An old Irish proverb states that a good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book! All of us in the course of life have realized how indispensable these two elements are and above all, how much in order to enjoy the first we need the second, or to sleep well.
In this article we will reveal all the secrets and techniques to sleep well, wake up with more energy and start the day on the right foot!
Sleeping well: it’s not just a matter of hours
Many people are convinced that the more hours we sleep, the more rested we will be the following day: true… and false! It is not only the total hours that determine our morning sprint, what counts above all is how these hours are lived: once again quality is more important than quantity!
So here are some simple but effective tips to learn how to sleep well:
First of all, a warm and relaxing bath
At the end of the day we can finally loosen the knot of the tie or take off those annoying heels. What better conclusion than to feel the warm jet that gently melts our tensions? A hot bath or shower is ideal: thanks to the heat of the water, our muscles relax, our mind is free and we also wash away all that frenzy that has accompanied us during the day.
Pay attention to the temperature: we remind you that too hot baths (over 37 °) tend to relax the tissues too much and lower the pressure. Twenty minutes is the ideal recommended immersion time, another ten dedicated to drying the skin, without rubbing, and using relaxing creams or oils such as almond, sandalwood or rose.
The importance of dinner
Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a poor man: how much wisdom in this way of saying! Dinner must be light, preferring vegetable soups, lean proteins such as chicken or even better fish, vegetables and a few slices of bread, better if wholemeal.
Also important after dinner: to sleep really well we must say no to coffee and other exciting foods such as tea or chocolate. Prefer a herbal tea of Escolzia or Lime, favoring sleep. If sometimes “eating out” happens, before catapulting into bed it is better to take a walk: it helps digestion and relieves the sense of guilt!
Set aside time for physical activity
According to a study, exercise promotes the restorative effect of sleep. From the analysis of the data collected on the participants, it emerged that those who practice any physical activity during the day, from swimming to running or yoga, sleep better and suffer less from insomnia.
The ideal would be not to play sports after 18:00. If you are also one of most people who go to the gym or train after work, what we recommend is to always end with a long stretch; muscle stretching, combined with correct breathing, will help you regulate your heartbeat and avoid the annoying contractures of the next day.
Create the right environment
Our bedroom is the gateway to the world of Morpheus. It seems strange but recent studies have shown that a tidy room, with the bed made and with soft colors, promotes relaxation and improves the quality of sleep itself.
Even turning down the sound of television and radio during the evening helps to reduce the degree of nervous stress that we will then have to dispose of in order to sleep well! Try to avoid lively and intense discussions during the evening…
A little curiosity, have you ever wondered why we sleep in the dark? Complete darkness causes our pineal gland to produce a very important hormone for our sleep: melatonin.
We already start with dinner to lower the lights in the rooms of our home; all the light sources that we may have in our room such as computers, televisions on or in stand-by, certain types of alarm clocks or cell phones can drastically decrease the production of melatonin, worsening our sleep.
Melatonin for sleep? Not a good solution…
Synthetic melatonin for sleep is not an advisable solution: we are sure you will think so too, after reading this article on the important contraindications of melatonin.
We therefore protect our natural melatonin production by choosing to sleep in complete darkness! There are also many plants, which are excellent natural remedies for sleep. An example? Escolzia and Valerian, useful for sleep.