Where can I find the right information? In the app? The manual? On a website? Or should I make a phone call? Why isn’t there one central point where I can find everything?
We heard you. Therefore we are pleased to announce the Somnox Support 2.0 – a new way to support you through an updated live chat, an always up-to-date knowledge base and support messages for new Sleep Robot users.
Renewed Support Center
A large part of our Somnox Support 2.0 is our renewed Support Center. The latest information is now always available through the app. You can look up a question in the app:
Or you can use your browser of choice on your phone, tablet or computer to go to https://support.somnox.com and type in your question:
Get direct help from us
You want help. By real people. We understand that. You can now reach us on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:00 CET via our renewed chat. Click on the chat icon in the lower right corner of your app and start a conversation with one of our Sleep Supporters:
Improved experience for new users
For the past few months, we have only sent messages via e-mail to help you and other new users on their way. The biggest stumbling block was that we didn’t reach you in the right place or when you were actually using your Sleep Robot. That’s why we found a solution that allows us to send messages to new users at the right time and the right place: via the app when you’re actively using the Sleep Robot. By doing this, we want to make it easy for everyone to understand the Sleep Robot.
“I like the fact that everything is now in one central place.” – 100% of test users
Start your sleep adventure
If you are a Sleep Robot user, you can make use of all the benefits of Somnox Support 2.0. Download the update on iOS (click here) or Android (click here). If you don’t have one yet, you can order the Sleep Robot with our 30-night sleep trial. You will be actively supported by our new Somnox Support for 30 nights, so that you can finally feel rested again.
Picture this: Despite your jam-packed schedule, you’ve still reserved enough time to unwind and relax before bed. Your bedroom is cool, calm and dark, and you’re able to fall asleep and stay asleep without any trouble. The next morning, you manage to wake up before your alarm and feel well-rested, perhaps even energetic, and ready to take on the world. If this sounds like a scenario you can only dream of, you’re not alone – only about half of Americans wake up feeling well-rested. We’ve gathered the 17 best tips for creating the ideal sleep environment to improve your quality of sleep so you can (finally) get a good night’s sleep.
Create the Ideal Sleep Environment
Declutter your room. Keeping your bedroom tidy and removing any potential distractions is essential for your body to begin to relax. Important work documents, busy artwork or even a treadmill are all examples of the stressful reminders of your responsibilities that can distract you while you are trying to sleep. Instead, try to keep your room clutter-free and the décor to a minimum.
Reduce light exposure. For an ideal sleep environment, try room darkening window treatments, heavy curtains, or an eye mask to eliminate as much natural light as possible. Light can come from anywhere—streetlights, your hallway, even the moon and the stars—all of which can trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime. Blue light exposure can also affect you quality of sleep. Research shows that blue light exposure keeps you awake by increasing alertness, shifting your circadian rhythm, and suppressing the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. Set an alarm an hour before you want to lay down signaling it’s time to give up your devices, and begin your bedtime ritual or take up reading instead. You may even consider investing in filtering eyeglasses to wear throughout the day as you are looking at a computer or phone screen to avoid straining your eyes.
Use Essential Oils. It’s no surprise that smell influences how we feel by associating scents with emotions and memories. Often overlooked, essential oil for sleep can help you wind down, relax, and eventually drift off. Essential oil aromatherapy is a quick and inexpensive solution to combat poor sleep, helping you relax physically and mentally. Lavender and vanilla are the more popular oils to help you sleep and can be added to an aromatherapy diffuser or vaporizer to disperse into the bedroom.
Emphasize symmetry with furniture placement. For a better sleep environment, it’s essential to think about the positioning of your furniture as this plays a role in the functionality and symmetry of your bedroom. For optimal balance, position your bed against the middle of a wall as far away from the door as possible, and with room on both sides. When lying in bed, you should be facing the door with your feet closest to the entrance. If possible, try to avoid lying with your head underneath the window.
Find your ideal pillow. To maintain spinal alignment while you sleep, the standard rule of thumb is to replace your pillow every 1 to 2 years. However, if you lie awake unable to get comfortable, or wake up with headaches, neck aches, and shoulder pains, you might consider finding a replacement earlier. When choosing pillow firmness—ranging from softer choices like down pillows to firmer choices like buckwheat pillows—keep your sleeping position in mind. Stomach sleepers tend to prefer a thin pillow, back sleepers find that medium support works best, while side sleepers favor thicker pillows. Furthermore, if you have allergies or asthma, hypoallergenic covers are an option, protecting from any allergens that may trigger your symptoms.
