The night falls upon us prompting man and animals to find solace in a good night's sleep. Quite a number of people are still awake not because they are workaholics or nocturnal but due to the fact that they find it difficult to fall asleep. The tossing and turning continues into the break of dawn, leaving a trail of mood swings, crankiness, mental exhaustion, among other things when they go about their daily activities by sun rise.

Go to bed! Its time for bed! Go and Sleep! are familiar words we were accustomed to hearing on a daily basis as children. Often times, it was frustrating because the command came when we were engaged in one interesting activity or the other or when we just didn't feel like going to bed at that time.

Our little minds couldn't figure out what the fuzz was about and some of us as adults cant, especially in the light of the hectic work schedules, bills to pay, children to take care of and the likes.
What does even the word sleep mean? What can we do to ensure that we sleep better and wake up full of life and vitality ready to take on the days challenges?

Sleep Defined
The Merriam-Webster defines sleep as “the natural, easily reversible periodic state of many living things that is marked by the absence of wakefulness and by the loss of consciousness of one’s surroundings, is accompanied by a typical body posture (such as lying down with the eyes closed), the occurrence of dreaming, and changes in brain activity and physiological functioning, is made up of cycles of non-REM sleep and REM sleep, and is usually considered essential to the restoration and recovery of vital bodily and mental functions”
From this definition, we can decipher the following about sleep :
1. Its a temporary state
2. You are unaware of whats going on around you
3. Lying down is the usual posture adopted
4. Brain activity is involved in the process
5. Bodily and mental functions are restored during that time

When you are cranky, yawn frequently, or are exhausted during the day, well those are signs of not sleeping well a.k.a. sleep deprivation. This is bad as it can affect your health negatively resulting in a weak immune system, low sex drive, poor physical co-ordination, risk of getting a heart disease, and frequent mood swings.

How can one sleep better

1. Make your environment ideal for sleeping
Ever wonder why a parent is fond of closing the curtains and turning off the light when the child is in bed, a practice that stuck into our teenage years which we imbibed and now as adults, were doing the same thing? Well a dark room in a tranquil environment easily triggers off sleep as opposed to when the lights are on. Using dark curtains to block out exterior light, creating an environment that easily makes you fall asleep such as listening to soft music, having a bath, keeping your room cool will aid in sleeping better and faster.

2. Create and stick to a specific sleeping time
At least seven hours of sleep is needed as an adult and forming a negative pattern of going below the stipulated time frame sets your body up for the aftermath of sleep deprivation. To prevent this, go to bed at a specific time and get up at a specific time ‘repeatedly’. You would soon notice that at these set times especially the waking up times, you get to wake up at that specific time. This is because the body has automatically adjusted the internal sleep and wake up cycle, thus providing you with the opportunity of sleeping longer and waking up refreshed.

3. Ensure bedding is comfortable
The quality of your bedding is important in securing a good nights sleep. It should be comfortable to sleep on and not the one that leaves you the next morning with muscle aches, joint pains, stiff neck and back ache. Getting the right bedding from the mattress, pillows, bed spread, comforter, among others can give your body the needed support it needs to boost sleep.
Low quality bedding such as coarse bed sheets have a way of irritating your skin thus making sleeping uncomfortable. Sweating and dehydration are resultant effects of beddings that can trap heat.
Some studies have shown that new bedding can boost sleep. Studies on pubmed and ncbi show that low quality bedding can lead to increased lower back pain.

4. Avoid thinking of problems
Remaining rock eyed throughout the night while searching for sleep that grew wings and flew away comes with the worry baggage. Stress levels are increased making it difficult to sleep no matter the modalities you've set in place for sleeping better. Worry can come from the workplace, family life, dashed expectations, that occurred during the day, at night, and even in the past weeks, making it difficult to initiate the sleeping process. Instead, focus your thoughts on positive things, knowing that there's always light at the end of the tunnel.

Read more on : https://justtawa.com/ng/8-good-habits-to-adopt-for-better-sleep/