Better Quality Sleep Tips
Sleep is essential to our health and well-being. Our bodies and brains use the time to recharge and recover from stress, and repair cellular damage we experience every single day. Experts agree that we need somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. When we get less than six hours, we start to notice serious side effects related to our mood, our ability to function, and our body’s ability to fend off disease.
Take some time to develop your personal sleep strategy so that you can get the deep, restorative rest you need:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time, even on the weekends. This will regulate your internal clock, and good sleep will come easier.
- Create a relaxing bedtime ritual-something just for you. Take a bath, sip some herbal tea, read, or work on a craft project. These activities will help you wind down from the stress of the day.
- Avoid naps to help you get your best sleep at night.
- Exercise every day. Moving more helps your body rest better.
- Keep your room dark. Turn clocks around. Keep electronics away from your bed. Just like you need bright light during the day, you need darkness at night to work with the body’s circadian rhythms.
- Make your room comfortable. Invest in sheets, pillows, and a mattress that makes you feel good.
- Stay away from alcohol, cigarettes, and heavy meals close to bedtime. All contain stimulants, and will work against you when you’re trying to sleep.
- If you can't sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired.
- Try aromatherapy- Sleep labs, neonatal units, massage therapists, and others use lavender oil to help people wind down and enjoy deeper, more productive sleep. Make sure to use 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Lavender Oil and/or other oils and blends in your room, and as a massage blend for a restful night.
- Start a brain dump journal- Psychologists say the act of writing down your worries, To Do list items, or general thoughts is important because it gives you a sense of control.
Here's to a good night!
What's Keeping You Up at Night?
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Various organizations are helping to put a spotlight on sleep issues, and give people information they can use to increase the quality of their sleep. A Sleep in America™ Poll identifies stress and poor health as key issues to sleep deprivation, and say making quality sleep a priority is critical to turn these trends around. |
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Sadly, a poll by the National Sleep Foundation finds that pain is a key factor in losing sleep! In fact:
“Taking control of your sleep by being motivated, setting a routine bedtime and creating a supportive sleep environment are relevant even for those with pain,” said David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. “Sleep is a key marker of health, and good sleep habits are critical for improving the quality of life of those living with chronic or acute pain.”
With harmful known side effects to many over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers, people are searching for healthier forms of relief. Essential Oils have been used for centuries to soothe sore, tired muscles and joints. Some of them have been shown to reduce inflammation which can trigger pain. A blend of Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Ylang Ylang, Helichrysum, Blue Tansy, Blue Chamomile, and Osmanthus make up a blend called Deep Blue that was created to soothe, cool, and comfort.
- People with chronic pain lose an average of 42 minutes of sleep each night.
- People with acute pain get about 14 minutes less sleep as a result of their pain.
- Nearly one in four people suffer from chronic pain, and 23% of those people say they’ve been diagnosed with a sleep disorder.
“Taking control of your sleep by being motivated, setting a routine bedtime and creating a supportive sleep environment are relevant even for those with pain,” said David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. “Sleep is a key marker of health, and good sleep habits are critical for improving the quality of life of those living with chronic or acute pain.”
With harmful known side effects to many over-the-counter and prescription pain relievers, people are searching for healthier forms of relief. Essential Oils have been used for centuries to soothe sore, tired muscles and joints. Some of them have been shown to reduce inflammation which can trigger pain. A blend of Wintergreen, Camphor, Peppermint, Ylang Ylang, Helichrysum, Blue Tansy, Blue Chamomile, and Osmanthus make up a blend called Deep Blue that was created to soothe, cool, and comfort.
Natural Sleep Solutions
Have you tried the ancient practice of aromatherapy? A little whiff of Essential Oils can help you to stay happy, healthy, and balanced. If you're having trouble relaxing and getting to sleep, you may want to give Lavender Essential Oil a try.
For centuries, people have used Lavender as a perfume, but also as a medicine to treat a number of different ailments.
For centuries, people have used Lavender as a perfume, but also as a medicine to treat a number of different ailments.
Today, the Oil is steam-distilled from bushy lavender shrubs. Pure Lavender Essential Oil:
- has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities
- helps to balance body functions
- eases head tension (Queen Elizabeth I was said to use Lavender to treat her migraines)
- calms and relaxes the mind and body
- boosts tissue regeneration (is often used to soothe burns and wounds)
- cleans cuts, and other skin irritations and promotes faster healing
- helps to ease body aches
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Lavender is easy to use; you simply have to inhale it to enjoy the calming benefits. You can also:
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