also helps you sleep better at night. We joke as parents about letting our kids wear themselves out so they’re ready for a good, long nap – but the same goes for us as adults!
When the Huffington post conducted a poll for people who exercise in terms of how they sleep, they discovered that people who exercise don’t just get more sleep – they get better sleep.
As you might suspect, the harder you work out, the harder you snooze each night! If you’re not used to exercising, start out slow and work your way up. You can start off with a simple 10-minute-a-day plan and increase it a bit each week.
The side effect of exercising to get better sleep and stress less is that you might shed pounds if you’re overweight! Poor sleep makes people gain weight according to recent studies – and stress is a definite factor in consuming too many calories.
Try to exercise after work – plenty of time before bed, but in the evening. If you exercise too close to bedtime and you discover that you still feel restless, just move your exercise up to an early time.
Rule #4 – Let Bath Meditation Boost Your Sleep Count
For some people, bath time is their only time of the day when they unwind and kick stress to the curb. There are no clocks ticking, no technology vying for your attention, and nobody talking to you.
It’s just you, your warm, soothing water, and whatever environment you’ve created to help you relax. The environment for your bath meditation is just as important as the sleeping environment you create.
If it’s off, then you can’t relax. A cold, sterile bathroom won’t lend itself to a calming environment. You can use bath meditation whether you have a 10-minute bath or an hour-long bath.
Some people like to incorporate aromatherapy during their bath meditation – and you can find candles or bubble bath that soothes you with lavender or chamomile or any other scent that calms, rather than invigorates you.
Music is another option for you to consider. You can choose soft, relaxing music – or even invest in some sort of guided imagery CDs that will walk you through a visualization process that helps you meditate while in the bath.
Just as you’ve made the commitment to turn off technology at bedtime, do the same for your bath time, too. You can’t really relax and meditate if your smart phone is ringing off the hook.
Make sure that when you ease yourself into your bath, you start to get familiar with how you’re breathing. Most people go through each day using shallow breathing, and it’s deep breathing that cleanses the stress from your body and helps you sleep better.
Let your mind wash away all of troubles and irritation of the day – picture it washing out to sea – and replace it with whatever the senses are experiencing at that very moment – the warmth of the water, the tranquil sounds, and the feeling of being unrestricted by ties or hosiery.
Everyone’s different with how they meditate. Some like the guided imagery, while others want to have nothing to think about. Some like to use a mantra they can repeat throughout the meditation process. See what works best for you and then use that as your staple for better sleep and less stress.
Rule #5 – Become a Master at Time Management
During the Huffington Post surveys about sleep and stress, they noticed that most people started with phrases like, ‘Not enough time to…’ Time is one thing we need more of and have less of in this day and age.
We have no time to relax. We push ourselves from the time our feet hit the floor in the morning right up until we go to bed – and we never get to bed on time. Instead, we give ourselves a minimal amount of sleep hours – and much of that is spent tossing and turning due to the stress of what all we couldn’t accomplish in the day.
If you’ll get firm with yourself and look at how much time you waste during the day, or how much time you’re not as productive as you should be, then you’ll free up more time for sleep.
Notice that didn’t say, ‘free up more time to get tasks done.’ Many of you will learn new time management skills and forget to learn your lesson about sleep. Instead, you’ll pack in more on your to-do list.
Keep a diary or journal of your daily routine. Notice all the times when you’re surfing the web or standing around chatting with co-workers. That’s time that you could be spending really accomplishing things so that once your day is done, you are rewarded with free time – ‘me time’ – to pamper and nurture your body and mind.
You might also find that when you implement the other rules here, along with proper sleep hygiene, you’ll be able to get more done throughout the day. That’s because your mental clarity improves and you tend to have more energy to tackle whatever the day may bring.
Rule #6 – Allow Deep Breathing to Replace Naps
There are some people who get in the habit of taking a daily nap – primarily because they’ve heard that power napping can help them achieve their goals for the day.
This might be true for many people. But if sleep eludes you, then naps could be causing the problem. A 10-minute power nap where you’re basically just shutting your eyes and deep breathing is beneficial.
Going to bed for 2-4 hours in the middle of the day is a recipe for disaster. You’ll never be able to go to bed at a regular bedtime and you’ll lie there frustrated and annoyed that you can’t go to sleep. It’s a hard habit to break.
Try using deep breathing to energize yourself whenever you’re in an afternoon slump. Breathe from your diaphragm and try to watch how often you’re using shallow breaths throughout the day.
Rule #7 – Focus on Nutrition for Better Sleep and Less Stress
Foods are one area where what you eat can benefit or damage both your sleep and stress levels. If you want to alleviate stress and get better sleep, you need to limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine and eat foods that will help with both!
That means eating good protein like turkey or lean chicken, salmon, avocadoes, nuts like almonds or walnuts, and apricots (which soothe your muscles). Regular meals are key, too. You want your blood sugar levels stabilized so that you don’t have to deal with mood swings and energy highs and lows.
Avoiding Stress
Many people do not act positively to reduce the stress in their lives until physical symptoms force them to consider how their lifestyle is affecting their wellbeing.
Don't leave stress unchecked or wait until it makes you ill. Learn to recognize when you are stressed and take steps to minimize stress and avoid additional stress. There are numerous steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of being affected by stress and many of them are a matter of simple common sense.
If you are worried about your stress levels or are struggling to manage or avoid stress then it is important that you speak to your doctor or other health-care provider.
How to Avoid or Minimize Stress
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