4 Ways to Improve Your Sleep

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.