Invest in a new mattress. It’s equally important to take into consideration your sleeping position as this will determine whether a soft or firm bed is the right choice for you. Whichever mattress type you’re leaning towards—perhaps memory foam, natural fiber, or a cooling and heating mattress—be sure to test out the options in-store. Even mail-order mattress companies offer free home trials. Although most mattresses last up to 10 years, the upfront cost can indeed be intimidating. If finances are tight, foam toppers can be added to your mattress as a comfort boost and to help prevent waking up stiff and achy. Some mattresses are designed with specific health conditions in mind, so check with your doctor when selecting a new mattress if you have sleep apnea, sciatica, scoliosis, etc.
Use the Somnox Sleep Robot. If stress and anxiety have affected your ability to fall asleep, the world’s first Sleep Robot can help calm your mind and relax your body. The robot is equipped with calming music, replicates breathing rhythms, and fits naturally against your chest for enhanced comfort and a sense of security. You can now relax and fall asleep easier by subconsciously adapting your breathing pattern to slow down and synchronize with that of the robot.
Consider new sheets. When shopping around for sheets, you’ll notice that there are several different thread counts, weaves and materials to choose from. These all contribute to the warmth and softness of the sheets, and choosing the ideal bed sheets depends on the type of sleeper you are. Do you wake up in the middle of the night shivering, despite the endless layers covering you? Popular choices to combat the cold are fleece and jersey, followed by silk. Or maybe you wake up feeling as though you’ve been sleeping in a sauna. If this sounds like you, consider looking into materials like cotton and linen or maybe even bamboo bed sheets. Designed for “hot sleepers”, bed sheets with breathable fabric and temperature-regulating properties trap in less heat to help you sleep through the night.
Discover the perfect bedspread. Offered in many different styles—from comforters and duvet covers, to blankets and throws— these top layers give extra warmth and style to your bed. Every bedspread provides a different level of weight and texture and what works for your sleep environment and comfort is entirely up to you.
Paint your bedroom walls a soothing color. Color has a powerful effect on our mood and can influence our sleep quality by creating a calm environment. Research shows that the best bedroom color for sleep is blue, followed by yellow, green, and silver. Try to stick to neutral, pastel, or muted shades, as bold colors can trick the brain into thinking it needs to be alert.
Use a sound machine/conditioner. If you have a partner that snores, live on a busy street, or catch yourself lying awake lost in your thoughts, a white noise sleep machine might be just what you’re missing. Light sleepers may prefer an app that offers a variety of nature-like noises such as crashing waves or light rainfall. Or, a simple bedroom fan could do the trick for someone uncomfortable in pure silence.
Develop Healthy Habits for a Better Night’s Sleep
Select the ideal sleeping temperature. Whether you reside in Detroit, MI in the middle of winter, or Tampa, FL in the summer, the best temperature to support a healthy night’s sleep is usually between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this varies from person to person, and other elements in your environment—such as climate conditions, bedding type, and pajamas—can have an influence on your best temperature for sleeping. Some people tend to be warmer sleepers than others, which could also sway their ideal sleeping temperature. Nonetheless, temperatures over 75 and below 54 degrees Fahrenheit are sure to disrupt your sleep.
Refrain from sleeping with pets. You may think of your pet as a member of the family, so why wouldn’t you share your bed with them? 45 percent of Americans allow their dogs in bed but that may be what is causing your restless nights. Many people have allergies to cats and dogs that can be aggravated when sharing a bed. These allergens can linger in clothes, pillows, and bedding and could cause a reaction. With a wide range of styles of pet beds and crates to consider—such as a nesting bed, elevated bed, or a heating bed—it could be time to look into an alternate sleeping arrangement for your companion.
Avoid caffeine consumption after 2 p.m. We’ve all been there—it’s 10 p.m. and you are still wired from that afternoon cup of joe. Research shows that consuming caffeine even 6 hours before bed can disrupt your sleep. If you rely on a daily afternoon pick-me-up, chances are your caffeine-infused stimulant could be affecting your sleep quality and duration. Begin your day with highly caffeinated drinks and slowly reduce your caffeine intake throughout the morning by switching to tea or decaffeinated coffee. You’ll definitely want to cut out caffeine altogether by 2 p.m.
Exercise regularly for better sleep. Exercise not only releases endorphins but also helps you fall asleep faster and wake up feeling well-rested. Even as little as 10 minutes of exercise at any time during the day can greatly increase sleep quality. Joining a local gym, meeting regularly with a personal trainer, or finding a physical activity that you enjoy are all ways to get a good sweat in. If you have a limiting schedule, you can even create an in-home gym for flexibility and convenience.
Create a nighttime routine. Most activities that many of us do in the evening—such as watching TV or using our phones—can be overstimulating. By staying consistent with a calming bedtime ritual, your body will recognize that it’s time for sleep, and screen time may not be as tempting. Your nighttime routine can be as simple as brushing your teeth, washing your face, flossing and maybe even enjoying a decaffeinated bedtime tea. The options are endless, and how you begin to wind down is ultimately up to you. Dim the lights, unwind, and relax.
