10 Tips to Sleeping Better

It doesn't matter if you wish to lose weight, improve your love life or live to a ripe old age, here’s all the advice you'll need in 2006. Today we focus on ways to get better sleep.

Research now shows that most westerners in high pressure lifestyles are chronically sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation causes stress and stress is a major health problem! If the body and mind aren’t given the chance to regenerate, how can we become, or even retain our vital nature?

GET BETTER SLEEP

1. Take baths not showers: A bath 30 minutes before going to bed improves sleep, say researchers at the University of Texas.

2. Get into good habits: Go to bed at relatively the same time every day. If you aren’t able to relax enough and be asleep within 30 minutes, get up, walk around slowly, gently breathing in and out through the nose. When you feel sleepy; return to bed. Ensure your bedroom is dark and quiet.

3. Try acupuncture: Trial results suggest that most insomniacs could benefit from acupuncture. Effects can last up to 18 months.

4. Use earplugs: Noise is a common cause of sleep problems, and earplugs work in six out of 10 cases, according to research in Germany. If plugs don't work, try masking noise with soft music.

5. Use lavender: According to research in France, the aroma of lavender oil can be as effective as prescription tranquillisers. In a research study in London, an insomniac enjoyed her first complete night's sleep for four years after using aromatherapy oils. Lavender oil can be used in massage (around the temple region works great), 5-10 drops in the bath or in an oil burner.

6. Exercise: Researchers at Stanford University found that adults who took part in 16 weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise significantly lessened their sleep problems. The best time to exercise is five to six hours before bedtime; and it should be strenuous enough to bring up a light sweat.

7. Take valerian: The most commonly used herb for severe insomnia, valerian acts as a sedative, making falling asleep easier, and allowing for deeper sleep cycles. Take it 30 minutes before going to bed.

8. Don't count sheep: In a study at Oxford University, 50 insomniacs were asked either to imagine a tranquil scene while trying to get to sleep, or to count sheep. The sheep-counters took up to 20 minutes longer to nod off, probably because they were bored.

9. Soak your feet: With a cup of Epsom salts mixed in warm water, soaking your feet for twenty minutes is a sure fire way to bring the blood to the feet. This calms the mind as it lowers the pressure felt in the head. This is also a useful curative measure to use in the case of headache.

10. Enjoy a cup of warm milk and honey: For bringing on sleep it’s an oldie but a goodie. That's probably the reason it's still around; it works a treat. If this is non-helpful to you, maybe an ancient Chinese remedy mixed with a bit of modern science will do the trick. Mix honey and chopped ginger with dried orange peel. Swallow it just before bedtime.

Till next time, rest well.