Sleep Strategies: How To Get A Good Nights Sleep And Be More Productive

Have you ever woken from a long sleep and thought you have only been asleep a few minutes? Have you ever been asleep for a power nap and felt youve been asleep for hours? Can you sleep anywhere? Do you need your own pillow for a good nights sleep? We all have different relationships with sleep. Some of us can sleep no problem others struggle each night. This is such an essential element of our health and affects our productivity greatly so we want to ensure we do whatever is required to get effective sleep. Some of these tips might help you.

Create an environment conducive to sleep. Creating a comfortable bed is key to a good nights sleep; invest in the best quality bed, pillow and linen that you can afford and ensure that your blankets or doonas are of an appropriate weight for your body temperature. If you sleep with someone else, you might need to consider each having your own special blankets or doonas especially if you experience different (and incompatible) nighttime body temperatures.

Get ready for bed. Develop a pre-sleep routine which you follow each night. Having nighttime ritual signals to your mind that it is time to quieten down, which in turn prompts your brain to send the appropriate sleep-signals to your body. Remember, it takes 21 days to form a habit so stick with it until your pre-sleep ritual becomes routine.

Have a bath. Relaxing in a warm, scented bath is a wonderful way to unwind and help your body and mind prepare for sleep. Try a few drops of pure lavender or chamomile essential oil, or experiment with other relaxing oils and blends, in your bathwater.

Take a deep breath. Take three deep breaths; deep breathing can help you to relax and prepare your mind for sleep. Try also taking a very deep breath, holding it for a couple of seconds and then blowing it out hard this is like getting rid of the rubbish from the day three of these will ensure that you get rid of any negative thoughts or feelings left over from the day.

Take a note. If you are someone who lies awake thinking over problems, the next days tasks or making plans, place a notepad and pen beside your bed. When you find yourself lying awake troubling over an issue or with your mind racing, write down some notes or reminders to yourself and put it out of your mind until the morning.

Read a little. Reading can be another wonderful way to quieten body and mind and prepare for sleep. Shut yourself away from any background noise, dim the lights and read a few pages. Try not to read anything too riveting or anything work-relatedthis is time to relax. As soon as you feel your eyelids dropping, put down the book and drift off to sleep dont fight the urge to sleep just so you can finish the page you might miss the sleep wave and end up awake for hours!

Arrange your room. If you can, allow fresh air to circulate through the room while you sleep. Block out the light with blinds or heavy curtains and remove televisions, computers, telephones, mobile phones and other electronic equipment from the room or at least move them away from the head of your bed. Not only may these prove distracting, but there have been studies which have shown that the various waves and frequencies emitted by electronics can interfere with a sound nights sleep.

Go natural. Try sleeping in the nude its liberating and with no clothing to get bunched up, wrapped around you or to overheat you you may find that you sleep better.

Snuggle up. Either before you go to bed, or if youre lucky all night long. Having someone to cuddle is one of lifes great gifts.

Consider Valerian not Valium. If you are having trouble sleeping there are some very effective herbal remedies which can give you assistance. Valerian is one natural supplement that helps reduce tension, making sleep easier. There are no side effects and you should wake up feeling refreshed. Visit your doctor or healthcare practitioner if you are having ongoing trouble getting a good nights sleep.

Sleep in. Turn off the alarm clock and allow your body to tell you how much sleep it requires on the weekends. Youll enjoy waking up naturally, rather than to a blaring alarm!

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy and where they focus their attention Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/.

The Connection Between Fibromyalgia and Sleep
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome distinguished by widespread musculoskeletal pain in the muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints. Wh...

Considering The Cause Of Poor Sleeping Is Your Problem Chronic Or Temporary?
Even if youve been starting at your ceiling fan for week instead of sleeping, that doesnt necessary mean you have sleep disor...

How To Overcome Sleepless Nights - The Easy Way
Its the third night that you couldnt get to sleep (or you got to sleep, but woke up in the middle of the night several times)...

Reasons To Get More Sleep
Sleeping is not as easy as it should be for many people. There are actually people who dread nighttime because of the difficu...

I Want Sleep
Do you often find yourself craving sleep because, well perhaps you are not getting enough these days? Yet when you lie down t...

Sleeping Disorder: Sleep Apnea Snoring
One usually wonders why he snores at night. Both friends and family members usually joke him around. The strange and funny so...

How To Cure Insomnia - A Few Suggestions To Sleep Better and Easily
If you have suffered from insomnia from a long time, chances are that you feel afraid of going to bed every night as you thin...

Insomnia: Some Tips That Help With This Sleep Disorder
Insomnia comes in many different forms, and for various different reasons. This sleep disorder article will give you a broad ...

How To Find The Best Cure For Snoring
Many sufferers would applaud knowing the best cure for snoring, but just what exactly works and what does not? Experts have ...

The Effects of Sleep on Muscle Gain
Building muscle takes a lot of concentrated effort and exercise. And since you have to put so much effort into gaining mu...

White Noise Machines Can Help Everyone Sleep Better
Whether you have a colicky baby in the house, an active toddler, a hyperactive school age child, a curious teenager, or an ad...

Central Sleep Apnea Treatments and Medication Explained
If you have central sleep apnea you are one of the rare people with this type of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs due...

Stop Snoring Aids To Get A Peaceful Nights Sleep
Snoring affects many people and we are a society that is weary and tired. It may not personally be you show is suffering from...

How To Deal With A Sleep Apnea Problem
Sleep apnea is more common than many people would like to think. If affects nearly as many adults as diabetes does. Therefo...

Sleep Apnea: A Surprisingly Common Childhood Disorder
Sleep apnea, and in particular obstructive sleep apnea, is often thought to effect only overweight men from the age of about ...

Waking Up To The Importance Of Sleep
A good nights sleep is vital to our health and well-being. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation strongly impairs your bo...

Poor Sleep Habits May Cause Diabetes!
If you think lack of sleep only gets you uncontrollable yawns and bags under your eyes, take note, it may be more costly to y...

Causes of Sleep Disorders
Each sleep disorder has various causes. The most common causes of sleep disorder are chronic fatigue syndrome, post-traumatic...

Home Sleep Study
Looking for information on a home sleep study? Are you losing sleep? Do you know someone who is losing sleep? Read on...A ...

3 Little Known Tips for Helping with Sleep Apnea Research
This may come as a surprise to you, but sleep apnea is more common than you think. Yes, while it might seem like you are the...