Avoid naps too close to the evening. While short power naps are encouraged and offer many benefits, long naps in the late afternoon and evening can have negative effects on your sleep quality. Instead, limit naps from 15 to 30 minutes in the early afternoon. This will increase your chances of waking up feeling rejuvenated while still being able to fall asleep easily come bedtime. Your circadian rhythm drops in the early afternoon—between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.—and can leave you feeling more sleepy and in need of a nap. This is the best time to doze off without disrupting your sleep at night.
Resist snoozing the alarm. You actually wake up more tired after snoozing your alarm, especially if hitting the snooze button multiple times is part of your routine. You can’t reach the restorative level of sleep between alarms, ultimately confusing your brain and throwing off the natural wake up process. If you sleep for seven to nine hours per night, your body shouldn’t need the extra sleep and could even begin waking up on its own before your first alarm goes off. Try gradually reducing the number of times you allow yourself to snooze the alarm clock until you are waking up after just the first.
There is absolutely nothing as frustrating as going to sleep for the evening and waking up the next morning feeling even more tired than when you went to bed. In this article we will take a look at why you are waking up tired every morning and what you can do to help yourself get a good night’s sleep.
A Few Reasons Why You Are Waking Up Tired
● Thyroid Disease – A possible reason why you could be waking up tired in the mornings could be because you are suffering from fatigue. Additionally, you may experience moodiness, weight gain or muscle and joint pain.
● Adrenal Fatigue – This condition is caused by a hormonal imbalance that causes your body to excrete an excess of cortisol and adrenaline.
● Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – This is a condition similar to adrenal fatigue but it is more common in women than in men.
● A Sedentary Lifestyle – You may be surprised that sitting around not doing anything could be making you more tired. Not moving enough will cause you to feel tired, sluggish and you may even experience mood imbalances.
● Depression – One of the most common symptoms of depression is feeling tired and fatigued.
● Inconsistent Sleep – If you do not get a solid eight hours of sleep each night you may experience fatigue when you wake in the mornings.
● Anemia – Having insufficient levels of iron in your blood could cause you to feel tired no matter how long you sleep at night.
● Dehydration – This one may be quite surprising; however, dehydration is one of the most common reasons that you feel tired.
What You Can Do To Fix It
Control your breath
Use breathing techniques to breathe slower. This helps tremendously with calming down and will impact how quickly you fall asleep. You can follow the 4-7-8 routine:
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
Hold your breath for a count of seven.
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths. If you are not getting enough air, try it with 4-4-4 seconds first.
Try our Somnox sleep solution
Have you already tried everything to fall asleep? Breathing is your answer. We invented the Sleep Robot that guides you towards relaxed breathing and helps you fall asleep faster, worry less and wake up rested. Our Sleep Robot is comfortable, easy to use (also in the dark!) and therefore feels like a sleep-buddy. Through relaxed breathing, the Sleep Robot can help you calm your breathing and unwind.
Because of the subtle sounds and movements the robot makes, that mimic human breathing, it is easier for you to relax. So: no longer staring at the ceiling all night, worrying about stuff. Not only do you fall asleep feeling more relaxed, you’ll also sleep faster and longer. All that using no medicine at all: the Sleep Robot works in a totally natural way. With the Sleep Robot next to you, you feel safe and secure. It keeps you company and helps to distract your thoughts from the things that keep you up at night.
How does it work? The Somnox Sleep Robot guides your breathing. By holding the robot, you feel the breathing rhythm that the Sleep Robot produces. You will (subconsciously) adapt your own breathing to it. By slowing down your breathing you will calm down and relax. The Sleep Robot has sensors that can detect your breathing rate. This will be used to generate a breathing pace that is synchronised to you to slowly guide your breathing towards slow deep breathing techniques proven to reduce stress and anxiety. The Sleep Robot can play soothing sounds, nature sounds, or white/pink noise sounds. These sounds have a relaxing effect and can enhance the calming effect of the Sleep Robot.
When you wake up feeling tired in the mornings it is time to look at your routine and decide what you can change so that you can get a restful night’s sleep. A good example of routine is to go to sleep at the same time every night. It is also a good idea to stop drinking caffeine after 4 in the afternoon and remove anything from your bedroom that may be disturbing you.
Have a screen-free hour before bed
Falling asleep is the process of your body and mind winding down after a stressful day. You can decide whether that process starts an hour before you go to bed, or whether that process only starts after you put your phone away one hour into laying in bed. Looking at screens like your laptop or smartphone strains your eyes and prevents your body from producing Melatonin, which regulates your sleep-wake cycle. Instead of browsing the Internet, use that hour for relaxing activities. You can read with dim light, draw, meditate, write or do something else that helps you calm down. Give your body a chance to wind down so you can fall asleep quickly.
Count backward from 200
This is a simple but effective technique. Mentally count from 200 backward with your eyes closed. Counting sheep is a great alternative to this and great for boring yourself to sleep.
