Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Sleep Hygiene: Change Your Habits to Lose Your Insomnia

By Rose K Taylor

Sleep hygiene therapy is a natural, no side effects technique that follows a compilation of practices to help relax your body before bedtime, naturally inducing sleep.

The mind is a powerful tool to control the body and using sleep therapy teaches the mind to grasp onto new habits that will help the body to sleep. Using sleep therapy techniques doesn't guarantee that you will fall asleep but you have a better chance of doing so on your own than doing nothing or using medications.

One thing that sleep therapy accomplishes is teaching those with sleep disorders how to quiet their minds and thus their bodies. The therapy involves repeating a series of actions to help you get ready for bed each night. The techniques will ideally lead to a night of restful sleep and a refreshing morning after.

Most people don't power down before going to bed. The idea of sleep therapy is doing just that so that you will be able to get to sleep and stay asleep at night. Over time, your body will respond to the methods designed to relax mind and body with consistent effort.

Before beginning sleep therapy get all the information. Suggestions to increase the chances that the techniques will work include limiting environmental factors that contribute to insomnia. Eliminate extraneous noise and light that can make it hard to fall asleep. Also, try to establish a nightly routine where you go to bed at or around the same time.

Daily exercise and regular exposure to afternoon sunlight will assist your body in the relaxation process. Since your body repairs itself while sleeping, this exhaustion will encourage your body to sleep. You can also perform relaxation techniques, such as a warm bath or muscle relaxation, right before your bedtime to promote rest.

Stimulating activities in the evening are not going to make you want to sleep. In fact, you could be up for hours if you do them. Exercising, reading, or watching your favorite television show can easily put you past your bedtime and contribute to lack of sleep that night. Avoid these things when engaging in sleep therapy.

Stimulating drinks can hinder your sleep for the night. Avoid drinking sodas and hot drinks loaded with caffeine or having an alcoholic beverage before bed. Added to this, telling yourself that you must sleep, usually results in not sleeping at all.

Through sleep hygiene therapy, you can establish a routine that helps you get to sleep better. Sleep deprivation can contribute to serious health issues and will affect your ability to complete responsibilities. Medicinal sleep aids can also have serious side effects and even prolong your insomnia.

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