window a crack). The clean air that comes in while you sleep will help the body repair itself because you’ll have access to cleaner, more oxygenated air.
10. During the day, do 60 minutes of light exercise. Then break it up into 2 – 30 minute sessions, or 3 – 20 minute session, or 6 – 10 minute sessions – – – only get a full 60 minutes in, should you not have the time to do 60 minutes in a row. The top exercise when referring to general health and preparing your body for a great night’s sleep is walking.
Does Warm Milk Help You Sleep
Many people question some of the remedies that are supposedly used to help people sleep. They wonder if it’s simply a myth or it works. The truth is that dairy products do help you sleep at night because it increases the magnesium in your body.
When magnesium is increased it in turn increases the amount of serotonin that is produced – which is a hormone that makes you very sleepy. Along with dairy based products, warm beverages will also naturally allow your body to relax. When your body is relaxed it’s much easier for your mind to relax and focus.
So, does warm milk help you sleep? Yes it does. Along with anything else provided it is milk-based and as long as it does not have an excessive amount of sugar or caffeine in it to keep you up at night. There are also foods that contain a lot of potassium that will help you to relax at night, such as bananas. If you can make a banana smoothie in the evening it will keep you from feeling wired during the late hours which is common among people who tend to sit all day in a desk chair or in front of a computer screen.
Eat Well
The best way to assist yourself in getting a good night sleep is by eating right throughout the day and making sure that you get enough physical activity. With this not only will you get out an excessive amount of energy but you will help to regulate your blood sugar. If you do not regulate your blood sugar with these things it’s going to be off canter during the evening when your body should normally be relaxing and getting ready to recharge you for the next day.
Help Combat Sleep Problems
How do you usually sleep at night? Are you able to sleep just as soon as you lay your head down on the bed? Maybe you are finding it quite difficult to fall asleep and you keep spending the night tossing and turning. If so, you are one of the many people who are not so lucky about dozing off at night. If aren’t so lucky, you may have to resort to a number of other possibilities that can help you to sleep properly and lead you to a more healthy life in the near future. Of course, some of the best possibilities include natural sleep aids.
People prefer natural sleep aids because they don’t carry the stigma that prescription drugs may have. Prescription drugs are often associated with addictive tendencies and they make people nervous to be taken in excess. You had hoped you would be able to relax more and instead you end up climbing the walls! That is not the solution that most people want. Instead, natural sleep aids have become much more popular.
Because herbal and aromatic products are extremely popular today, it is extremely common to take them for any sleep related problem. For instance, they are great in helping us to counter that headache or work stress that is often caused by too little sleep or too much anxiety.
Aromatic and herbal varieties like Chamomile, Passion Flower, Lemon Balm and Valerian Root are just a few of the more common herbal medications that can help your sleeping problem. Each herb is used in a different way and can be chosen for its convenience depending on what your preferences are.
Chamomile is typically used in tea and is especially nice because it helps with both stress and better digestion. It is traditionally added to hot water and the mild floral scent helps people with insomnia. Today, varieties of chamomile teas are being sold readily and are often used as a sleep aid or in combination with other treatments.
Other herbs include Lavender, Passion Flower and Lemon Balm. Lavender, though it can’t be taken internally as a tea, is popular for its aromatic oil. It is usually rubbed on the neck and wrists before the person go to sleep. Another herb is Passion Flower which is a great medication for insomnia. It is widely considered to be a gentle sedative and is sometimes used as oil for mild muscle relaxation, a tea for drinking or caplets for swallowing. Lemon Balm is used in tea preparations also.
It is boiled in water and, after straining, its leaves produce a medicinal effect. It also produces oil which can be used in the treatment of insomnia.
Valerian Root is a rather controversial herb because it has been found to be somewhat addictive. Some people tend to use it for long period of continuous sleep and become dependent upon it. Still, it is considered to be a potent remedy for many people. A safer option may be the natural solution of warm milk. Although it isn’t an aromatic or an herbal remedy, milk can be served warm and can help to induce sleep through its amino acid, Trypthopan.
All of these herbs mentioned are just a few of the choices of natural sleep aids that can help to combat the difficulties you may have with sleeping. The most important aid is to establish a healthy schedule! A good uninterrupted night’s sleep can assure an individual of a long productive day at work or at home. It enables him or her to regain their lost energy after a gruelling day. It also helps in rejuvenating a person’s sore and exhausted body. This makes you ready to face the world with a big smile and a renewed source of energy.
Help Sleeping
Sleep is crucial for you. The more complete sleep you get the better you feel. The best thing to do is first be proactive participant in your search for something to improve sleep. This means doing research, and changing your lifestyle. Yes, you may need to change your routine because part of getting help sleeping comes from changing where your head is at internally as well. You will need to test changes in your sleep environment and experiment with your thoughts.
