“Many things — such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly — are done worst when we try hardest to do them.” — C.S. Lewis
Sleep is an activity that most of us can spend around or over one-third of our lives doing, often as a way to conserve and to regain our energy for the next day, of which will continue in an endless cycle until our official long-lasting sleep on this planet.
To some of us, sleep is an enjoyable activity of leisure that can potentially take up almost the whole day, whereby we can not only be well-rested, but also entertained while we're adrift in our subconsciousness and navigating through the world of dreams. On the other hand, there are people who also regard sleep as a chore and an activity to dread - possibly a result of being incapable of achieving the same quality of sleep as those who can do so.
Here are a few reasons why we may face difficulties to sleep:
Medical conditions/illnesses/diseases
Sleep disorders (sleep apnea, insomnia, etc.)
Negative side effects from reality/personality (depression, trauma, etc.)
Poor sleeping conditions (lights, sounds, etc.)
Poor body posture
Physical ailments (excessive pain, soreness, etc.)
Let's also take the duration of sleep into account (if possible, especially for those working for late night shifts). According to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, the average adult requires 7-9 hours of sleep. The duration of sleep can complement well with the other key element (quality of sleep), of which both can indirectly lead to impacts that affect one's overall well-being.
As such, disproportionate amounts of good quality sleep may result in the following.
Weakened immunity
Weakened metabolism
Deteriorating skin conditions
Fatigue (resulting in lack of motivation to carry out activities the next day)
Frequent, negative changes in moods, behavior and temperament
Reduced cognitive abilities
Heightened risks of acquiring psychological disorders or medical illnesses
So, how can potentially wake up refreshed and energized from a good night of sleep, and subsequently alleviate or minimize risks of acquiring these issues?
1. Create An Environment Comfortable For Sleep
Change your sleeping environment to one that makes you most comfortable and relaxed, especially in terms of the lighting, temperature and noise control. Sleeping in dimmer or darker environments, with room temperatures at around 18°C, and little to no surrounding noise (unless you unfortunately have neighbors who are wild, rowdy party animals in the night) would be optimal for your sleep.
You may also consider changing your mattress, blankets and pillows to more comfortable ones (in terms of touch and smells), and changing them on a regular basis (especially when you have skin allergies or heightened sensitivities).
Applying organic herbal essential oils and keeping your room well-ventilated before you sleep can further act as assistance.
Try to steer clear of digital devices around 1-2 hours before you sleep, and place them slightly far from where you may sleep (perhaps in the next room or on the table a few steps away from you).
Avoid frequent wearing of clothing that can be too restrictive for you. If you would like, going au naturel (or in other words, being in your birthday suit) would be the best. Otherwise, flowy, baggy or lightweight clothing will suffice.
If you are extremely determined and dedicated to obtain a good night of sleep, changing the colors of bedroom walls and textures of floors will add value not only to the appearance of your interior, but also to the induction of well-deserved sleep.
2. Do Minor Activities of Relaxation & Interest
Try to avoid doing activities that can be physically and mentally taxing and over-straining, and do activities that take up minimal energy instead. In a way, this keeps your body balanced and "coaxed" into a tranquil, neutral and balanced state, which can better facilitate the sleep process better for you. These activities can include yoga, breathing exercises and meditation.
If you live in a natural environment, near the ocean or the wilderness, in the outskirts away from the city, that would be a plus, because you're not only in an environment favorable for sleep, but in an environment where you can freely admire the moonlit skies and walk by the beach in the evenings as when you want to, both of which can be relaxing activities to do before sleep (this also meant encountering less biker gangs or "speed-car racers" who can literally fly on the roads at night, which can be horrifying annoying disruptors of sleep).
There are a few articles online that claim that exhausting yourself, or forcing yourself to channel all of your remaining energy onto activities, such as reading and exercising, before bed, induces sleep. However, as someone who had issues with sleep since childhood, this method is certainly not as effective, and might push you to stay awake instead.
3. Manage Your Diet
Avoid consuming heavy, frequent intakes of food and beverages high in saturated fats and sugar and low in fiber, such as spicy ramyeon, fried chicken, fizzy drinks and alcohol. Doing so can force you to wake up for multiple times late in the night, or result in indigestion or gastroesophaegeal reflux (GERD), which will make your sleep much more undesirable and painful.
