9 Ways to Fall Back to Sleep When You Wake Up in the Night
In the U.S. 40% don’t get enough sleep. Sleep-time has decreased over one hour per night since 1942 in the U.S.
Get enough sleep, if you’re serious about bringing your best.
Think of sleep as a high-yield investment that enables high performance.
Need more sleep?
If you’re sleepy during the day, you’re not bringing your best to your team. Do you rely on coffee to keep you going? Maybe it’s time to get more sleep.
4 Benefits of sleep:
- Improved concentration and better recall.
- Higher energy.
- Emotional control.
- Better health.
Danger:
Lack of sleep makes us ugly and stupid.
There’s some truth to needing your beauty rest. You aren’t as handsome when you’re tired. Additionally, the chances of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke increase.
Get enough sleep if you’re trying to lose weight.
When you wake up and can’t get back to sleep:
- Reflect on kind people from your past who have helped you.
- Count backwards from 100.
- Get up and do something relaxing. After 20 minutes, go to another room and read, for example.
- Pray.
- Remember obstacles you have overcome in the past.
- Concentrate on your breathing.
- Stretch and relax part of your body. Begin with your toes.
- Turn on white noise.
- Record what’s on you mind. Keep a writing pad on the night stand.
Sleep tips:
- Schedule sleep time.
- Avoid computer screens unless they are tinted for night use.
- Wear yellow tinted glasses that block blue light.
- Relax 30 minutes before bedtime. Turn off the TV. Stop surfing the Internet. Read. Turn down the lights.
Added tool:
Try the National Sleep Foundation Sleep Diary to track your sleep habits over a one- or two-week period and bring the results to your physician.
Make sleep a priority, if you expect to bring your best to your team.
How do you get back to sleep when you wake up in the night?
What suggestions for sleeping better might you add?
10. Quiet Night Relaxing Balm at Lather here http://www.lather.com/wellness/wellness-balms.html is one I would add. I’m not pushing the product, but it works.
Thanks Jim. I love seeing things I’ve never heard of. 🙂
I went out and bought some.
I also recommend reading Ariana Huffington’s book The Sleep Revolution. Lots of good evidence based information. The research on sleeping pills is especially compelling. Don’t use them. She refers to the National Sleep Foundation throughout her book. Sleep well.
Wow! I totally forgot about Huffington’s book. I’m glad you mentioned it, Theresa. Sleep well.
Even Melatonin Theresa? I just recently started taking that to help with wakefulness. I was thinking an herbal might not be bad, but now I am second guessing!
Correlates well with the rising length of the American work day and commute.
Important correlation Robert. Thanks.
Sometimes I can’t sleep because my mind is racing, worrying, planning, and I am stressed. I recently ran into some friends from “down-under” who observed “You Americans are all stressed and need to learn to relax and take vacations.”
Lack of sleep makes you ugly and stupid, a bit harsh.