A good night's sleep is something longed for by many people, especially those who have perennially busy jobs. It, providing enough hours of continuous rest, recharges your body upon getting up. As a result, you are primed for the following day's set of activities. Not many people have the luxury of getting long hours of sleep, given a myriad of probable causes. You should target those causes en route to having enough rest for a productive day after.
Cause #1: Excessive Caffeine Consumption
Caffeine is a powerful stimulant. If you drink excessive amounts of caffeine-containing beverages, your sleeping pattern will surely be disturbed. The substance targets the nervous system, maintaining alertness for significant periods. Naturally, your body system is thrust into an active state, which keeps you from sleeping or sleeping continuously. Here are the beverages you should avoid before going to bed:
•coffee
•soft drinks
•tea
•energy drinks
•iced tea
Coffee shops have become popular nightspots, given the massive commercialization of coffee. With its significant caffeine content, the beverage give intolerant folks a hard time sleeping. Better avoid coffee the night before an important work day, or else you might not make it to work on time.
Cause #2: Heavy Dinner
Eating a heavy dinner makes people sleepy afterwards, though sleeping during that time is not healthy. Once the food is being digested, energy is distributed throughout the body, keeping it active. You will have problems during these moments, given the boost coming from the food's nutrients. The heavy dinner can also cause indigestion, which leads to abdominal pains. The results are even worse for obese people. Not only should you make dinner your lightest meal of the day, you must also have a balanced diet. That way, you can be healthy and have enough sleep.
Cause #3: Too Active at Night
There is nothing wrong with being active, but if left uncontrolled before going to bed, it can give you problems sleeping. The body's production of adrenaline, which comes from strenuous physical activities, keeps you in an energetic state. Sleeping is pretty challenging during this time, since the body needs to gradually shut down until the adrenaline production ceases. Before going to bed, you should settle for light activities, otherwise you may become too active for your own good.
Cause #4: Inverted Body Clock
Reversing an inverted body clock is painstaking. You have no other choice but to bear the burden of forcing yourself to sleep until your body tires and shuts down. Luckily, there are several ways of making the task easier.
•Soft Music - Play soft music, preferably jazz, blues or bossa nova, to help your mind and body relax. The soothing rhythms will ease your awakened state, as if your bed were made of white sand and situated right in front of a picturesque beach. With some effort in blocking your thoughts, you should be snoring in no time.
•Read a Boring Technical Book - Technical books are known for having tons of jargon and lengthy explanations, all of which don't interest many people. Get a thick high school textbook on electronics, algebra or any boring subject. Read it slowly, as you try to pick up all of the details. Soon enough, your will tire, making sleeping easy.
•Don't Sleep - Sleeping is nearly impossible for a hyperactive mind, even if you start feeling dizzy. What you can do is, let it induce energy until it fizzles out the following day. The results are agonizing, given that you have to stay awake until you get home from work or school, but you are assured of a good night's sleep after. It can even reverse your body clock outright, if you're lucky.
•Have Sex - Your mind and body, active as they are, will tire out and weaken after having sex. Engage your partner in a pretty passionate exchange until you feel exhausted. The tiring movements and excretions will place your mind in a relaxed state, which is fit for sleeping.
•Watch a Boring TV Program - If you check your TV's channel lineup, you will surely find more than a few channels that you don't care about. When trying to sleep, you can turn your TV to those stations. Stare at them, as if you're absorbing the topics discussed. You will eventually fall asleep after some time. A popular channel for insomniacs is the aquarium channel, so bookmark it on your TV if you're suffering from an inverted body clock.
The options mentioned in this section are also applicable to the other causes. For the direst situations, just apply some of the methods mentioned. Having a deep sleep shouldn't be too hard to achieve by then.
Sleep Equates to Productivity
Sleeping is an asset, especially for those who live fast-paced lives. The quality of sleep is beneficial for their productivity. If you are one of these people, you must learn to get rid of restless sleep. Who knows, one of the solutions mentioned may be the key to that ever-elusive promotions.