How to Get Back to Sleep!

Waking up in the middle of the night isn’t something to be afraid of. In fact, it is actually pretty normal. When you think about it, how many times during the day do you need a drink, toilet break, or even something to eat? Every 4 hours?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, people with insomnia tend to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night. There are ways to help with each of these patterns.

First, let’s see some tips for falling asleep:

• Carve out at least 30 minutes of wind-down time before bed in which you do something relaxing, such as read a book. Dim the lights in the house slightly for an hour or so before bed.
• Disconnect from close-range electronic devices such as laptops, phones, and tablets, as the light from screens can alert the brain and make it harder to fall asleep.
• In order to calm your mind, do a breathing or relaxation exercise.
• If you get into bed and cannot fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and return to another space in the house to do a relaxing activity, such as reading or listening to music. Lying in bed awake can create an unhealthy relationship between your sleeping environment and wakefulness. Instead, you want your bed to conjure sleepy thoughts and feelings only.
• Wake up at the same time every day. Even if you have a hard time falling asleep and feel tired in the morning, try to get up at the same time (weekends included). This can help to adjust your body’s clock, assisting you to fall asleep at night.

Waking up in the middle of the night can be extremely frustrating, especially when the first thing that comes to your mind is ‘why am I awake?’

These tips may help you to get back to sleep:

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the afternoon or close to bedtime. These can promote wake-ups during the night.
• Make sure your sleep environment is quiet and dark throughout the night. Use darkening shades to block streetlights and early morning light, and a fan to keep the room cool and block out noises.
• Practice a simple breathing exercise – focus all of your attention on inhaling and exhaling.
• If you are unable to fall back asleep after 20 minutes, do not lay in bed and worry about not sleeping. Get up and go to a space in the house to do a relaxing activity, like reading in dim light.”

Sleep tip: You would be surprised how much your mattress affects your sleep. According to The Huffington Post, “you wouldn’t run a marathon or hike a mountain without the right gear. And yet, despite spending a third of our lives sleeping, many of us haven’t adequately prepared our bedroom – when it comes to mattresses, that is.”

That is not to say that we don’t recognize the importance of a comfy mattress. In a 2011 poll, the National Sleep Foundation found that 92 percent of people say a comfortable mattress is important to a good night’s sleep.

You might be tempted to blame your budget for continuing to doze on a less-than-ideal mattress, but considering just a little bit more shut-eye can help you lose weight, improve your memory and live longer, can you really put a price tag on good sleep?

The wrong mattress can be the cause of much more than just that ache in your neck, or your lower back pain.

Ask us today about how you can find the best mattress for you.

Sleep Healthy!