This Sunday, I woke up early and felt strangely lethargic and not my usual self. I felt like I slept but it wasn’t a good sleep. Neither could I sustain my sleep for a period sufficient enough to refresh myself. Talking to friends, I realised it’s a malady common enough.
Increasingly, I find myself having poor sleep. Is this what they call insomnia? Now, people often relate insomnia with sleepless nights, taking turns on the bed and not being able to fall asleep despite persistent efforts. But according to the US government’s National Library of Medicine, insomnia is defined as the presence of four things; facing difficulty in falling or staying asleep, confronting sleep disorder despite enough opportunities to sleep, some amount of distress from daytime activities and finally, inconsistent sleep for 3 nights a week, for at least a period of one month.
Sleeping well is a strategic time-out that your body and mind need for a healthy and bright life. Here, we share some effective tips that will help you sleep better at night. So learn to do the following things for a good night’s sleep and to beat insomnia.
Your body is active throughout the day and needs rest in the night. This much we all know. But a time discipline is crucial for a sound sleep. Interestingly, our body clock is always active and adjusts according to the routine we follow for sleep. Body clocks once tuned to a fixed time of sleep, can generate alerts for our minds to unwind and urge bodies to start preparing for sleep.
This practise runs contrary to the hyper active night life that most of today’s generation indulge in. But if you are short on sleep and struggling with insomnia, a fixed sleep schedule is non-negotiable. Not just sleeping on time but also getting up at a fixed time in the morning is required. Benjamin Franklin, America’s great polymath, inventor and writer aptly underscored the importance of a fixed sleep schedule when he stated that, ‘Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.’
A sound sleep helps in repairing damage to the body cells caused by wear and tear, calms the nerves and gives a much needed rest to the muscles of the heart. The sleep acts like a meditation tool wherein you withdraw from all your energy needs and focus on repair work alone.
Stress and anxiety are urban life by-products that have the potential to derail your sleep, leading to a life that lacks basic energy or sustenance. To address it, you should actively pursue meditation. Various researches have proven that mediation can calm your mind and body, help you to rediscover yourself and even lend a golden touch towards a full night’s sleep. Meditating early in the mornings or evenings will teach you to focus on the present and ensure that your thoughts stay in the positive zone which is crucial for a sound sleep. Remember, a happy mind goes fast asleep.
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