The Best Advice for Getting Sleep Without Pills
By Genevieve Cunningham
Sleep. You know you want more. You would be hard pressed to find an adult in today’s world who is actually getting the sleep they need. It’s an epidemic, this lack of sleep. For most of us, it’s chronic and it significantly affects our well-being. Many people, when they’ve finally had enough of the insomnia, get help in the form of sleeping pills. But if you’ve ever taken any form of sleeping pill, then you know that the pros don’t always outweigh the cons. Sleeping pills come with a lot of negative side effects that most would rather avoid. So what can you do if you’re not keen on pills but you can’t sleep? To get more sleep without turning to medication, take a look at these tips to try tonight.
Improve Bedtime Habits
Your bedtime habits are what lead up to sleep. They help set the mood and get your body and mind ready for rest. Unfortunately, most people skip bedtime habits altogether. If you want to improve your chances of quality sleep, do the same bedtime habits in the same order every night. Take a shower, brush your teeth, watch a show, read for a few minutes, and then turn off the lights for bed. Choose a routine that lowers your stress and calms you down, and then stick with it.
Actually Set a Bedtime
Before you can do a good bedtime routine, you have to actually set a bedtime. It doesn’t do your body any good to vary your bedtime widely. It confuses your body and mind and makes sleep more difficult. Set a bedtime and then give yourself a window of time to get in the bed. Over time, your body will get used to the rhythm and sleep will get easier. The hard part? Forcing yourself to stick with the bedtime, turning off the TV (or phone!), and actually getting in the bed.
Meditate
Meditation is so beneficial. It’s an incredible way to wind down the mind and lower stress. And when you do this just before bed, it helps set your body up for better sleep. Start with a simple five minute practice. When you actually start to enjoy meditation (it might take a while!), then add a few more minutes to the practice. Build on this over time, and eventually you’ll be a meditation pro and a sleep expert.
Sleep matters. We like to pretend like it doesn’t and that we can get by on little to no sleep, but that’s just not true. We need sleep in order to function, and we really need it in order to thrive! Use these tips to improve your sleep, and watch your health and life improve like never before.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Pasadena, Calif.