The act of focusing on something calming prevents yourself from getting excited because you’re thinking about doing things. Research shows that just thinking about an activity like playing tennis is enough to raise your blood pressure. Thinking of mundane and calming scenarios that don’t involve yourself moving is best for calming down.
Use the 2-minute technique
The US military developed this technique to allow jet pilots to fall asleep quickly between missions. It works like this:
Relax all the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes
Drop your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, followed by your upper and lower arm, one side at a time
Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down
Spend 10 seconds trying to clear your mind before thinking about one of the three following images:
You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you
You’re lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room
You say ‘don’t think, don’t think, don’t think’ to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
If you get used to this technique, meaning that you use it every time you fall asleep for multiple weeks, it’ll start working like magic.
I calm my breath down with the 4-7-8 technique for 5 breaths, then I start with this 2-minute routine. If that’s not enough, I’ll either start counting from 200 backward or get up and try again after 15-20 minutes.
Watch your nutrition and caffeine intake
Caffeine affects your body for 4-12 hours after ingesting it. This means that having a coffee at lunch can impact your sleep, even though they are quite a bit apart. Eating can have just as much of an effect on your sleep. Try not to eat anything in the last 2 hours before going to bed. You can still drink some water if you need to. Getting the right nutrients has major effects on your life so it is always worth sorting that out.
Carbohydrates leave you feeling tired and sluggish. You will be surprised by the massive difference in your quality of sleep if you switch out processed carbs for whole grain options that have a low glycerin value. These types of foods will sustain your blood sugar levels for an extended period of time helping your body rest while you sleep.
Improve your sleeping environment
Is your room too warm? Does light get into your room at night? Is there a lot of noise coming in from outside? What about your pillows and your mattress?
All these factors impact the quality of your sleep and you should look into all of them. Sleep takes up roughly one-third of your day and will continue doing so for the rest of your life, so it is worth optimizing.
Generally, an optimal sleep environment is:
Cool
Dark
Quiet
Comfortable
Stress-free
Only used for sleep or intimate relations
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can contribute significantly to feelings of fatigue. Make sure that you are drinking at least eight large glasses of water every day. Additionally, if you lead an active lifestyle, are pregnant or nursing you should be drinking more to keep yourself hydrated. It is also a great idea to keep a bottle of water on your bedside table so that you can sip on the water during the night.
Exercise
Getting a little exercise during the day will help you sleep much better at night. Not only does regular exercise boost your general health but it helps to oxygenate your blood. This will send more nutrients to your brain and heart helping them work more effectively and helping you sleep. As it uses up your energy In turn, you will sleep more and end up with more energy the next day. Fortunately, you do not have to jog five miles a day to attain these benefits. A simple 30 minutes of moderate exercise is enough to keep your body healthy and help you sleep. If you’re not into sports, you should still at least take a walk or do some lighter exercising.
Herbal Tea
If you find yourself waking up tired it is a good idea to cut out caffeine from your diet. Fortunately, this does not mean that you have to give up on warm drinks entirely. Simply choose herbal teas to enjoy in the evening instead of your usual cup of coffee. Chamomile tea is a great option if you struggle to sleep as the soothing properties of this herb has been used to help people go to sleep for centuries. Alternatively, you could opt for a cup of peppermint tea if you prefer something with a refreshing taste.
Look into other factors
Stress, kids, drugs/alcohol, sleep apnea, insomnia, and other issues can have a major effect on your sleep. All of those things affect your energy, mood, happiness, and productivity. Seek help for these kinds of issues. Home remedies and techniques can’t fix everything and there are people who work on these things professionally.
Other ways to wake up less sleepy
Waking up in the morning can be challenging, especially if you didn’t quite get enough sleep. Here’s a list of things you can do to make sure you get out of bed:
Have only one alarm. Multiple alarms only encourage you to ignore them and make you more likely to oversleep.
Use the 5-second rule. As soon as you hear the alarm you go 5-4-3-2-1 (out loud or in your mind) and you get out of bed. Don’t give your mind time to convince you to stay in there.
Get out of bed. Getting out of bed is usually the hardest part, but as soon as you’re not in there anymore it is much easier to stay awake.
Have a morning routine. I always drink a glass of water right after waking up, then I take a cold shower. A set routine can help override the emotional part of your brain.
Turn the light on. Light tells your body that it is daytime and helps ease the sleepiness.
Use a smart alarm clock. There are lots of different models of clocks that need more than just a press of a button to turn off. Whether you need to solve a puzzle first or go to your bathroom to take a picture, they’ll usually wake you right up. (I use the free app Alarmy for this)
Make staying in bed uncomfortable. You can achieve this by opening the window blinds or turning the heat on automatically each morning so the bed gets too warm.