For example, a physical change is your bed. Some people get help sleeping by changing their bed. Do you sleep better on a soft or hard mattress? There are different theories on what is best for your spine alignment but it comes down to what helps you sleep. It is nice to have a straight spine but if you cannot sleep like that, something needs to give.
There are four types of mattresses to consider for help sleeping. You can see in each mattress type many positive reviews from people who have trouble sleeping. While you are there, you might check on pillows too. We made a change to a memory foam pillow recently and have had good results.
Another huge physical change you might need to make for help sleeping is to change your job. Job stress can ruin restful sleep. If you cannot get it to change internally to lessen stress, you might need to find another one. While not great timing to quit a job you must consider your health is at stake. Yes, it made a huge difference in our life.
Another important physical change to make is to remove the television from the bedroom. People love to argue about how this does not affect them but studies have shown it does. Even if you are asleep, your brain stays active and is influenced by the noise of the television. You do not need your brain influenced in a negative way do you? Televisions make all the wrong noise to help with sleeping. You will sleep much better with no TV on.
If you feel you need some type of noise, look into a white noise sleep machine. Consistent noise has proven to be favourable for people who need help sleeping. While we personally do not own one of these machines we have experienced the similar benefits from aquarium bubbles or leaving a dehumidifier on all night. Something else that can influence your sleeping capacity is your diet. The American diet is bad on many levels. There are too many things to go into and that is not the focus of this article. However, if you are eating too much sugar, heavy, or rich foods before bed, you might well be causing yourself some trouble sleeping. Our bodies spend most of our energy on digestion. If you overload your body with foods that are difficult to digest, you are taxing the system and raising your blood sugar levels up too high. Learn more about just how much influence your eating habits have on every aspect of your life.
How Can Ear Plugs, Eye Masks Help You Sleep Better
Tools like ear phones and eye masks are used by the people who observe difficulty in sleeping because of distractions like outside noises and lights. Though these equipments do not cure sleeping disorders and insomnia, they definitely help in irradiating the causes due to which a person is facing difficulty while sleeping.
Other than this, ear plugs are used for many causes such as for protection from water, hearing protection or noise reduction etc. With respect to the causes they are used for, ear plugs are available in many types.
There are three types of earplugs used for hearing protection, Foam earplugs, silicone earplugs and flanged earplugs. Foam earplugs are made up of memory foam and they can be inserted into ear canal by compressing them. Silicone earplugs can be moulded according to the shape of the ear and they are fitted in the exterior portion of the ear canal. While flanged earplugs are often used by musicians. They are usually called as ‘Hi-Fi’ earplugs. These earplugs are also available with the chords attached to them for comfort.
Foam earplugs are basic type of earplugs which are mostly used by factory workers to minimize the effect of disturbing machines and surrounding sounds.
Earplugs are used while sleeping by the people who sleep in the surrounding where many disturbing noises like traffic and horns, machines or noisy neighbourhood etc. are heard. On such instances we cannot change the situation but at least take safety measures so that our sleep would not be affected. The earplugs are also useful if in case you are having a habitual snoring partner sleeping next to you!
There are some health issues which should be given a thought if you use earplugs regularly. Some risks and precautions to be taken while using the ear plugs are as follows –
- Ear plugs may cause pressure on the ear canal due to which minor to recognizable pain can be observed in the ears. The earplugs should be carefully inserted in the ears, and should not be jerked while removing out also.
- In addition, ear plugs should not be inserted too deep into the ear. It may cause irritation and infection in it.
- If you are using the earplugs for a long time, make it a point to clean them regularly and keep them in the hygienic environment.
- If unclean earplugs are used, it is evident that microorganisms like fungi and bacteria will grow on them, as warm and moistures climate is ideal for them to grow.
- This can cause infections in the ear which may need medical attention later on.
- Use ear plugs of the good quality material only which suits your skin.
Eye Masks For Sleeping Difficulties
Eye masks used while sleeping is also known as eye pads or sleep masks. Eye masks are used to block the outside light coming directly on the eyes as it may disturb the sleep due to penetration of the light on eyes. The eye masks are made in such a way that light cannot pass through it or from its sides. This obtains a state of complete darkness and helps one fall asleep quickly without any disturbance.
The functioning of eye mask is related to the signals sent by the darkness to the brain. Darkness causes production of melatonin which is known as the chemical of sleep which helps a person falling asleep.
With the new developments in the market, now you don’t need to buy a separate set of ear plugs and eye mask to treat your sleeplessness. They are available in a combination pack in which both the ear plugs and eye mask is attached in the same set of device.
These masks are easy to use and multitasking tools! They are available in various skin friendly materials like cotton, poly- cotton, velvet etc. Moreover, you do not need to buy a black or white mask only as they are readily available in different colours, shapes and designs in the market!
