A healthy lifestyle helps get a good night’s sleep. Not necessarily. Despite eating healthy food, exercising well and following health tips by the book, you may not get good sleep, the kind of sleep that repairs and rejuvenates your body, mind and you wake up to the best version of you.

If you are experiencing sleep problems, you are not alone. As per survey by National Sleep Foundation, around 7 million Americans suffer one or more forms of sleep disorders and are prone to chronic conditions due to lack of proper sleep. Interestingly, along side physical health, metal health is also is big factor affecting sleep. If you’ve had a stressful day, you are less likely to get peaceful sleep. And since you didn’t get good sleep, you are more likely to have a rough day. It’s a vicious cycle that end with many people ending up taking medications or one or other chronic condition that arises due to stress and sleep disorders.

You cannot help stress that comes with work, neither can you run from life because it has its ups and downs, but you can manage yourself such that you don’t take the stress and baggage to bed with you. Studies have proven that calming techniques can help with sleep disorders. If deficiency of sleep or disturbed sleep has started affecting your health, you must discuss it with your doctor, and seek professional help. However, if it’s still not too late, here are a few ways to can enhance the quality and duration of your sleep:

·         Have a proper sleep cycle. Go off to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Body has an internal clock, a natural cycle for metabolic functions, that gets disturbed with changing time table. Avoid sleeping in during weekends also, since varying weekday-weekend timing disturbs the body’s natural cycle. And if you are already experiencing sleep related health issues, it would be a good idea to take this seriously.

·         Taking a nap during the day to make up for less sleep is a good idea, but if it starts interfering with your night sleep, then you might want to change timing or do away with it completely.

·         Do not sleep during evenings, this can cause headaches and keep you wide awake at night.

·         During the day, use as much natural light as you can and at night avoid bright light.

·         Avoid late night TV or screen time at night. Read, but not on a screen, a book with bedside lamp which you can switch off when you are ready to sleep.

·         Do not consume any caffeinated food or beverage at night. Avoid having lots of liquids at night. Your sleep will be disturbed if you need to pee.

·         Avoid eating foods that have sugar and/ or refined carbs.

·         Avoid heavy meals at night, especially avoid spicy and acidic food.

Getting ready to sleep:

·         Dim lights around the house.

·         Take a warm bath with calming body wash.

·         Gently massage lavender oil to nourish your skin and clam your muscles.

·         Light up aroma therapy candles.

·         Try breathing exercises or meditation, whatever helps.

·         Keep your phone away. Do not check for messages, updates or anything else. If its important, they’ll call. Don’t be overwhelmed with details that you don’t need in the first place.

·         Put on some soothing sleep music, turn off your light and close your eyes.

Remember this is not a magic wand. It won’t start working immediately. If you’ve had bad sleep for years, give it at least a few weeks to get better. Keep following a good sleep routine, it will pay you.

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Wishing you peaceful sleep and happy mornings!