We have discussed getting better sleep on the blog before, but a reminder can never hurt. We might read good tips we want to incorporate, but then we get busy and forget! So here is a helpful article via Shape Magazine all about how to get better sleep…starting tonight:
Once upon a time, you were a teenager who slept 12 hours a day. Then you grew up, got stressed out, obsessed with your phone, and insanely busy — and more than six hours of sleep became a luxury. But luckily, there are ways to get back to good, clean sleep.
Clean sleep refers to healthy sleep habits. Ample sleep is beneficial to both the body and mind. Most adults aged 18-64 are advised to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. This much sleep supports mental health, your memory, and physical health, like the strength of your immune system. It also improves appearance — studies show that sleep-deprived people have more fine lines (yup, the phrase beauty sleep is for real).
There is no hard science to ensure an unequivocally good night of sleep, but these steps might get you closer:
- Make time. Clear your schedule to allow for eight hours of sleep. If you’ve booked a pre-work exercise class, don’t go out to a late dinner the night before — and make sure you’re in bed early.
- Monitor stimulants. Coffee and energy drinks should be halted by lunchtime so they don’t keep you up.
- Ditch devices. Do not text or email in bed. The blue light emitted from devices reduces sleep hormone melatonin, and makes you less sleepy.
- Silence everything. Quiet environments improve sleep. Don’t let your phone ping with messages all night, and set a sleep timer to keep TV shows or podcasts from running all night.
- Block out light. Good window treatments or a sleep mask can prevent light leakage from outside.
- Support your spine. If your mattress and pillow have been around for more than a decade, it’s time to replace them — you’ll sleep better.
- Take a minute for yourself. Do something meditative before bed. Massage your temples for a few minutes, follow a short meditation exercise, put lotion on your feet — anything that makes you think, ahhh.
We believe in making healthy, lifelong changes to your daily eating and exercise patterns. Physician’s Weight Control & Wellness’s programs are different from other weight loss programs in that they are specifically constructed by bariatric specialists to meet each patient’s individual needs based on their body chemistry, lifestyle, and weight loss goals. Our individualized programs focus on providing positive alternatives to unhealthy habits and targeting foods that provide your body with the specific nutrients it needs for optimal energy and fat metabolism. Practical exercise and hydration are also implemented into our overall program.
We encourage you to become a part of our successful weight loss program. We offer 50 years of safety, experience, knowledge, and expertise found nowhere else!
Contact us with any questions about Physician’s Weight Control & Wellness Center and how we can help you in your journey to better health.
Photo by Gregory Pappas on Unsplash
