PRE-SLEEP HOW TO SET YOURSELF UP FOR A GREAT SLEEP By Ryan Beck Pre-sleep is the lead up to sleep. If you’re suffering from any sleep difficulties it’s vital to control what happens in your pre-sleep period and lead yourself towards a relaxing rest. Pre-sleep actually begins in the daytime, all events and activities leading up to bed-time can have an effect on your quality of sleep. So take back the power, and tell everyone that you need this time for yourself. Do These Things To Help Your Chances Of Getting Great Sleep I’ve compiled a list of things that have helped me to feel great and have set me up for a much better sleep. See if you can add to this list: •
Don’t start any new confronting discussions about finances or renovations in the hour before your bedtime (!) You don’t want to take any frustrations or annoyances to bed. This is your personal unwind time, and it’s precious.
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Turn your screen off. Leave your phone in the lounge or office, and forget about the busy world of business. It’s not time to work, or check social media. That stuff robs you of your own winding-down time… remember, they’ll be there in the morning when you wake.
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‘Care less’, don’t think about work or worry about upcoming events, or past problems you can’t fix. (This is a personal issue of my own, I really want to please people and my wife keeps saying I should care less what other people think!) I.t’s a great way to release yourself from the issues of the week.
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Turn your bedroom lights down low, or have the room light off and turn on a bedside lamp. There’s something cosy and ‘anchoring’ about having a small, warm light source nearby, it must hark back to our ancient campfire rituals. (If your bedside or desk lamp has a cold, blue light source, buy a warm, yellow bulb)
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Achieve something in the late afternoon. It can render you extremely satisfied at the end of the day if you’ve ticked something big off your list. You can plan for this task during the day so that you set the goal and tick it off.
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Make a medium-sized warm drink. Drinking a huge cup of tea or coffee before bed is naturally not recommended, not only because the caffeine content can disrupt your sleep but also the volume of liquid might affect your need to go to the bathroom during the night. Try this special sleep tea Tulsi Sleep for an added extra sleep aid.
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Take a photograph of your bedroom, and view the photos as though you were another person seeing them for the first time. Is this room relaxing? Is there anything you would change about it to make it more relaxing?
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Make sure your bedroom is an oasis of calm. Tidy up any piles of clothes or papers to distract you from your sleep goal.
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Try Ashwagandha. It’s an ancient Indian herbal remedy that has been time-tested and studied. It gently helps alleviate insomnia, it balances the thyroid and calms your nervous system, resulting in better sleep and reduced stress during the day.
You can find Ashwagandha at Amazon here, it’s not too expensive and can be quite valuable in breaking the cycle of broken sleep.
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Investigate a mouth-guard. These can help to curb Bruxis (grinding of teeth) and Sleep Apnea, a condition where the sufferer pauses between breaths, causing the sleeper to wake regularly during the night. Click here for a mouth guard I recommend, from personal experience.
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Pre-set your morning routine. Set up the ironing board, or pre-make lunches, or put tomorrow’s clothes in a folded pile ready to step into in the morning. It’s a nice feeling to know those tasks are taken care of, and tomorrow morning will flow smoothly because of it.
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Get into bed early, and just enjoy lying there. Invest in a big soft cushion, like this one, I use it every night and on weekend mornings it’s invaluable for coffee or breakfast in bed, should anyone surprise you with a treat!
In the end, once you’re warm and comfortable in bed, it’s a good time for relaxation or mindfulness exercises… but that’s a great topic for another article! www.organicstressrelief.com
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