20 Tips For A Great Night's Sleep
Getting a good night's sleep helps us to be happier, more productive people, so here's some tips to help you get a good night's sleep:
- Avoid drinking tea or coffee late at night
- Stop smoking – nicotine is a stimulant and so can make it difficult to get to sleep and stay asleep
- Go to bed at the same time each night so that you set a routine
- Only use the bed for sleeping and sex
- Use dimmers on your light switches, and dim the lights in the hours before you go to bed to mimic the change from daylight to night time
- Avoid taking exercise in the evening – exercise early in the day to promote restful sleep
- Try using affirmations, such as: “I let go of the day, and enjoy restful, peaceful sleep” repeated several times while you prepare for sleep
- If you can’t get to sleep after a while, get up keeping the lights low and do something boring until you feel sleepy
- Alcohol may help you get to sleep, but you are more likely to wake during the night feeling thirsty and needing to go to the bathroom
- Try relaxed breathing: breathe slowly and deeply concentrating on your abdomen rather than your chest
- Get your allergies checked out, particularly if you wake craving particular food in the middle of the night
- Avoid paying bills and similar jobs just before sleep
- Try a herbal tea - chamomile, passion flower, lavender flowers or valerian are good, or take a herbal supplement such as scullcap or valerian
- Put the essential oils lavender and clary sage on your pillow and inhale their soothing vapours as you sleep
- Try some flower remedies - there are lots of different types. In the Bach flower remedies you might like to try ‘vervain’ if you find it difficult to switch off from the day; ‘holly’ if anger and resentment keep you awake; ‘white chestnut’ for persistent unwanted thoughts; ‘aspen’ if you wake because of nightmares
- Try holding your frontal eminences (the bumps on your forehead, about half way between your eyebrows and hairline) if you are awake because of stress
- Try taking supplements – magnesium and calcium can work well
- If you suffer with hot flushes/flashes, try some natural support for your endocrine system at this time. I personally recommend Neways wild yam and chaste berry cream
- Many alternative and complementary therapists have success with people with sleep problems. Find a local therapist and ask them if they have experience in this field
- Sleep problems can be a sign of an underlying medical condition (e.g. thyroid problems or depression), so get this checked out with a suitably qualified health professional
Do You Know?
- In most cases (about 90%), bad breath comes from the mouth itself.
- Despite public opinion, bad breath rarely comes from the stomach.
- Most people can smell other people’s breath, but have trouble smelling their own. So, if you think you have bad breath, you might or you might not. Bad taste is usually not a good indication. The best and simplest way to find out is to ask an adult in your family or a close friend.
- In the mouth, the most common source of bad breath is the very back of the tongue. Food debris, dead cells and postnasal drip can accumulate there, and the breakdown of the proteins by the resident bacteria causes foul odor. The second most important cause is bacteria breaking down protein between your teeth. By the way, the gases and other molecules that the bacteria produce are toxic and can harm your gums as well. Two good reasons to floss every day (if you don’t believe me, smell the floss)...
- Bad breath usually increases when the mouth is dry. Chewing sugarless gum for 4-5 minutes at a time can be helpful.
- The generalization that mouthwashes work for only a few minutes is wrong. Try gargling right before bedtime for best results. Some researchers recommend alcohol-free mouthrinses.
- Eating a hearty and healthy breakfast cleans the mouth and back of the tongue, gets the saliva flowing, and is probably good for you.
- Some people (maybe 5-7% of the population) have experienced small crumbly ’stones’ in their mouths that have a foul smell. These are called ‘tonsilloliths’. They are partially calcified, full of bacteria and develop in crypts in the tonsils. They smell pretty bad, but do not always cause bad breath (again, you have to ask someone).
- In the large majority of cases, bad breath can be dramatically improved or eliminated.
- Children as young as two or three can have bad breath from postnasal drip, dental plaque, and transient throat infections. However, if they develop sudden offensive odor that appears to come from all over their body, ask the physician to check whether they stuffed something up one of their nostrils.
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