After a few days of adjusting to your new schedule, you should be able to wake up even without a clock most of the time. If you oversleep a lot, you might need to adjust your sleep time and add half an hour.
If you are looking for more great information regarding the latest health news you should click here for more.
Some people fall asleep immediately; their heads hit the pillow. However, for some of us, whenever we want to sleep, our minds start to play. So we end up turning and tossing in bed even for hours without falling asleep.
We turn on our phones and quickly browse through global sleep statistics. However, at least forty percent of the adult population doesn’t get enough sleep. We are not alone. Such information sounds comforting, but sleep experts have already declared sleep a pillar of good health.
So we search for natural sleep supplements and make a mental list of the ones we must buy in the morning. By the time we get our minds to accept to sleep, it’s a few hours to wake uptime, and we feel like searching for ways to get eight hours of sleep within four hours.
What do we do? How do we get our minds to switch off? If we can learn how to relax our minds before going to sleep, we could be snoring as soon as we get to bed. That is why this article is entitled, ‘how can I relax my mind before going to sleep?’
Here are tips on how to do that;
1. Re-design your bedroom
Before suggesting some tasks that you could be doing before going to bed, let’s talk about the bedroom. You can have the best bedtime routine in the world, but you still cannot sleep well because the sleeping area gets in the way.
We will look at your bedroom in two ways: the structure and the memories. The structure refers to the bed, lighting, and colors. The memories refer to recollections that come to your mind each time you enter your bedroom.
The structure of a great bedroom
1. The right bed and mattress
What makes a good bed? A good bed should provide sufficient support to your spine and neck so that you don’t wake up with unnecessary pains. The mattress you choose must promote healthy sleeping positions.
Sleep experts like Trish Boudreaux have done excellent reviews on various kinds of mattresses and beds for you. You can also check with such professionals for the best companies around you so that you buy what fits your budget. For instance, Plushbeds makes an excellent latex mattress, but can you afford it?
2. Enough lighting
There are as many bedroom lighting tips as there are interior designers. However, one thing that’s crystal clear is too much light does not promote sleep. How can you even relax your mind when the lighting makes you uncomfortable?
3. No clutter
It is impossible to relax in a stuffy and congested room. One way of relaxing your mind before going to sleep is by de-cluttering your bedroom. Also, ensure you clean your bedding at least once per week an keep the floors clean as well.
Dirt can stand in the way of a peaceful night. Try keeping your sleeping area tidy, simple, and elegant, and you will always look forward to bedtime.
Memories of your bedroom.
What comes to mind each time you look at your bedroom? Did you know that if you were abused in that room, you are likely to be traumatized each time you go to sleep? Perhaps your mind cannot relax at night because of the events that have taken place in that room. Hence consider the following tips:
If you shared your bed with your ex and the relationship wasn’t great, you can change the bed or have someone new to make new memories.
If your bedmate has passed on, you can move to another room for a while. Alternatively, you can choose to think of the great memories you shared because positive thoughts will calm you.
Redecorating the bedroom is also a way of erasing the past and preparing for fresh memories.
2. Yin Yoga
You already know that the mental benefits of Yoga include mind relaxation and stress relief. If you’ve never tried Yoga, please know that you are missing out on a great way to exercise both your body and spirit.
Yin Yoga is the best variety of Yoga for relaxing the mind before going to sleep. Yin Yoga postures are also known to improve blood circulation and flexibility.
Here is a simple Yin Yoga routine that both beginners and experts can do at home. The method is from Melina Meza, a Yoga teacher for over fifteen years.
Try each step for three to five minutes before moving on to the next. Yoga experts advise us to sit still after each pose and listen to our breathing as we meditate on our lives. Do this routine close to bedtime, and you will solve most sleep disorders.
It starts with the reclined bound angle pose, also known as the reclined cobbler’s pose. The main objective here is to reduce fatigue and any anxiety you might have had during the day.
Then you move to the supine twist to stretch your back muscles and the spine. The pose also helps in reducing stress and anxiety. Jathara Parivartanasana or the supine twist is one of those poses that can also help you burn fat around your abdomen.
The third step is Ananda Balasana, also known as the happy baby pose. One benefit of Ananda Balasana that is known the world over is its ability to calm the mind.
Thread the needle pose. This pose relaxes most of the upper body muscles and joints. You may not enjoy doing it, but in the end, you feel like you’ve just had a great massage.
Legs up the wall pose. As you get used to Yoga, you’ll always want to end your routine with this pose. It’s easy to do, even on the bed, if you have a great mattress. Lie on your back, and raise your legs straight up the wall. You can place a pillow under your buttocks to help you elevate your hips.
3. Deliberate self talk
Have you ever held a meeting with yourself? Sometimes the mind is like a busy office where all manner of voices wants your attention. So you find it hard to sleep immediately; you go to bed since your brain is saturated with voices.
