It is quite impossible to do a continuous jog for at least an hour if your exercising routine has been dormant for a long time. It would be difficult to last longer and let your body do more action.
Chances are you will be out of breath quickly and your body will find it hard to respond immediately because you’ve subjected it to a harsh condition that it can’t tolerate.
In the same manner, you cannot force your mind that has gone active for hours to sleep immediately. The mental activities have utilized your brain most of the time which makes it difficult for you to sleep once you lie down.
This is why you need to condition your mind in a way that it will soon fall asleep, which explains the things we do while we’re at our beds until we get sleepy.
Oftentimes, we think about certain things or memories that will gradually help us get to sleep. There are times when we think of calming scenarios or peaceful thoughts that have calmed us down and little do we know, we’re already fast asleep.
In this fast-paced environment, it is quite common for most adults to have difficulties in sleeping as their minds are subjected to numerous circumstances. Most of the time, this sleep difficulty is caused by stress or fatigue. Below are ways to lessen stress levels to enable ourselves in getting enough sleep:
Prevent yourself from staring at blue light before going to bed
Blue light is frequent during the daytime and is responsible for keeping us active in the mornings but this shouldn’t be present at night if you want your mind to become inactive as you sleep.
If our bodies are directly exposed to blue light at night, our melatonin levels will decrease and disturb the circadian rhythm in it. The rhythm is responsible for regulating our body clock.
Blue light is also prominent in gadgets which is why it is advisable to prevent using your cellular phones, laptops, and technological devices that emit light before you go to sleep. It is also recommended to switch off your light bulbs and LED lights to reduce mental activity.
Meditation or calm breathing exercises
Meditation lets your thought process operate in an efficient way and contribute to those suffering from insomnia. These are the various types of meditations that you can experiment with before you sleep:
- Body scan – This meditation technique allows you to concentrate on your body or body parts as a way to diagnose pain or tensions that are present.
- Mindfulness – In order to keep your body from all the negative energies and thoughts, you have to train your mind in sensing the current state of the environment you are in and avoid letting your thoughts leave. It takes practice to get used to this kind of meditation.
- Guided meditation – If you have no idea how meditation should go and would like to incorporate elements of meditation to accompany you. Here, you can opt to play calming music or play videos of meditation instructors online to instruct you on what to do.
Enjoy warm showers
You might be wondering how come you’ve had many tosses and turns during your sleep which could probably be because of your high temperature.
You need to take warm showers accompanied by a few candles that are scented with your favorite scent in order to condition your mind and body to relax. This could help in lowering your temperature and calms you down as you sleep at night.
Practice journaling
Are you an overthinking person? Your thoughts are almost all over the place and you can’t seem to organize them and just leave them as is. Then, this has affected your sleep every night.
A reliable notebook as your journal should be within your reach so that it would be easier for you to note down your emotions and thoughts throughout the day.
All the emotional responses and feelings you show are valid and you need to note them down so you can make assessments on how you deal with them and learn the best remedies for situations that put you in an intensely emotional situation.
Stop the habit of putting your active body to sleep
You cannot put your body in a state in which it is not ready. In order to put your body to sleep, there must be activities that could help you to shut your body to sleep and re-energize for the next day. You may try reading your favorite books to clear your mind from things that stress you out. You can listen to calming music or podcasts that transform your mind’s state from being too preoccupied with things that keep them busy
Trying before bedtime yoga
Yoga before going to sleep? Yes, that’s possible! Practice small stretches and basic yoga poses before getting on your bed to relax your muscles and reduce tension or pain within your body. Studies have shown yoga reduces blood pressure and lessens cortisol levels which are your stress hormones.
Conclusion
Need some references for calming and meditation exercises to help you sleep better? Maryland Mindfulness is your go-to hub for resources relating to meditation, yoga, and calming techniques to improve your lifestyle and mindset.