When the ear plugs or eye masks are combined with other sleep aids like listening to the soothing music and drinking a glass of warm milk along with meditation and breathing practices while going to sleep; they show the best effect on the sleeping difficulties.
How Comfort and Posture Can Help You Sleep Better
To get a comfortable sleep, one should watch out for the surroundings he/she is sleeping in, as well as the practicalities such as hygiene of bed sheets and pillows used while sleeping.
Points to be considered for obtaining comfort level while sleeping are –
- Maintain the hygiene at the sleeping place or in the bedroom
- There should be enough room for ventilation at the time of sleeping; it is easy to breath-in an airy bedroom, as lack of air causes breathing difficulty.
- Avoid spicy, sweet and food high in protein. Such food increase the level of tyrosine in the body and causes sleeplessness.
- Do not sleep with an empty stomach
- Do not drink coffee, tea and alcohol just before sleeping
- Always wear loose clothing while sleeping. Wearing too hot clothing or minimal clothing which makes you chilly can be uncomfortable in the night later on. Shorts, pyjamas and free falling t-shirts are always the best options.
- Make sure that the bed sheets, pillows and quills to be used for sleeping, are clean and properly washed.
- Do not take too many pillows below the head and neck.
- Set the air conditioner below the range of room temperature around 16 to 18 degree Celsius.
Noise can be one of the major reasons for uncomfortable sleep. Hence, reduce the background noise as much as possible. Some people might find a soothing noise, quite helpful in sleeping. They can keep sleeping aids like the white noise machine or music system on.
Keep dim lighting in your bedroom. A bright and eliminating light penetrate the eyes and disturbs sleep. Eye masks are recommended to persons who are used to sleep in a total darkness.
Avoid keeping distracting electronic devices like laptops and mobiles in the bedroom. Enticement to dally with them will lead to staying awake for a long time and it will get difficult to fall asleep later on.
Wrong sleeping postures not only leads to sleeping difficulties, but also gives unwanted pain and aches to the body in the morning! Many people suffering from insomnia find it helpful to deal with their sleeping difficulties after changing their sleeping postures.
Whenever people find it troublesome to sleep properly, first thing they do is changing their pillows or mattresses; but very few of them give it a thought that wrong sleeping posture can also be responsible for sleeplessness.
Sleeping postures are formed out of comfort and physical requirement of the person. Some people may find it easy to sleep on the stomach, while some might feel comfortable sleeping on their back or sides. Lower back, middle back and neck are the three parts of the body that should be taken care of while sleeping. These parts should be relaxed in a way such that their natural curves are maintained properly.
Sleeping on the back is not a highly recommended posture as it can invite a lot of back problems like pain in the lower back etc. The sleeping on back can result in falling off the tongue backward in the mouth. This results in the habit of snoring due to blockage of the airway in the neck. Breathlessness can also be noticed in people who sleep on their back.
It is suggested to keep a pillow under your knees or lower back, if you are habitual to sleep on your back. This will give undisturbed sleep, sans lower back pain in the night.
According to experts, sleeping on the stomach can also cause neck pain or lower back pain. Moreover, sleeping on the stomach results in getting extra weight on the lungs and it may cause breathlessness or inability to take a full breath while asleep.
Sleeping on one side is mostly recommended by experts. This is a position which does not have any side effects on the body, and promises an uninterrupted sleep. In this position, back is slightly bent, knees are curled and arms are kept near the pillow. One can also put a pillow in between the knees to relax the pressure on the hips.
Though most of the people are seen sleeping on their left side, people having kidney related problems may choose to sleep on the right side.
These are guidelines about how a perfect posture to sleep should be, and how you can modify your sleeping pattern, to overcome the sleeplessness. But along with the sleeping postures, it is important to take care of the things like using an appropriate cushion and mattress. Too soft cushions or too hard mattresses can raise neck and back problems, which are mostly found in insomniacs.
Natural Ways to Help Sleep
Sleep deprivation is caused because of the lack of sleep all night, which results in insomnia. It is said that more than 75 % of the people around the world are suffering from this problem and is common to all age categories that includes children’s also. In order to get rid of this problem follow some regular methods which are suggested below.
Have a Sleep Schedule:
Having a sleep schedule will surely help in inducing sleep. So go to bed at the same time every day and wake up from the bed at same time every morning. This should be followed even at weekends to get a effective result.
Avoid Smoking:
Stop smoking as it has the content of nicotine. This nicotine content will keep you away from sleep and also comes up with some other disorders like sleep apnoea. So it is the first and foremost step to avoid if you are a smoker.
Maintain a Sleep Dairy:
This is the best way to get rid of the sleep deprivation problem. Always make a note of the activities which keeps you away from sleep. This should be followed for at least 2 weeks and after that according to the note avoid the activities that are problematic to you and also which makes you keep away from sleep.