One easy way of easing the mind is through having the courage to face whichever thoughts running through your mind. In other words, call yourself to a meeting and have deliberate self-talk.
Importance of self-talk
You get a chance to confront the negative thoughts in your mind. For instance, imagine you can’t sleep since your bills are piling up. Your brain cannot shut off for you to keep thinking of all the bad things likely to happen to you if you don’t pay your debts.
You can confront such thoughts by facing the fact that if you fail to sleep, you will be more stressed the next day. Therefore, you won’t be able to think clearly about how to manage the bills. Also, stress is a health issue, so you might end up adding medical bills on top of the ones you have already.
Positive self-talk gives you hope. You affirm yourself for nothing is as bad as it seems. Engaging yourself in positive vibes also gives you the morale to confront evil thoughts.
For instance, you know you are incredibly talented in a particular area.
If you encourage yourself to look for gigs in the field of your gifting, you will sort out all your bills soon. There are various types of self-talk, and you can master the art of controlling your mind through internal monologue.
4. Read books and articles that make you sleepy
Do you have boring things to read to sleep? If reading these things works for your kids, it can work for you too. You get to divert your mind from stressful thoughts through books and articles so that you can fall asleep.
In case you enjoy reading, a good book will reduce your fatigue significantly. Experts argue that reading keeps your mind occupied, but it could also be a great way to relax.
5. Have sex
Having sex is one of the proven relaxation techniques before bed. Great orgasmic sex helps your body release three kinds of hormones: oxytocin, cortisol, and prolactin.
Note, Oxytocin is the hormone that makes you feel that you want to cuddle your partner after a sexual encounter.
You two feel close and safe in each other’s arms. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Sex can reduce stress; hence, you get lower levels of cortisol in your body. Finally, prolactin is the hormone you release once you orgasm. That’s why you feel sleepy and happy after an orgasm.
If you form a habit of having sex before bedtime, you will always have a relaxed mind before going to sleep especially, if you get intimate with someone you love and someone that makes you feel safe.
6. Take magnesium supplements
Magnesium is one of the supplements that help you sleep. Health experts say that the mineral reduces stress and anxiety, as well as promoting better sleep. Luckily, you can get the mineral through supplements or foods like almonds and green leafy vegetables.
Although scientists have conducted enough research on magnesium for sleep and anxiety, remember to consult your doctor before taking any supplements. Once you get a green light from your physician, you can find the supplements from stores near you.
7. Eat food rich in Omega 3
We have talked a lot about exercise, your thoughts, and your bedroom. Nevertheless, your diet is crucial in calming your mind before going to sleep. Apart from taking magnesium supplements, you need to invest in a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Foods that help you sleep through the night have a calming effect on your brain. Most of them relieve stress and anxiety; hence, you feel happy and relaxed. Omega-3 fatty acids are like the superman among the foods that promote sleep.
Sources of Omega-3
Salmon
Roasted Soybeans.
Chia seeds
Sardines
Flax seeds
Omega-3 supplements.
8. Take some warm milk
Does warm milk help you sleep? To answer this question, think of what happens to babies when they breastfeed. Most of them fall asleep. That shows that there is a connection between warm milk and falling asleep.
One way to relax your mind before going to sleep is by taking a glass of warm milk. Research tells us that milk contains an amino acid called tryptophan. The nutrient is critical in helping the body release a hormone known as serotonin.
Serotonin helps you feel relaxed; hence, the hormone aids the body to sleep. Also, milk is rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, which not only helps you sleep but also helps you to stay asleep.
9. Eat some organic honey
Honey calms nerves, by the way. Kindly note that only pure and natural honey will do the trick in this scenario, so buy organic honey from a reputable grocery store. According to research, honey also contains tryptophan.
Overeating honey might cause nausea and tooth decay. Therefore, one spoonful a day is enough. In fact, you add it to your warm milk then take the solution before bedtime.
10. Go crazy
Sometimes you cannot calm your mind at night because your body is not tired. It’s challenging to get some sleep if you stay idle all day long. You cannot do a lot of work at night, but you can do some crazy stuff to get you tired.
For instance, you can jump up and down on your bed until you are worn out. You need a firm latex mattress for that. You can also engage in a pillow fight or play hide and seek if you have some company.
11. Relax with the Somnox Sleep Robot
If you are having trouble falling and staying asleep, the Somnox Sleep Robot can help. It is a device created by robotics engineers who wanted to help their fellow family members get rid of the sleeping pills they were taking.
The Somnox Sleep Robot helps you guide your breathing in a subconscious way in combination with soothing audio. Aiming to help people fall asleep faster and get better, more restorative sleep each night. You can find out how it can help you, by getting free advice from us 👇
Key Takeaways
In case you are have been wondering, how can I relax my mind before going to sleep, you are now spoilt for choice. The tips discussed above have been tried and tested over time. If you still persist to have problems after trying out these things, please contact a professional seeking help.
