4 Ways to Improve Your Sleep

8/19/2014

It is estimated that over 60 million Americans suffer from short-term (a few days or weeks) or long-term (more than a month) insomnia.
Most cases of chronic insomnia are secondary, which means they are the symptom or side effect of some other problem.
You may have heard the standard sleep hygiene tips about avoiding caffeine, using room-darkening shades, and going to bed at the same time every night. Here are a few other ideas that are not as well known ...

Temperature matters
Be mindful of the temperature. Take a warm (not hot) shower or bath about an hour before bedtime, and keep your room cool at night. The drop in body temperature signals your body to calm, so that you will fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply.

Turn off the electronics
Okay, so you have heard this one. But, it is the most important and the least followed piece of advice.

Get an old fashioned alarm clock so that you do not need to use your phone. Turn off your phone, iPad, Kindle, or whatever you have, and put the devices in another room. Yes, a whole other room. You may think that a phone on silent, hanging out on your nightstand, will not disturb your rest, but it will. For starters, just knowing it is there puts your body on alert. If you do wake in the middle of the night, it is far too tempting to reach over and just check a few emails. Save yourself. Break this habit.

Get a massage
Yup. Massage can help with sleep issues. There have been several studies demonstrating the efficacy of massage in people with sleep problems, especially when treating secondary issues that may impair sleep, like back pain, pregnancy, and migraines.

Insights

No 'system' is corrupt;
each person within it chooses to go along instead of doing what's right.
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No technology is bad, each person who uses it chooses to behave or not within it.
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If we agreed upon and prioritized a handful of core values, everything we say and do would reflect those values, even as time and technology changed.
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If we applied polarity physics to everyday life, we would recognize the importance of balancing the best of both light and dark aspects, instead of knee-jerking from one unbalanced extreme to another like a free radical.
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Emotions are vital yet never an adult's excuse for responding immaturely. Instead, see emotional spikes, whether positive or negative, as a sign to slow down, backup, and proceed with informed caution or change direction.

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