Healthy sleep is an incredibly important part of our lives, it helps our brains and bodies function so that we can make better decisions, improve our memories, increase our creativity and feel better all around. On the flipside, a lack of sleep not only makes it harder to function throughout the day but it also can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Here, learn 4 natural ways to help you sleep better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The amount of sleep that we need varies, some people need more than others. In general, here\u2019s how many sleeping hours that medical experts recommend, depending on age group:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you know that exercising everyday can be a great sleep habit? Studies show that people who exercise for at least 30 minutes during the day tend to get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You do not have to go so far as an intense workout to increase your chances of a good sleep. In the past, experts believed that only vigorous aerobic and cardio exercises, such as running and cycling, helped improve sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, however, new studies researching how to get better sleep have linked lower impact physical activities, such as strength training, to sleeping better.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a few caveats to exercising as a sleep aid. If you do physical activity too close to bedtime then it may have the opposite effect on your sleep: when you exercise your body warms up which stimulates your body and mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you exercise too late in the day then you may actually be waking yourself up. For these reasons, it is recommended that you complete physical activities 4 to 6 hours before your desired bedtime. If you do need to exercise in the evening make sure to plan your activities so that they end at least an hour or two before your desired bedtime.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding these simple foods to your diet can help you get better sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning how to get a good night of sleep is not just about going to bed earlier, it is also about improving the quality of your sleep. If you wake up frequently then you may not make it to the deeper stages of sleeping and as a result, you will not feel as well rested. That is why it is important to find ways to improve your sleep overall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to sleep, your diet is an important factor. The food you eat can help improve or worsen your sleep. <\/em>Here are 3 foods that can make your sleep better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pumpkin:<\/strong> Pumpkin seeds are full of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and magnesium. Magnesium is a nutrient with calming properties, it helps maintain optimal levels of GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that helps us get to sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, pumpkin has been linked to helping with sleep. Some dieticians suggest eating a handful of pumpkin seeds or blending them into a smooth as a pre-bedtime snack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brown rice: <\/strong>As well as turkey, salmon, eggs, tofu, lentils, and spinach, brown rice contains a good amount of tryptophan. This is an amino acid that helps relax our minds in a way that is similar to melatonin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spinach:<\/strong> Spinach is not just for building muscle, it also could help improve your sleep due to the magnesium and tryptophan contained within the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are trying to learn how to get a good night of sleep then there are food and drinks that you should know to avoid. Discover them on the following slide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good sleep habits are not just about what you add to your day. Avoiding or limiting certain foods and drinks can have a great impact on the length and quality of your sleep. Here are some additional diet tips for better sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coffee, or Any Drink With Caffeine<\/strong>: Lots of us use coffee to help get through the day but the same qualities that make people go for a cup of joe also can make it hard to sleep. The stimulating effects of coffee are caused by caffeine, one of sleep\u2019s worse enemies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are a coffee drinker, experts suggest that you should aim to stop drinking coffee 8 hours before bedtime. So if you usually go to bed around 11 o\u2019clock, you can try to plan to stop drinking coffee around 3pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, other beverages with caffeine, such as green or black tea, energy drinks and any type of soda may not help you wind down for a good night\u2019s sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sugar<\/strong>: Eating sugar too close to bedtime can disrupt your sleep schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Any sugar can cause blood levels to spike up and down. If you have sugar right before bed, you may feel a burst of energy that will make it hard to fall asleep. Once you are asleep, your blood sugar levels will decrease. This shift could cause you to wake you up in the middle of the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you may want to reconsider the late night ice-cream or leftover cake before hitting the hay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alcohol<\/strong>: People tend to think that alcohol helps them fall asleep; this is true sometimes, but even if you do fall asleep, alcohol also tends to decrease the quality of sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Studies show that when people consume alcohol within the 3 hours before bedtime, they tend to sleep more lightly and wake up more often throughout the night. This is going to lead to a lower quality sleep, which can make you even more tired the next day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cruciferous Vegetables<\/strong>: Cruciferous vegetables are excellent for your health generally. But, they\u2019re not going to help your body get a good night\u2019s sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These types of vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. While they are super nutritious, they are very high in fiber. Because of this, it takes bodies a long time to digest them completely. If you eat them right before bed, your body will be awake digesting, and won\u2019t be able to go into rest-mode. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Citrus Fruits + Juices<\/strong>: While fruits with lots of citrus, like oranges, grapefruits, lemons etc are fantastic foods for overall health, they may not be the best nighttime juices to drink. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Citrus juices and fruits are loaded with sugar<\/em>. As we discussed before, loading your body up on sugar is a sure way to stay awake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, citrus juices and fruits can keep you up for other reasons, too. The citrus flavors in fruits like oranges or lemons enhance mental stimulation and boosts energy levels. So while they\u2019re amazing<\/em> to consume when you wake up in the morning, they\u2019re not going to help you get a calm, quality sleep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another problem is the acid. Citrus fruits are very acidic. While drinking or eating lots of acid isn\u2019t going to help anyone get a good night\u2019s sleep, for those who struggle with acid reflux, drinking a glass of OJ or a lemon tea before bed might keep you up all night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, find out more tips on how to sleep the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many experts\u2019 sleeping tips include simple lifestyle changes. Here are a few easy ways to get to sleep more quickly and have a better night of sleep. First, Limit your nap times: <\/strong>A nap in the early afternoon can help you feel more ready to finish the tasks of your day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However if you take naps for too long or too late in the day then you may be making it harder for yourself to get to sleep at night. So, for optimal sleep at night, try to take naps before 3pm, and for the naps you do take, you can try limiting them to under an hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn off your phone and other screens: <\/strong>or at least, take them out of your bedroom before hitting the hay. The blue light screens such as our computers, laptops, tv\u2019s, and smart phones emit are scientifically proven to limit the effects of melatonin, a sleep hormone that needs darkness to work well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So if you have to work on your computer or phone close to bedtime, try downloading a warming filter or wearing blue-light-blocking glasses. But for best results, it\u2019s probably a good idea to avoid looking at screens right before bed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Get in the habit of doing calming activities before bed: <\/strong>Finding off screen activities to do before bed may help you fall asleep faster. Every person is different, and so different activities may be extra calming to different people. When you find an activity that works for you, try to make a habit of it. That way, your body can begin adapting to a calming nighttime routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading a book, writing in a journal, listening to relaxing music, stretching, or meditating are all activities that your body can begin to associate with bedtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a bath: <\/strong>Who knew that bathtubs are a solution to good sleep? Turns out, submerging yourself in warm to hot water before bed is a good way to prepare for a good night\u2019s sleep. When you get out of the bathtub, your body temperature drops. This may lead to quicker feelings of sleepiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep your work out of the bedroom: <\/strong>Many of us like to work on our laptops or smartphones from bed. This is especially common since the pandemic has led many people to work from home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, while doing work in our bed may be comfortable, it can also make it difficult to sleep. When we repeatedly start to do an activity in a certain location, our brain begins to associate that place with that activity. So if we work in bed, our brain may begin to\u00a0 prepare for alertness and focus once we hit the sheets, instead of calming down and preparing for rest.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Healthy sleep is an incredibly important part of our lives, it helps our brains and bodies function so that we can make better decisions, improve our memories, increase our creativity and feel better all around. On the flipside, a lack of sleep not only makes it harder to function throughout the day but it also can lead to a higher risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Here, learn 4 natural ways to help you sleep better. The amount of sleep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mental-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions\/259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2<\/strong> The Foods That Lead To Better Sleep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3<\/strong> Food & Drinks To Avoid If You Want To Sleep Better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4<\/strong> Healthy Habits That Can Help The Quality of Your Sleep<\/h2>\n\n\n\n