Sleep disorders continue to affect a lot of people across the world, in fact, more than 70 million people just in the USA struggle from them. The field of sleep is complex and there are so much research and studies being conducted to better understand the symptoms, causes and best treatments for sleep disorders. There are several organizations that are at the forefront of studying sleep and advancing the field of sleep medicine.
Today, there are over 80 recognized sleep disorders, where some are more common than others. People with various types of disorders may constantly struggle to sleep, have trouble staying asleep, wake up in the middle of the night and are unable to return to sleep and others wake in the morning feeling tired. Here are the most common sleep disorders that could disturb your quality night sleep.
Insomnia
Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders. It is known, that about 10 per cent of Americans reported suffering from chronic insomnia. Insomnia is characterized as having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. People with insomnia are likely to experience one or more of the following symptoms:
Difficulty falling asleep
Waking up in the middle of the might and having trouble returning to sleep
Waking up too early in the morning
Feeling tired upon waking
Insomnia can be categorized into two types:
Primary insomnia: this is insomnia that is not directly associated with any other health condition.
Secondary insomnia: this type of insomnia means that the person is having sleep problems that are associated with something else such as an illness or the medication or alcohol problems, etc.
Insomnia is also categorized as acute and chronic insomnia.
Acute insomnia is short-term while chronic can last a long time. Acute insomnia can actually last from one night to a few weeks. Generally, one is diagnosed with chronic insomnia if it lasts for at least three nights a week for three months or longer.
Good sleep habits can be used for preventing and curing acute insomnia.
Treatment for chronic insomnia starts by first treating any underlying conditions that are causing insomnia. Behavioural therapy is another remedy for this sleep disorder.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is another prevalent sleep disorder. Many people with this sleep disorder do not even realize they have it. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when something partly or fully blocks the upper respiratory system.
When that happens, a person’s breathing stops for a few seconds during the night. The blockage makes the diaphragm and the chest muscles to strain to open the blocked airway and pull air into the lungs. A person resumes breathing with a loud gasp or body jerk.
Obstruction of the airway can lower the flow of oxygen to vital organs thus leading to irregular heart rhythms.
Obstruction of the upper respiratory system can happen several times an hour for several seconds at a time. This, therefore, does not allow the brain time to get into deeper phases of sleep where the restorative process happens which prepares you for the next day. As a result, a person wakes up in the morning feeling tired.
There are several symptoms of sleep apnea including fatigue, night sweat, and headaches in the morning, dry mouth when you wake up, snoring and restlessness during sleep among others.
Sleep apnea can be treated by avoiding alcohol, using nasal sprays, sleeping on your side, oral devices and surgery if necessary.
REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder
Sleep has two distinct cycles, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). During REM sleep, there is irregular breath, blood pressure rises and the muscles are relaxed. A person with REM sleep behaviour disorder experiences sudden and intense movement during sleep. People with this sleep disorder tend to act out their dreams and they might talk, yell, punch, kick or jump out of bed.
The exact cause of REM sleep behaviour disorder is unknown, but it has been highly associated with alcohol or sedative-hypnotic withdrawal. Medication is often advised as a treatment for this sleep disorder.
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that inhibits the ability of the brain to control sleep and wakefulness. People with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness whereby they fall asleep unexpectedly during the day. The unexpected sleep attacks can happen during any activity at any time of the day.
People suffering from narcolepsy typically have their REM sleep happen almost immediately in the sleep cycle and happens in different periods during the waking hours.
The exact cause of narcolepsy is not known, but there are scientists who associate it with the genes that control the production of chemicals in the brain. The chemicals may signal sleep and wakefulness cycles.
The most common symptom of narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness which really interferes with your normal activities and can be very dangerous when you’re driving. One may also experience hallucinations and sleep paralysis.
There is no cure for narcolepsy, but its most common symptom, excessive daytime sleepiness can be controlled with drug treatment such as amphetamine-like stimulants.
Restless Leg Syndrome
Restless leg syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes one to have irresistible urge to move the limbs, usually when resting. People with RLS, experience sensations in the legs which are often described as creeping, aching, itching, pulling or burning. That’s why the only relief is the movement of the legs.
Restless leg syndrome can impact your sleep because of the constant urge to move your legs, and that’s why it has been classified as a sleep disorder. With this disorder, it becomes difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
RLS can lead to sleep loss can lead to other symptoms of sleep deprivation caused by other sleep disorders including reduced quality of life, memory loss, cognitive impairment, fatigue and excessive sleep disorder.
Regular exercise is a good treatment for RLS. Also if you are found to be having an iron deficiency, iron supplements will be prescribed. Caffeine can intensify RLS, so it is important to avoid caffeine-containing drinks as well as alcohol.
