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Healthy Sleep Habits

Ask your friends and there’s a good chance none of them will say they get a full eight hours of sleep at night, every night. The US population is so sleep-deprived that more than 60 million of us experience insomnia during the year - and many more of us struggle to get by on less than the recommended eight hours of sleep.

Although they may be hard to find, there are people who have mastered the art of sleeping well. They tend to have a slew of healthy habits that help them sleep soundly each night and wake up energized the next day. Those of us who are sleep-deprived have a lot to learn from them, including:

Exercise early

Research suggests that working out in the mornings lead to better sleep than afternoon or evening workout sessions. If you can’t stand the idea of a morning workout or have a schedule that makes it impossible, remember any regular exercise is better than none at all. It’s still best to wrap it up a few hours before bed to give your body time to wind down. Two recent studies have shown that high exercise activity is associated with better sleep quality, while people who get a full hour of exercise five days per week have more normal REM sleep than people who don’t exercise.

Load up on omega-3s

These essential fatty acids are good for all kinds of reasons, but one recent Oxford University study found that higher levels of omega-3s in the body are associated with better sleep, possibly because they increase the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. To get your omega-3s, add salmon to your lunch, throw some chia seeds into your smoothie, and talk to your doctor about taking omega-3 supplements.

Go easy on caffeine

Unless you’re especially sensitive to caffeine (like me - one can of cola will give me the shakes) one or two cups of coffee in the morning probably won’t affect your sleep. But drinking later in the day just might: recent research found that caffeine consumed in the six hours before bedtime could reduce your sleeping time by a full hour. If you plan to fall asleep at nine pm, cut out the coffee before 3pm. That also goes for tea, soda, chocolate and pain relievers that contain caffeine.

Adopting these three healthy habits will help you sleep better and sounder - and wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.

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