Eat Right, Reduce Stress, Establish A Routine And Sleep Better

Stay healthier by reducing stress with a healthy diet plan that is the best sleep aid available today. Often people who suffer from insomnia find that their diet has something to do with their sleep pattern. Certain foods cause indigestion or the type that keeps you awake such as coffee. Instead of that last cup of coffee, instead of drinking chamomile tea. Daily stress often affects how you feel when you retire for the night. Working out several hours before bedtime, a shower, and a cup of tea is relaxing. These are some of the things that help you to stay healthier.

Reduce Stress for a Healthier Lifestyle

One of the major problems that people face today is getting enough sleep to help them through the day. One needs to wake up feeling fresh and relaxed. The question is how to sleep better to achieve a good night’s rest. One of the best things for good rest is to make sure you have a great mattress. Mattress reviews help in selecting the best mattress for your comfort. The stress level that you are under can determine how well you sleep. Stress is happening daily, but there are ways to reduce stress just before bedtime.

  • Take a warm soaking bath just before you go to bed.
  • Drink a warm cup of hot tea instead of coffee.
  • When stressed, work out to help relieve some of the anxiety.
  • When in bed, put on your headset and listen to relaxing music

Healthy Diet Plan for a Healthier Lifestyle

The food we eat does determine how healthy we will become. Those fatty foods like French fries, greasy meats, and sweets will most certainly cause obesity. A person’s BMI is essential to a healthy body.

The right diet plan will help you to have a healthier lifestyle. The right foods make it possible for you to get a good night’s sleep along with maintaining a good day. Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables are good to eat to help maintain a healthier lifestyle. Natural remedies are always best rather than taking pills to get those vitamins and minerals.

fresh healthy vegetables give you a better diet

Ways to Stay Healthier

It is important for everyone to stay healthier in order to have a lifestyle that is comfortable. The way we eat, sleep, and exercise is vital parts of a healthier lifestyle. Many people who have sleeping problems often find it is because of what they had to eat during the day or just before bedtime. One of the major things that keep a person awake is what is in their stomach. The other way can be stressful which can be brought under control with exercise. The way we eat and sleep is vital to having good health that makes a huge difference in how we feel. We all want to know how to sleep better, waking up refreshed and ready to face the new day every day.

See here the easy to stick to diet plan for a healthy lifestyle.

Eat Better, Sleep Better, Live Better

At stressful times in life, sleep can be elusive. The effects of not getting eight hours of quality sleep a night can be far more harmful than just feeling tired the next day.

The best way to ensure you get quality sleep is to program your body into a sleep routine. That’s where your diet comes in.

A healthier and more regular eating routine will lead to a healthier and more regular sleep routine.

The reason for this is that food helps to set your body’s cortisol rhythm. Cortisol is an essential hormone that controls not only sleep patterns but many other bodily functions such as energy production, muscle strength, and resistance to infection. The hormone is produced in cycles, and, in a healthily regulated body, more is released in the morning than in the evening, allowing for energy during the day and rest during the night.

An irregular metabolism will lead to irregular cortisol production, which, in turn, will lead to irregular sleep patterns.

These 6 dietary tips are medically proven to help people get eight hours of quality sleep a night by improving cortisol cycles:

1. Avoid Sugar

Sugar has all sorts of adverse health effects and one of these is sleep. If you find yourself low on energy in the afternoons and reach for sugary snacks, you are likely to compound any problems with the length or quality of your sleep. Instead, ensure that you eat regular meals throughout the day and choose high-protein or fiber snacks, like nuts and seeds, instead of sugary ones.

2. Avoid Excess Starch

Starches in white bread and pasta tend to slow your metabolism and upset cortisol rhythms. Choose whole-grain bread or pasta instead, as these are higher in fiber and lead to better metabolism and better sleep.

3. Eat Regular Low Glycemic Index Meals

Foods with high sugar and low fiber content have a high glycemic index and foods with high fiber and low sugars are a low glycemic index. Plan to eat smaller meals with a low glycemic index throughout the day: approximately 5 small meals at 2-hour intervals. This will eliminate highs and lows in blood sugar throughout the day and regulate energy levels, cortisol production, and sleep patterns.

healthy meal with protein and vegetables

credit: RitaE

4. Choose Gluten Grains Carefully

If gluten is a large part of your diet, ensure that you choose the types of grains you consume carefully. Sprouted gluten grains (or ancient grains) metabolize far more quickly than non-sprouted grains and help to regulate the bodily rhythms that lead to better sleep.

5. Eat Breakfast Daily

Eating breakfast has long been known to have a huge effect on energy levels during the day but is now also connected to the quality of sleep. Experts suggest that by eating breakfast by 7 am each day, you will feel more satisfied throughout the day and be able to avoid cravings for starch and sugar that will affect your sleep. It will also ensure that your body is able to make the right amount of cortisol for the day and rest at night.

6. Avoid Stimulants after 3 pm

Common stimulants include caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and nicotine. To ensure that your brain and body are ready for sleep, these should be avoided in the hours leading up to going to bed or, if possible, cut out altogether.

Good Metabolism Leads to Better Sleep Which Leads to a Happier Life!

When you’re suffering from insomnia, don’t you wish there were some natural remedies that you could use instead of reaching for those over-the-counter or prescription sleep medications? Everyone knows that it is critical to get a good night’s sleep to be successful, but occasionally insomnia will prevent that from happening.

Believe it or not, there are some natural ways that you can get better sleep simply by making a few minor changes to your sleep space, and your schedule will make a huge difference.  In order to relax into quality sleep, your body needs to know what to expect.

