You certainly know the feeling, after a long and deep sleep rested and relaxed wake up. In such moments you could tear out trees. For many people, this experience is almost forgotten. Their inner restlessness prevents a high-quality sleep, which they need for a sufficient physical and mental recovery.
Do you often wallow from one side to the other at night? Do you wake up in the morning and are totally tired? Do not you get the results in the weight room you want? If so, you should change something. Sleep well.
What can you do to sleep well and sufficiently? It does not cost much money. You only need a little time to deal with these proven methods.
1. Before sleeping, temperature down and lightly low
Turn down the temperature in the bedroom and the room where you are staying just before the bed rest. Move in the same way with your light sources. With this combination, you create a relaxed atmosphere that leads to the release of the sleep hormone melatonin. When you sleep it should be pitch black and cool. Bright light disturbs your brain, preventing melatonin production from building up and increasing your alertness. This is especially true for artificial light of screens and televisions. If possible, switch off all electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime. This gives you a little time to relax without technology. It is no coincidence that more than half of respondents to a 2011 US survey on sleep disorders are struggling. Almost 95 percent watched TV at least a few nights a week until just before bed, used their computer, played video games, or worked on their smartphones or tablets.
2. Do relaxation exercises in the evening
Try to relax your body in the evening with flowing movements. With gentle yoga exercises you can prepare your organism for the upcoming night. That can take 10 minutes or a whole hour. So you can find peace and quiet and at the same time do something good for you. Here's a five-part yoga exercise for you: Easy Forward Bend Child Position Yoga Headstand on the Wall Stretching Supine Corpse Pose (Analogous to the Snow Angel)
3. Calm down with breathing exercises
Deep breaths oxygenate your blood. This simple and involuntary action can be of central importance to you when it comes to calming your body and mind. You breathe deeply in and out of your free will. As a result, you lower stress and lets you rest. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center's (UMMC) Sleep Disorders Center, focusing on slow and deep breathing relaxes the whole body. The UMMC recommends the following technique for deep breaths:
- Lay down on your back
- Slowly relax your body
- Start breathing slowly through your nose as much as possible
- First fill the lower part of the chest and lungs with air; then the middle and finally the upper part
- Do this very slowly (about 8 to 10 seconds long)
- Relax calmly and simply; breathe out slowly
- Do as many repetitions as you want
4. Take a nightcap
This does not mean a nightcap. Make a cocktail that includes BCAAs, glutamine and ZMA supplements. On an empty stomach and at bedtime, glutamine can improve brain function and digestive function without breaking the path of BCAAs into the muscles. Similarly, ZMA - a natural dietary supplement with zinc and magnesium aspartate - would be eligible. Zinc plays an important role in cell growth and protein synthesis. Magnesium provides bone strength and supports your immune and nervous system. If this is a deficiency, it can disturb your sleep. What can not be included in your nightcap? First and foremost here is the alcohol, because it can disturb your sleep pattern and will cause you problems to fall asleep again after waking up. You can probably imagine that you should not consume caffeine for at least 2 to 4 hours before going to bed. This known stimulant not only disturbs your sleep. It remains active for hours after taking it. Highly recommended is a hot herbal tea. If you are not a fan of green tea, take its distant relatives and drink a decaffeinated tea with herbs or herbal mixture. The hot drink increases the natural body temperature, which lowers during your sleep. This provoked "cool-down" can lead to a deeper sleep. In addition, the herbs and their smell help to reduce tension and stress. Very popular is the chamomile tea, which is often used as a sleeping tea.
5. Get used to regular sleep times
Make a sleep-wake plan and go to bed at the same time. This also applies to the weekends. Humans are creatures of habits. Through such rituals, you additionally calm your mind because it can rely on the fixed times. You may be used to the regularity of strength training. Take her to your bedroom. A very good exercise to relax before falling asleep is the so-called progressive muscle relaxation according to Dr. med. Shilagh Mirgain. It can also help you fall asleep quickly after waking up in the middle of the night. With these steps, you perform the progressive muscle relaxation:
- Start the exercise lying down
- Start with your feet, tense their muscles and stay in position
- Inhale deeply as you tighten your muscles and pause for a few seconds
- Exhale again and relax the muscles of your feet again
- Continue with each muscle group in the same way until you reach the head
Other techniques for relaxing the mind are a simple hot bath with Epsom salt or a hot shower. Your body temperature always drops at night. The hot water heats you up, which enhances the cool-down process and provokes deeper sleep. On the other hand, it helps to calm your sore muscles from workouts. If your thoughts are constantly circling, find a good book. Reading a story can help your mind free itself from the stressful memories of the day. Choose a special corner for reading that should not be in the bedroom if possible. Alternatively, you can write down your thoughts. This trick also helps to remove the stressful things from your mind.
6. Sleep 7 to 8 hours
This can not be emphasized enough. Give your body enough time to rest and regenerate. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have found that the human brain needs sleep to learn and acquire new skills. That does not mean your mind would forget the new, beautifully burning cross-lifting or squat exercises. But a balanced, nocturnal sleep window will help to maintain and improve the health of the body and mind in the long term. You take the time to exercise, eat well, and relax. But if you do not sleep 7 to 8 hours a day, you are putting all your efforts to that end.
7. Leave "the baby" alone
Like trying to calm a screaming baby at night, amplifying and supporting poor sleep behavior would only manifest the problem. Avoid getting out of bed to drink a glass of water. Do not look at the clock at night. Such habits only increase the risk of sleeping badly. Stay in bed instead. Put all watches far away before you go to sleep. So you break the habitual cycles. If the alarm clock is far enough away, you have to get up in the morning to turn it off. That in turn makes it easier for you to wake up. Most people can use these tricks to return to regular sleep within one to two weeks.