Do exercise:
Do some exercise which are based on muscles relaxation, because muscles relaxation will help in inducing the sleep. So in order to get nice sleep it is better to do exercise at night time 4 hours before going to bed.
Avoid Consumption of Caffeine:
Caffeine is a substance which stays in your system for more than 8 hours which will keep on disturbing the mind without letting you to sleep. So avoid having caffeine after 2 pm so that you will get in to deep sleep.
Drink Milk:
Drinking a glass full of warm milk before going to bed will help in inducing sleep as it has the content of serotonin in it. This serotonin will increase the level of melatonin in brain so that it helps in inducing sleep.
Consume Snacks:
Eating snacks before going to bed also helps in getting nice sleep. Eating carbohydrates rich snacks like cookies, peanuts are recommended which induces sleep at night time. It is also recommended by doctors to do such activity for people who are suffering without getting any sleep at night.
Stay Cool:
Always prefer for a cool environment. Make your bedroom as cool as possible which in turn induces sleep for you so that you will go to deep sleep. For this take a warm bath before going to bed so that the warm body temperature becomes cool in your cool room which in turn induces sleep.
Spray Sleep Inducing Scent:
There are many scents like lavender, chamomile are available only for inducing the sleep. Spray those scents in your room so that you will get deep sleep.
Neglect Light:
Sleep in a room where it is dark and always avoid the room which has light source. This is because this light source will keep on disturbing the brain which makes you not to sleep.
Follow all these simple natural ways in helps you in sleep deprivation. Try all of them and follow only one which is best among them.
The Effects of How Exercise Helps Sleep
Exercising during the day is one factor that influences how you sleep during the night. If you continue to be physically active throughout the day, then your body can enter into a state of relaxation at night easier. Exercise will help your body deal with daily stresses and anxiety.
Exercise affects chemicals in the brain. The amount of exercise that you receive is linked directly to your emotional and physical health. Regularly exercising will help you go to sleep faster and maintain a sleeping state, because it will force your sleeping cycles to become consistent. Try working exercise into your life in order to avoid sleeplessness.
When engaging in a physical activity, you should exercise three to four hours before going to bed at night. To receive optimum sleep benefits, be physically active late in the afternoon or towards the early evening.
Make it a point to be physically active for twenty to thirty minutes per day, at least three to four times a week. Aerobic activities are normally the best remedies to insomnia. These activities can be anything from an easy walk to a rigorous run. By increasing your heart rate, improving your breathing and adding additional oxygen to your blood, your body will not only be in better health, but you will also naturally be correcting your sleeping disorder at the same time.
Aside from aerobic exercise, there are other physical activities that you can engage in as well to ward off sleeplessness. Consider trying out Yoga or Tai Chi. Yoga inadvertently affects the brain, the core muscles of the body, and improves blood circulation. Using the breathing techniques practiced in Yoga will help you learn to relax our body and live your life with less stress.
Tai Chi is a physical routine that involves breathing with slow moving body movements. Tai Chi is a perfect type of exercise routine for individuals that suffer with joint pains or having issues engaging in high impact exercise routines.
If it is difficult for you to add thirty minutes of exercise into your daily schedule, try adding in small blocks of physical activities instead. Start making small changes, such as taking stairs instead of using the elevator, or parking your vehicle a further distance away from your destination and walking the rest of the way.
Exercise or any physical activity for that matter will help you live a healthier more energetic life. Here is a full list of ways that exercise relates to and enhances sleep.
Relief
Exercise relieves feelings of anxiety and loosens the muscles that are tightened with stress. In fact, the exercise level that you maintain is directly linked to your emotional and physical wellbeing and overall health.
Regular is Best
Regular exercise enables you to sleep more quickly and stay asleep all night. It creates a balance between your REM and non-REM sleep cycles. REM refers to rapid eye movement and is characterized by dreams. Non-REM refers to deep sleep, where you do not dream. The balance of these cycles is necessary for a good quality of sleep.
Exercise Earlier
Don’t exercise before bedtime – it will energize you. Instead, exercise early in the evening, at least three to four hours before your regular bedtime.
Do the 20-30/3-4 Rule
Aim for physical exercise 20-30 minutes daily, three to four times per week, minimum. Aerobic exercises are best – walking, jogging or running — because they enhance blood circulation, raise your heart rate and improve breathing.
Try Tai Chi
Tai Chi uses slow movements and breathing, which older people may find more agreeable. It improves quality and duration of sleep, a University of California, Los Angeles study revealed. In a study 112 healthy older adults with moderate sleep problems, tai chi improved the quality of sleep after just 16 weeks. Tai Chi also is good for many aging ailments.
Try Yoga
Yoga merges deep breathing techniques with poses that relax the mind and the body. The yoga poses influence the brain and core body muscles. Yoga is particularly helpful if your insomnia is related to stress. One particular type of yoga that is good for sleep is yoga nidra.