Posted by Savneet Singh on Jun.18, 2009

©iStockphoto.com - Stalman

Sleep hygiene is all about creating the perfect sleep environment. Much in the way you’d put candles on the table and romantic songs on the sound system for an intimate dinner, you also need to set the mood for sleeping. Sleeping well at night is very important for physical and mental health. If you cannot sleep well, you remain dull, feel low, depressed, irritated and may have difficulty concentrating.

Let us discuss the perfect environment for sleep:

A cool, dark room

Altering the temperature and the light in the room signals your pineal gland and helps kick up the melatonin production and knock you down. Lowering temperature and bringing darkness in the room will help stimulate sleep.

No laptop or TV

You should send your mind a signal that it is time to sleep. Bed should not be used for working on laptop and bedroom should not be used for watching TV. TV and laptop send stimuli to the body, canceling out the message that it’s time to sleep. So you stay awake. It has been observed that people without a TV in their bedroom have 50% more sex than those who do.

Add noise

Use a fan for background noise, or one of those machines that let you pick recorded sounds, from the rain forest to the ocean.

Dress properly

Sleeping attire should be non restricting and non-allergenic. Wear looser clothes to sleep in. Our bodies can keep themselves warm easier than keeping cool.

Make a routine for waking up and sleeping

Establish a standard wake up time, even on weekends. This helps reset your body’s natural daily rhythm and trains you to stay on schedule if your rhythm happens to wander, as during traveling.

Get the best mattress

Buying a good mattress is a very important investment on your health. You should keep in mind two main things while you go to buy a mattress. First and foremost is the support that the mattress provides. A mattress must support the natural curve of the spine. Lack of enough support may put pressure on your spine. A mattress must not be so hard that it only supports the heavy parts of your body. Your mattress should be firm enough so that it supports your spine and its natural curve and thus keeps your spine in place.

Second, consider is the comfort provided by the mattresses. Try out the mattress to check if it is comfortable for you in your normal sleeping position. It will give you a good idea as to how it will feel.

Sleep Acupressure

Here is a technique which you can use next time you find yourself squirming in bed at night. Try this relaxation and sleep promoting move.

1. Rub your hands together to warm them . Place each palm on the respective eye.
2. Press the brow bone of each with your index finger.
3. Press the outside corner of your eye at the bone.
4. Press the inside of each eye.
5. Use you thumb to push where the jaw and cheekbone meet at the temporomandibular joint.
6. Pinch the ears around the pinna from the top to the bottom.
7. End the sequence with the move called “ beating the heavenly drum,” by tapping the back of your head nine times with hands; the thumbs rest on the neck as on an axis.

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Posted under GDM Lifestyle, Living.