According to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation an estimated 65% of Americans deal with sleep problems at least a few days a week. A bad night sleep can lead to an array of issues, aside from the obvious sluggish day at work; other health problems that can ensue from lack of sleep include obesity and depression. Many people become frustrated when they aren’t able to get the required amount of sleep and thus turn to over-the-counter sleep aids, which can ultimately become very dangerous, as sleeping medications can be incredibly addictive. If a person isn’t sleeping as sound as they’d like to, it’s possible that their nightly routine may be to blame. Don’t get frustrated and turn to a sleeping aid before trying these three simple steps:

1.) Setting a Bright Alarm Clock
You may recall that as a child the soothing glow from a nightlight actually helped you to drift to dream land because you felt safe. As an adult however, lights do the exact opposite and keep us awake. When you have a bright alarm clock light glaring back at you while you lay in bed, your body becomes distracted from its goal of trying to sleep. Ultimately before you go to bed, you want to try and get the room as dark as possible thus eliminating any distractions and allowing your body to shift into a deep, relaxing sleep.

2.) Counting Sheep
I don’t know one person that doesn’t enjoy the Sealy commercials that highlight the talking counting sheep. As cute as they are however, counting sheep is actually one of the worst possible things a person could do when having trouble falling to sleep. If you find yourself lying in bed for longer than 30 minutes, get up and engage in a mundane activity that requires marginal brainpower such as watching TV or reading a book. This will lull your mind thus making you genuinely tired and soon afterwards you’ll be back under the covers snuggled tightly in bed.

3.) Exercising Late at Night
Although initially after a workout a person’s body may feel drained, the endorphins released during physical activity actually fuel your body with energy and increase the body’s temperature, which will keep you running for hours. This is the exact reason you don’t want to be exercising late at night right before you’re planning on heading to bed. A good guideline to follow is avoiding any type of physical activity three hours before you plan to shut your body down for sleep.

A great night sleep can make all the difference in a person’s overall health and how well they perform his or her daily activities. The recommended amount of sleep per night is anywhere between 7-9 hours depending on the person’s age and lifestyle. So if you’ve found yourself tossing and turning for hours in frustration, it may be time to re-evaluate your bedtime habits. If you do, you’re sure to be sleeping like a baby in no time.

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Tags: Group Health, Health, Health News //