Rewarding Sound Sleep Routine
So many situations in life can disturb our sleep routine. A new baby in the house, shift work, caring for someone that is ill. All of these life situations will disrupt our sleep patterns. Scientific research points to sleep disruptions as an increased risk for a variety of chronic illnesses such as heart disease and gastrointestinal diseases.
Nurturing A Sound Sleep Routine
- Keep the same bedtime and wake time schedule every day of the week.
- Eliminate noise and light from your sleeping environment. An orderly room may help as well.
- Avoid caffeinated beverages, alcohol and sugar-four to six hours before sleep time.
Routine Sleep Time And Wake Time
Early to bed, early to rise. Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Ben Franklin
There’s a reason why keeping in sync with nature’s rhythms makes your body happy and healthy. Even the most basic understanding of how our body cleans itself. There are biological energies that influence our bodies and minds, each having its own particular qualities and traits.
Ayurveda recommends going to sleep by or around 10:00 p.m. This is one of the most ideal times for the body to fall asleep. After 10 pm we get a second wind – if you’re up at 11:00 p.m. or Midnight and feel ready and motivated to do anything but sleep; it is caused by the time of bed you are selecting. It’s best to go to bed by 10:00 p.m.—10:30 or 11:00 p.m. at the latest. This makes it much easier to fall asleep than a later bedtime.
Because it’s recommended to wake up early, we also need that early bedtime to ensure we get enough sleep. Ayurveda advises arising during brahmamuhurta—the two hours before sunrise. This is the best time for yoga and meditation—which are important practices in Ayurveda for maintaining health of the body and mind. Go to bed by 10:00 p.m., wake up by 6:00 a.m.
Sleep In Complete Darkness
A dark environment ensures your pineal gland produces enough melatonin to ensure good, restful sleep. Make sure you avoid backlit devices like phones, tablets, computer monitors, or TV right before bed. The lighting of these devices stimulates serotonin production, tricking your pineal gland into thinking it’s daytime, confusing your wake/sleep cycle.
Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol And Sugar
Caffeine will stay in the blood stream for four to six hours.
Alcohol and a good night’s sleep don’t mix well, although many people will add it to their routine thinking it puts them to sleep. “Alcohol may seem to be helping you to sleep, as it helps induce sleep, but overall it is more disruptive to sleep, particularly in the second half of the night,” says researcher Irshaad Ebrahim. He is the medical director at The London Sleep Centre in the U.K. “Alcohol also suppresses breathing and can precipitate sleep apnea,” or pauses in breathing that happen throughout the night.
Sugar peaks about thirty minutes after eaten and affects the blood for about two hours or more. People often use sugar to go to sleep but it does the same thing as alcohol, it disrupts the second half of the night.
Sleep is the most rejuvenative and restorative time for your body. Rest well!
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