3 Unconventional Ways to Sleep Better and Longer
Sleep is probably our most hated thing when we were kids, but now it is our most sought after pleasure as adults. In our day-to-day lives, we are expected to perform at our best all the time whether at work or at play. The seemingly routine things that we do everyday however, becomes extra harder when we do not get enough sleep the night before.
Less sleep means you get tired and burn off the energy too early along the day. It lessens your ability to concentrate on the task at hand. This is very critical if you need to have full attention on your job or risk life and limb. Getting not enough sleep will affect your productivity and even decision-making. This could put a toll on your job and family to say the least.
So the next time you prepare yourself for that most awaited time of the day when you finally get a shut-eye nirvana, follow these unconventional tips to make it last longer and worth every second.
- Position Is Key
You would probably think that the position while you sleep would not matter because you won’t even know it. But studies show that there are certain ways to enable prolonged sleep by lessening uncomfortable positions that makes you wake up and toss around at the middle of your sleep.
If you love to sleep on your back, you need to make sure that you are not using a pillow that is too high or to soft that it affects the alignment of your head and neck. If you use the wrong pillow, it will most likely affect your breathing pattern at night making you gasp for air or may even lead to sleep apnea. (a condition where you stop breathing momentarily at sleep). It will also cause stress to your neck area causing pain when you move your head.
If you sleep on your side, a pillow in between your legs will not only give you extra comfort, it will also help align you body from head to toe. This position significantly takes off pressure from your spine leading to a more relaxed experience all through the night.
Find a way to make these positions possible just before you doze off, or if you happen to wake up in the middle of the night. A slight adjustment to your sleeping position will go a long way.
- Ease Gadget / Computer Use at Night
Like most people nowadays, you are probably hooked with your gadgets like PDA’s, Phone, Tablets, TVs, Laptops and Computers and most likely use them in bed with the hopes of falling asleep faster. On the contrary, it will make you lose more sleep time. The brain is naturally programmed to slide into sleep mode when there is no light around. The backlight from the gadgets will give the false impression of daytime light fooling your brain to hold back the feeling of sleepiness and make you more alert instead.
You would have probably experienced flipping the channel or browsing websites for too long and losing track of time instead of sleeping. Try to stay away from these gadgets at least an hour before you go to sleep. This will not only condition your mind for the long rest ahead, it will also give you time to do other personal and more important things at home.
- Wake Up Relaxed, Not Surprised!
After you have successfully slept better through the night, there is simply no point in waking up quite shocked and surprised with the sound of the alarms buzzing loudly. Yes we may need that loud annoying sound to wake us up, but there are other ways to deal with it and wake up feeling relaxed.
Instead of using buzzing sounds, you can get yourself those clocks that play music as alarms. Nothing beats the feeling of having complete and sound sleep and waking up on the beautiful melody of your favorite tunes. Not only will it set the mood right for the day, it will also help you feel calm and relaxed all through the challenges ahead.
Lack of sleep as well as over sleeping means problems not only for your health, but also for your attitude in general. Getting the right amount of sleep is good for you, but having a good quality sleep is truly the best for everybody. I am just glad to know that we can do something to achieve peaceful sleep, and the capability and choice is completely yours.
