Sleep provides many advantages to the body, including getting rid of fatigue, being a stress reliever and reducing the chance of getting cancer. Sleep has even been shown to help in weight reduction. All of these benefits are great, but you may be wondering how you can you get enough sleep, especially in today’s fast-paced and hectic environment. The following are just five ways by which you can improve sleep, and this also applies to those people who have sleep disorders.
1. Sex
At first glance, this might seem to be a strange choice, but sex really does improve sleep. When you climax during sex, certain powerful hormones, such as prolactin, are released to help calm and sedate the body. These hormones are so powerful that they can temporarily cure most sleep disorders, such as insomnia.
2. Exercise
When you exercise, your body expends energy, and hence becomes tired at times. This in turn makes you eat and sleep to regain that expended energy. Also, certain hormones are released while sleeping that help you relax and become sedated afterwards when you exercise. This relaxation can later help you fall asleep very easily.
3. Eating
There are certain foods that are especially effective in getting you to sleep. Some of these foods are milk, beans, turkey, chicken, barley, rice, tomatoes etcetera, that are rich in the protein amino acid tryptophan, which is an essential ingredient in the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Avoid caffeine as well, but instead consume foods containing sugar (with caution). Sugar causes a temporary boost in energy, followed by a sudden and significant crash. This crash can in turn lead to sleep. High glucose blood levels caused from sugary foods reduces the blood levels of orexin hormone. Low levels of this hormone can lead to increased sleep.
4. Yoga
Yoga is famous for its stress relieving and calming effects. It is essentially a series of various poses and movements, hence an exercise, that helps in relieving stress. Reduced stress helps you sleep better.
5. Breathing
This method is especially useful to those suffering from sleep disorders. Lie down and be still on your bed, preferably on your front side, and breathe in and out heavily through your nose with your mouth closed. Continue doing this until you fall asleep.
image courtesy of: shantisom.com, healthveda.com.