Try and set patterns by waking up, going to bed, and eating at the same time each day. Set routines by eating meals at approximately the same time each day and going to bed at the same time. It is recommended that you give the body at least 4 hours to metabolize the evening meal by eating at 6 pm and going to bed at 10 pm each day. This way you can sleep for between 8 and 9 hours before eating breakfast at 7 am.

Lifestyle Changes

1. Combine Regular Exercise with Good Nutrition

Regular exercise goes hand in hand with a good diet and will also lead to better sleep. Try and include 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity, such as walking or running, after breakfast and after your evening meal.

2. Create a routine for yourself

The very best way that you can get started on the path to beating your insomnia is to create a routine for yourself. Of course, it’s necessary that you also stick to this routine. You can’t simply create it and then only follow it occasionally. You must start going to bed and waking up at the same time every single day- even on days that you’re not working. Sure, you can stay up late and go out occasionally if you wish- but you must not allow that to become your norm. More on routines are down below.

3. Exercise every day

Believe it or not, exercise truly does play a significant role in making sure that you’re able to get a good night’s sleep. However, you should make sure to schedule your exercise either early in the morning when you first get up or in the early afternoons.

You never want to exercise just before going to bed because many times, exercise will actually energize you because it increases serotonin and endorphin production. Instead, in the evenings, before going to bed, do a few light stretches or even yoga to wind down so that you can settle in easily.

4. Pay attention to caffeine consumption

This one can be difficult for some people- especially if you’re not getting the sleep that you need. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to give up that morning cup (or two) of coffee. However, pay close attention to the time when you’re reaching for more.

If you tend to have a second (or more) cup in the middle of the day or afternoon/evening, that may be what is keeping you awake at night. If at all possible, try to refrain from having caffeinated products after 4 pm. More details here!

5. Take a (short) cat nap

Many people love having an afternoon nap and try to fit one in whenever possible- and this is fine, as long as it’s kept short. If you must have an afternoon nap, keep it at about fifteen to twenty minutes, and instead of waiting until the evening, try to get it in early in the afternoon.

6. Reconsider your nightcap

Sure, alcohol does make you feel drowsy most of the time- but you should know that passing out after having a drink is not exactly the same thing as letting your body naturally fall asleep. Also, keep in mind that alcohol will often cause restless sleep and result in bathroom trips in the middle of the night. Though that drink (or two) will put you to sleep, chances are you won’t stay asleep all night long.

Believe You Can Sleep Better

Most of us wish we could sleep better at some point in our lives. Often a few bad nights’ sleep can be rectified with no major impact on our daily lives. But if you regularly sleep badly, your body gradually becomes so sleep-deprived that your whole physical and mental well-being is affected.

Common Scenarios

  • Just as you drop off to sleep, something/anything jolts you awake.
  • You manage to fall asleep, but then you wake up incredibly early, and you just can’t get back to sleep.
  • You can’t get to sleep, yet you are absolutely exhausted and your eyes are prickling. Your brain will just not shut off and allow you to relax and fall asleep.
  • Your brain won’t shut down as you are worrying about things that you have or haven’t done.
  • You’re too hot or too cold which continually wakes you during the night.
  • Your partner is snoring or breathing ‘loudly’, and it is really irritating.
  • You’ve gone to bed really late to ensure that you sleep better, but still, you can’t.

Do any of these sound familiar?

From Cradle to Bed

As newborn babies, we slept a lot, as that was all we knew. All we needed to sleep was a full tummy, warmth, and a cozy sleeping place.

As we got older, we became more active, and our sleep needs to be reduced. However, our bodies still needed a set amount of sleep. But as a small children, how did we know when to sleep and when not to? Generally, we slept when we were tired or on time with a bedtime routine or when our parents told us to go to bed.

Once you reached your teens, your hourly sleep needs peaked, and you tried to get as much as you could and when you could so long as it didn’t interfere with school and socializing.

When you reach adulthood and have a job, family, and responsibilities to deal with, sleep suddenly is not always at the top of your list of priorities and can take a back seat. There are so many other things going on in your waking life, and hey, using some of your sleeping hours to get chores done sounds like a good option. Or not.

Remedies to help you fall asleep

The Importance of a Routine To Sleep Better

Not every child has a bedtime routine, but I am a staunch supporter of a consistent bedtime plan.  All my kids had a routine, and they all slept well.

A good bedtime routine when you were a child may have involved dinner, a fun bath time followed by some quiet time such as a bedtime story. Then you were tucked snugly into a warm bed in a quiet room where you felt safe, and you drifted off to sleep.

Like small children, adults, too, need a bedtime routine. It may sound babyish, but it isn’t, and it is key to helping you sleep better.  Hands up if you go to bed at different times depending on what needs doing that evening.

Or perhaps you spend the evening surfing the internet, filling out forms, finishing off emails, preparing packed lunches, cleaning the kitchen, and watching late-night movies…..and each night is different depending on what needs doing.  You have no routine but just do what needs to get done that night.

Basically, you’ve gotten into bad habits, and those bad habits are preventing you from sleeping properly.

Solving sleep issues is not about what you need to do but about what you need not do.

Many people jump on the bandwagon of taking sleeping pills. These are not a cure. They are like putting on a band-aid. The real issue of why you can’t sleep will still be there.

So this article aims to help you find out those bad habits and other issues and to help you fix them so that you can have a good night’s sleep EVERY NIGHT!

Posted in Healthy Living

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