Sleep is vital to a healthy lifestyle. No one argues that. Yet, according to most sleep surveys or studies, almost no one gets enough sleep, or their sleep is of such poor quality its effectiveness as a healing and restoration tool is diminished.
Fortunately, there are a few steps everyone can take that are holistic and natural to increase their amount of sleep and the quality of sleep they get.
Kids, home chores, work, and other life pressures make getting a good night’s sleep difficult. You might have the best intentions, but before you know it, it is 9 pm, and you still have at least an hour’s worth of chores to do before you approach slumber.
By setting a schedule and insisting you keep to it, you get your body into “wake time” and “sleep time.” That makes it easier to fall and stay asleep. A schedule also makes it easier to wake up because your body rests more completely.
Once your schedule gets set, you should develop a sleep hygiene bedtime routine to prepare yourself for sleep. Changing clothes, cleaning up, turning off the electronics, consciously relaxing, or reading are all part of a healthy routine for getting ready to sleep.
A routine trains your body to wind down, and, as importantly, it lets you put yourself in the best position to fall and stay asleep.
Maybe it is the stress of work or raising kids, relationship issues or you are prone to experience anxiety. Perhaps it is your diet. Or, you do not exercise enough. There are countless reasons why people do not get enough sleep. The trick is to figure out why.
As importantly, figuring out why helps identify how to fix whatever is not working. Here are a few suggestions:
Therapy can help you achieve better sleep in at least two ways.
First, it can provide you with tools to help you eliminate or manage stress, prioritize tasks, and cope with daily life, leading to better sleep.
Second, therapy can help is that you get to discuss everything in your life with a disinterested third party. In other words, it can be a great tool for venting, self-reflection, and working off stress.
Holistic scans help you identify areas of your life and routine that might be impeding your sleep. One is a balancing scan, which looks for bioenergetic hormonal and nutritional imbalances that make sleep more difficult.
Depending on the results, you can incorporate herbal, homeopathic, and nutritional solutions to correct imbalances, which should help you establish a healthier sleep routine. A balancing scan is one of many holistic analysis approaches that can improve your life.
Crystal healing is a non-invasive, vibrational, energy-based healing system that utilizes the power of crystals to help achieve a healthier existence. Crystals are reputed to help absorb, detoxify, shift, and focus energy as it interacts with a person.
One method of crystal healing is a crystal massage wand. Crystal massage wands come in a variety of minerals and crystal elements, each one geared toward addressing specific energy deficiencies and directional issues.
The use of relaxation and meditation techniques dates back to almost before recorded history. Used by virtually every culture that ever existed, relaxation and meditation help focus the mind and reprioritize one’s life.
Many people use these techniques shortly before going to bed to help them settle down, put life’s concerns aside, and prepare their bodies for downtime.
The food you put in your body can greatly affect how you fall asleep, the quality of your sleep, and whether you can stay asleep. Avoid alcohol and caffeine before bed. Nicotine also takes hours to work its way out of your system and that process can cause anxiety. Eating heavy foods might make you sleepy, but digestion processes can wake you.
You should also avoid going to bed hungry. Hunger pangs can be just as disruptive as alcohol and caffeine. Having a healthy snack a couple of hours before bed can help you avoid feeling hungry in the middle of the night. Just do not overdo it.
Some people can fall asleep virtually anywhere. Most people, however, need an environment conducive to sleep to get and stay asleep. Your environment should be quiet, dark, cool, and inviting. Turn off the smart-device screens and do activities that will calm and relax you before sleeping, such as taking a bath or relaxation techniques.
How you sleep affects every aspect of your life. Lack of sleep can impair judgment, make you irritable, and lead to health issues. Use these tips and techniques to help establish a sleep routine that rests and heals you, allowing you to tackle every day refreshed and eager to get started.
