Sleep remains one of the biggest mysteries and pleasures of life, as it’s our key most critical need to keep us alive. Everyone you know, the monsters, the politicians, puppies and even superman, all need sleep to live another day.
Every human will spend up to a third of their lives to sleep as we love it, regardless of who we are.
So forget all the claims of what’s sacred or rare, what’s going extinct on this earth, as getting decent shuteye is our most precious commodity.
The most elusive element on this planet, something we all seek more of but often remains evasive, is getting a good nights sleep.
We all go into slumberland, and regardless of who we are, we all crave this deceptive valuable thing called sleep.
Is It Nap Time Yet?
We secretly seek out naps as often as possible once we grow older. We’ll spend excessively to find better ways to comfort ourselves.
Hotel’s and mattress companies have made an industry out of promising you’ll get a better nights sleep.
So before drifting off into dreamland tonight while sipping your warm milk or downing melatonin, there are certain myths about sleep you need to know.
We All Need At Least 7 Hours of Sleep
Seven hours is the generalized standard, but needs to be adjusted based on the individual. The amount of sleep you actually need, falls within a time range, and you need to find and adjust it.
This could be anywhere from 5 to 9 hours, whatever gets you the most focused and energized. To determine how much you need, look for clues.
If you find yourself drifting off earlier in the evening, or need an IV hookup of caffeine to keep you focused, you need more sleep than what you’re currently averaging.
Try going to bed earlier and get an extra hour of sleep.
Waking Up At Night Just Loses Those Minutes
When waking up during the night to write down a creative passage, to answer the phone, to pee, or tend that crying baby, does is causes more disruption than those few lost minutes of sleep.
Anyone with a newborn are the best test subjects for this, or someone who wakes up and frequents the bathroom several times a night.
Those who get interrupted during the night will wake up moody and irritable, and is comparable to getting 5 hours of sleep, when they actually got 8.
What then compounds the issue is downing massive amounts of coffee to stay and remain alert, which only contributes to getting poorer sleep the following night.
Sleep And Wake Up At The Same Time
This is what’s recommended, as your mind and body will adjust its sleep cycle accordingly, when the same routine is kept.
You should be getting up at the same time every morning within minutes on a daily basis, especially on the weekends.
This also includes going to bed at a prescribed time every night, while calculating the amount of sleep you’ll get during that span.
If you sleep in until noon on Saturday morning thinking you deserve it, what you’ve done is initiate jet lag like symptoms on your body without air travel.
Instead of erratically going to sleep when you get tired, create an exact schedule on when you’ll go to sleep every night, and when you’ll wake up. Then your focus during the day will become crystal clear.
My Brain Is My Alarm Clock
There’s even a term for it, which is known as suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is a built in subconscious clock in your brain. In fact, every organ in the body conforms to a daily rhythm.
That’s the reason why you get jet lag, and wake up groggy and moody for days, as what you’re doing is throwing every organ in your body into a tailspin, as it’s timing is thrown off.
In the long run, when throwing off your body clock, what you’re doing is potentially placing yourself at risk of serious diseases.
This include those with irregular sleep patterns such as midnight shift workers, those who constantly travels over various time zones, or students cramming another all-nighter.
Counting Sheep Puts Me To Sleep
If you can’t sleep, get out of bed and try sleeping somewhere else. Not being able to sleep is a conditioned response.
If you can’t sleep, what you did was associated your cozy bed, with not being able to fall asleep.
So if you’re awake in bed for more than 20 minutes without falling asleep, what you’re doing is associating your bed and bedroom, with a place where you can’t sleep.
Also, what you do before you go to sleep, such as watching TV or going on Facebook on your smartphone when in bed, becomes associated with not being able to fall asleep as well.
Begin changing your routine such as drinking warm milk or taking a hot bath, right before bed. If you’re wanting to do those other activities, then get them done earlier.
If you can’t sleep after 20 minutes, go to a different room and read a book until you feel sleepy.
The best solution is to condition your mind to think you can sleep in your own bed.
Getting A Good Nights Sleep
Exhaust your day by getting plenty of exercise, eat a healthy dinner at a reasonable time which won’t disrupt your stomach. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
Since sleep is what we all crave, why not get the best possible advantage.
Condition your mind and body, that you’re about to get a great nights sleep. Pick up habits which will turn into behaviors, which makes falling asleep a restful, soothing and peaceful experience.
What sleeping does is rewires, reworks, resets and heals the brain and all the organs in the body. Even what just a 20 minute nap does, is promotes new brain cell growth.
Fortunately, there are just a few alterations, some simple changes you need to make in your lifestyle, which can help in better preparing your body to sleep, while improving the quality of it.