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SolveYourProblem
eLearning Series: Natural Sleep Remedies
Please Help Me Sleep Better At Night!
Your
Bedroom Conditions
After establishing
a consistent bedtime routine, it is important to create a
comfortable and relaxed atmosphere in your bedroom. The more
cozy and harmonic your bedroom is the more relaxed you will
feel.
Your goal
is to promote a calming and restful atmosphere. This can be achieved
by creating a bedroom environment that is not only appealing
to you but also functions without interruptions or annoying
irritations.
Ensure that the
room temperature is set according to your preference. Ideally
your room should be on the cooler side; however, you should
experiment with your own comfort level.
You don't want
to wake during the night either too hot or too cold and then
find yourself wide awake once again. Sleep experts say that
the ideal room temperature is 68 to 75 degrees F.
If at all possible,
try to sleep with the window open, however slightly. This
will allow for proper room ventilation. Adequate air current
is necessary for you to breathe in circulating air. This
will aid your body in breathing deeply and correctly.
You may be sensitive
to noises around you and outside of the bedroom. If this
is the case and you find that noise is disturbing or interrupting
your sleep, you may want to consider purchasing ear plugs.
Ear plugs may
take a little getting used to, however there are plugs on
the market that are specifically designed to be comfortable
and unobtrusive to your sleep. Take time to try what works
best for you.
If you find ear
plugs to be too uncomfortable, you may want to use a "white
noise" machine, such as a fan. "White noise" from
the fan is used to over-ride or mask other sounds that may
be disturbing to your sleep, such as traffic and voices.
Ideally your bedroom
should be as dark as possible so that you experience the
daytime/nighttime cycle. Light may disrupt your normal circadian
rhythm and signal your body that it is time to wake up.
If you find it
difficult to fall asleep in a room that is infused with too
much light, try purchasing an eye mask. There are eye masks
on the market that will be comfortable to wear as well as
effectively block out any interfering light.
If you find an
eye mask to be too uncomfortable, try hanging thick curtains
or install blinds.
If you find yourself
listening to the sound of a ticking clock, you may want to
remove the clock from your bedroom and replace it with a
digital clock.
If you find yourself
constantly looking at the time to see how many hours you
have left to sleep, you may want to turn the digital clock
to the wall. Knowing that time is passing will only increase
your anxiety and stress about not sleeping.
Make sure that
your room has no stimulation to lure you away from sleep.
This includes a television, computer, or stereo equipment.
You
want to ensure that your bedroom is only used for sleeping
and sex.
If you have a
CD player in the bedroom, make sure that you only use if
for playing relaxing music or sleep inducing CDs.
If you find that
your room is too dry, you may want to purchase a humidifier,
especially in the winter months.
Wear comfortable,
loose clothing. The more constrained or uncomfortable you
are the more likely you are to wake up during the night.
The goal here
is to encourage to you find the ideal sleep conditions
based on your
personal preferences. You may have to experiment
and try a variety of techniques to find what works best for
you.
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