Sleep is one of the most underrated and underutilized cures to virtually any ailment known to man.
Even if getting enough zzz's doesn't completely cure what's bothering you, you can be sure that it will at least help improve your situation.
With our busy lives and deadline-driven lifestyles, many of us take sleep for granted.
We think that those 8 hours could be spent doing something a lot more productive.
The problem is, the less you allow your body to rest and recover, the LESS productive you will become.
Almost everyone has had or is currently having trouble sleeping.
The first key to making sure you and your counting sheep get along as well as possible is to identify what's causing you to toss and turn in the first place.
Below are four of the most common causes of insomnia straight from the "sheep's mouth" (aka the National Sleep Foundation) along with advice on how to solve them.
1.
Stress, depression, or problems in work or personal life This one, unfortunately, is probably the most common, and, as fate would have it, probably the hardest to solve as well.
Your boss or your spouse or your friends are always causing problems and literally making you lose sleep, right? Wrong! To overcome the problems of depression and stress is far beyond the scope of this article, but there are a few simple things you can try to remember.
The first thing you have to realize is that YOU are the one in control of solving any problem you face, no matter how severe or unbeatable it may seem.
Even the richest, most good-looking, most popular people in the world face problems every day of their life.
The difference lies in how they view these obstacles.
Someone who is usually depressed and stressed out may see an obstacle and say, "No! Another problem! Nothing ever goes my way! The world is against me, and I give up!".
The successful and controlled person could see the same obstacle and say, "This is blocking me from getting where I want to go.
How do I get past this, over this, or through this to reach my goal on the other side?".
You see the difference in these two ways of thinking? One person focuses on the problem itself and all the negative baggage that comes with it.
The other focuses on the SOLUTION and the destination that lies on the other side of this minor inconvenience.
In other words, change the way you see your problems, and, in time, you will change the way you handle them.
Believe me, life looks much better from this side, and you need to make the decision right now to come join us! 2.
Drinking alcohol or caffeine late in the day This one is easy, and no life-changing, mind-altering adjustments are required.
Simply don't drink alcohol or caffeine anytime within about 3-5 hours of going to sleep.
Not to mention the myriad of other reasons why alcohol is not the healthiest choice at anytime, but when drinking late at night, your body is so busy working and trying to flush this stuff out of your system that sleeping takes a backseat on the to-do list.
And as for caffeine, you should have already known about this one since you were five years old, and your Mom kept telling you, "No soda before bed!".
3.
Exercising too close to bedtime It's hard for me to advise anyone to NOT exercise, but, finally, this is one example when you might actually have a valid excuse not to hit the gym (but you still have no excuse for why you skipped your workout EARLIER in the day!).
When you do any type of exercise, be it slow and steady walking or hardcore and intense weight training, you are putting greater demands on your body.
Normally, this is a good thing -- a great thing, in fact.
Exercising raises your metabolism, meaning your body is working faster, harder, and more efficiently, all while burning unhealthy fat.
However, this process continues for hours even after you stop working out, which, again, is great news, UNLESS you are trying to put your body into sleep mode.
Obviously, exercise mode and sleep mode are polar opposites, and one is going to interfere with the other.
So, make sure you do your exercise as early in the day as possible.
If you can't find time in your schedule, try going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier, so you can make exercising the FIRST thing you do before your morning shower.
Not only will you raise your metabolism for the rest of the day and be effortlessly burning fat, but you will be more awake and alert for the rest of the day as well.
4.
A distracting sleep environment -- one that's too bright or loud I can personally attest to this one.
I have my computer and various computer accessories in my bedroom, which used to stay on all the time.
All of these snazzy electronics come fully equipped with those oh-so-important blinking lights -- green ones, blue ones, red ones.
After learning that even the smallest sources of light could affect our body's sleeping patterns, I started turning all of my gadgets off before hitting the sack.
In doing so, this also eliminated the faint buzzing sounds caused by the same electronics.
I was amazed at what a difference this made.
My room is now completely pitch black and silent when it's time to go to bed, and yours should be too.
Starting tonight, try using as many of these tips as possible, and you will begin seeing results immediately.
In the morning, when you wake up, you should feel more rested and more eager to start the day.
I'll see you in dreamland, and drinks are on me (water of course, alcohol and caffeine will send you right back to the real world!).