What to do if you have a sleep disorder
If you believe you’re suffering from a sleep disorder you should talk with your doctor about your symptoms. If the symptoms are signs of a sleep disorder, the doctor will prescribe relevant drugs if necessary or refer you to a sleep clinic.
How much do we really know about sleep? We go to sleep every day for several hours, without thinking about how that process works. Sleeping is essential as breathing, and no matter how long we try to stay awake, eventually we will fall asleep. While we are sleeping, many vital processes are going on in our body, so our brain is not really resting, it is actually bursting with activity.
Have you ever wondered how do we fall asleep, and what happens in our brain when we start feeling tired? For a long time, this was one of many sleep-related mysteries. There is no such thing as a magical button or brain’s sleep switch to turn the lights off in our brain. However, recently, researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Oxford managed to make significant progress in this field with their international study about brain dynamics and transitions during Non-REM sleep and periods of wakefulness.
How Much Do We Know About Sleep so Far?
During our sleep, every 90 to 120 minutes, we go through one sleep cycle, meaning that over the course of one night, we complete four or five sleep cycles. The first one is always the shortest, and it lasts around 90 minutes, after that every next one will last from 100 to 120 minutes. Every sleep cycle consists of four different stages of sleep.
Once we start falling asleep, first we go through three stages of Non-REM sleep, and then we fall into the REM stage. Stage 1 of Non-REM is the drowsy one, it does not last long, and it can be described as light sleep, or transition from wakefulness to sleep. You can still hear sounds, or be easily awoken, although your brain has stepped into sleep, you are not entirely aware that you are sleeping.
After that comes the stage 2, which lasts significantly longer, making around 40-60% of our sleep time. This stage is also the stage of light sleep, but it is not so shallow as it is in the first stage. During this phase, our brain is processing memories and emotions, our metabolism is regulating, so there is still a lot going on, while our heart rate and breathing are slowly decreasing.
Stage 3 lasts longer in children, but in adults, it is quite short, this stage of deep sleep is also known as restorative. This is when our body and muscles get relaxed, and our body produces growth hormone, regulates its immune system; basically, it nurtures itself from the inside. Together, these three stages last roughly around 90 minutes, after that comes the REM sleep.
While during the third stage of NREM it is all about the body, in REM, the central activity occurs in our brain. The REM stage is a phase when our dreams occur, the brain’s activity is at its highest, eyes are moving rapidly, heart rate increases, etc. After REM, the cycle goes again from the beginning, and we go again from the N1 stage through the REM. The first REM is the shortest, but as the night progresses, every next one will last slightly longer.
The Case Study
We spend one-third of our lives sleeping, so it is not surprising that many scientists are fascinated by sleep, and everything related to it. Researchers from Denmark and the US have joined their forces to question one particular problem that is common for both nations, sleep issues since both countries have a high percentage of the population dealing with various sleep disorders. They believe that their findings can be potentially revolutionary in terms of understanding what happens in our brain while we are sleeping. Besides that, it could also be significant for improving treatments and fighting sleep disorders.
So far, our understanding of sleep was based on classifying sleep into different stages; however, how the underlying brain dynamics work was not clear. Dividing sleep into stages is based on many conventions, which are not outdated, but they do not explain precisely enough what is going on in our brain. For the purpose of this study, researchers gathered 57 healthy adults and used Markovian data-driven way of analyzing continuous neuroimaging while participants were falling asleep. At the same time, they were simultaneously performing fMRI and EEG. By doing so, they were able to get a detailed and more precise idea of sleep, as a result of multiple brain networks that communicate through different patterns during sleep.
Their findings showed that our wake-NREM sleep complex is much more complex than we believed, certainly more than the traditional division into stages was suggesting. They used those transitional stages and projected them onto a probabilistic map of different relationships between whole-brain networks. By examining those transitions, researchers noticed a lowered whole-brain dynamics during the NREM stages. They consider that the activity of the brain network does not correspond to the traditional criteria for defining N1 sleep. Also, they find out that the activity in our brain is not on the same level before and after sleep.
However, at the moment, their results are still not enough to understand what is going on in the brain of a person who suffers from insomnia, or what the role of sleep is in mental disorders. But, researchers are hoping that the next steps in their work will provide more information and success.
Key Takeaway
This type of research represents a modern outlook on something that was accepted and became a convention a long time ago. This is a step forward in understanding and getting to know more about the brain’s activity during sleep, and with every further research, it is going to get more and more complicated. Traditional sleep stages are not wrong; they can still be accepted as a simplified version of what is going on. However, with the progress of modern science, we can only expect that researches like this one will eventually break that division and come up with a new one, more detailed, more complicated, and more accurate.
This guest article was written by Selena Thomas. Selena Thomas is a content writer who loves sharing tips on healthy lifestyles. A writer by day and a reader by night, she’s fond of writing articles that can help people in improving both physical and mental health. Also, she loves traveling and inspires people on her blogs.
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