For a healthy balanced diet, consider eating more fruits, vegetables, dairy, seafood and poultry rich in vitamins and minerals. To supplement this diet, consume more of teas known to induce sleep, such as chamomile or lavender teas, and less of coffee, (although it seems that it can be beneficial for naps, to some extent).
Ultimately, in the long term, you will not only benefit from a better quality and longer duration of sleep, but also effectively maintaining (or even, reducing and saving) your waistline.
Disclaimer: Please do take sleeping pills only when you're professionally advised to do so. Too much dosage is far too deadly...just as what films can often remind us about.
4. Manage Your Activities During The Day
The warmth and sight of natural light can be soothing, especially early in the mornings or after rainy days. As such, ensure that you have ample access to natural lighting during the day, even if your environment does not permit it (especially in certain regions and infrastructures).
Ensure that work, relationships and studies are not always your utmost priorities to keep up with in the long term because you need to look out for yourself too. Make time to pamper yourself, go for interest classes and explore new hobbies to help with your mental and physical health. For example, doing 15-30 mins of moderate exercise daily at least 3 hours before bedtime, which can not only help to shape your body, but also to regulate your body temperature and hormones.
Maintain and keep this schedule manageable for you through a period of time, until sleep finally comes knocking on your door with more ease. In a way, you're dividing your overall negative energy (which can accumulate during the day or over a period of time) and dissipating parts of them through activities that you like before you drift off to sleep.
5. Share Your Burdens
For some of us, we prefer to be independent on facing life's struggles, without any reliance on others for help. This might be due to our pride, fear of bothering our loved ones (in other words, being a burden), or simply the thought that whatever we're facing is minor enough to bear it upon ourselves.
However, we need to realize that we are only human, and not everything has to be taken upon ourselves. As capable as we can be and as responsible as we are, there are limitations that no human is capable of overcoming, and rights that we are capable of exercising. When you finally recognize your limits, you'll come to understand the growing toll that will come upon you if you had continued your fight against what you're facing alone.
To alleviate or minimize your emotional baggage and physical concerns, you may consider seeking advice and support from reliable family members, partners, friends and medical professionals (psychologists, chiropractors, doctors, etc.). If you feel the need to, assign spare time to go for regular therapy sessions or self-care lessons.
6. Control Your Flow
Some of us are not really affected by any form of neuroticism, pain or negativity, but simply by our tendencies to over-imagine or think. After exploring one idea, we become relentless in the pursuit of answering or delving deep into that idea until we are satisfied (and then, somehow, we open another idea without reason, and the dreaded process will start again).
Take for example: imagining a relationship with your crush or favorite celebrity, which might then transpire into a full story (with spin-offs and sub-chapters), or deliberating over what you will buy for yourself if you can cinch exceptional grades for the next major test.
We can't magically press some imaginary "Power Off" button and force our mind to stop functioning. Counting sheep to sleep does not always help either. However, it's possible to trick your mind into sleep not only by playing soft, slow-paced lullabies.
Control the flow of thought to slow down gradually, slow down your breathing. As you do so, project your mind and body to think that you're already asleep. What would you do if you're already asleep? Nothing. This places your mind into a quiet, calm and balanced state where it is not as capable of thinking much, subconsciously allowing you to dream and to be unconscious till the next morning.
in other words, you are not spending as much energy and effort on imagining, but rather centralizing most of your focus onto a state that has not happened, but will happen in the future.
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep." - William Shakespeare
Rome was not built in a day, so patience is key when it comes to achieving your goals, especially when it comes to topics like sleep. We can't really control sleep, for it is a natural phenomenon that comes and goes, but we can at least make an effort to influence your body and your mind to sleep.
In conclusion, do a thorough research on effective solutions that can help you bypass the loopholes of your medical condition, physical being or psychological state, and explore them (if you feel that it is reasonable, logical and feasible enough). By diligently sticking to these procedures, trust that your conditions can improve with each step and in time, you shall reap and enjoy your benefits of your investment towards your dream sleep.
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