“Sleep is the best meditation” – Dalai Lama
Good quality and quantity of sleep is important for your overall health. Most of us have had an increase in anxiety during this time of Covid-19, your sleep may be affected.
We have put together some advice to help you sleep better, to improve your energy and mood, and keep you healthy.
Learn to sleep better with these easy hacks:
- Set your circadian rhythm by having regular sleep and wake hours.
- Light helps your body clock. Get sunlight in the morning and have a dark room at night.
- Don’t use any devices (TVs, computers, smart phones etc) from 3 hours to 30 minutes before going to sleep as they emit blue light that delays sleepiness.
- Have great sleep hygiene. Your room should be dark, quiet and cool.
- Stop eating 3 hours before bed-time.
- Avoid alcohol, which can disrupt your sleep cycles.
- Avoid caffeine too close to bed-time.
- If you have an overactive brain that won’t shut off, you can try cognitive behaviour therapy for insomnia. There are apps that help (CBTI-Coach is one). You may need to seek professional help for insomnia.
-If you are snoring, this could be a sign of sleep apnea. This can cause multiple arousals and waking in the night causing you to be more tired in the day that you should be. A home sleep test can help diagnose sleep apnea.
- Melatonin is your body’s natural sleepiness hormone. You may want to try 0.5 – 1mg of melatonin (available OTC at drug stores) 3-4 hours before bedtime. This can help set your circadian rhythm.
- Meditation and mindfulness may help with your anxiety.
Contact us if you snore or if you still can't sleep properly.
Sweet dreams!