10 Unconventional (But Great) Sleeping Tips You’ve Probably Never Heard

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Increasingly, science is showing that sleep is a basicbuilding block for sustaining life and that sleep, likedigestion, respiration and meaningful relationships, is one of the most important processes for the humanbody. During sleep the body heals, grows, and replenishes itself so that people can thrive with abundant,vibrant lives.

When we are children, sleep comes very naturally. The body demands it and it occurs. Children can sleep inalmost any circumstance—driving in a car, with a TV on in the next room, with the dog barking. Children,teens and even young adults fall easily into sleep providing their circadian rhythm has not been disrupted.Unfortunately for adults, sleep is too often an elusive state that escapes us, causing a myriad of problemswith health, happiness and productivity.

Sleep issues can arise for many different reasons, and for different reasons at different times in one’s life.Physical or emotional stress, changes in schedules and routines, dietary changes and disruptions to ournatural circadian rhythm are the most common reasons that sleep problems arise. Unfortunately, whensleep problems do develop, they can become the norm rather than the exception for many people, andreversing these patterns takes some time and effort.

Next time you’re struggling with sleep, experiment with any of the following 10 unconventional but greatsleeping tips to determine what will work best for you:

1. Strategize Your Day Plan
Plan your day as closely as you can so that you follow the same pattern and routine each day. Although thismay sound boring, as it lacks spontaneity, when it comes to improving your sleep, your body thrives on dailyrhythms and schedules. Wake up and go to sleep at the same time and try to have your meals at the sametime as well. This will allow your body, hormones and other brain chemicals to function optimally, and this willallow your body to produce the hormones needed to fall and stay asleep.

2. Move Your Body Daily
Exercise has numerous benefits, and research finds new benefits every day. Regular exercise improvesheart health and blood pressure, builds bone and muscle, helps combat stress and muscle tension,improves mood, and improves sleep. Exercise helps you sleep sounder and longer and feel more awakeduring the day.

When engaging in physical activity, it’s important that you choose activities that resonate with you and bringyou happiness while participating. If you love dancing, try a Zumba class, if you like being outside, tryrunning, cycling or skating. An additional benefit to exercising outside is exposure to sunshine. Twentyminutes per day of sunshine helps produce vitamin D, an important vitamin to your overall health andhormonal system. Also consider the time of day you are engaging in physical activity. Earlier in the day isbetter when it comes to sleep. Exercise excites the body and creates new energy, when you do this tooclose to bed time it could interfere with sleep.

3. Sleep Naked
The body naturally cools down as it produces melatonin and prepares the body for rest. Among otherthings, this process requires the body temperature to drop. When you sleep with heavy pajamas andblankets, the body has a difficult time lowering your temperature and this will wake you up. Try sleepingnaked in good quality, comfortable sheets, and keep the temperature down in your bedroom.

4. Understand You Have a Circadian Rhythm
The body’s system and functions are based on rhythms. Humans have a circadian rhythm and a circannualrhythm. These rhythms control many things. The circadian rhythm—our daily time clock—is particularlyimportant when it comes to sleep. Hormones provide signals to the body all day and all night long thatcontrol sleep and eating patterns. For this rhythm to function optimally, there are environmental componentswe can control to support this important process. When your sleep is compromised by work or stress, forexample, you will lose this rhythm and re-establishing it can be difficult.

5. Turn Off Your Screens
Your circadian rhythm is strongly signaled by light. The bright light of the morning produces certainhormones and signals and the darkness of the evening and night produce others. The access to 24-hourlighting has largely influenced our exposure to light and therefore our daily rhythms. The one key thing youcan do is limit your exposure to light in the evening, particularly the light emitted by TVs and computers. Thelight produced by these devices significantly interferes with the production of melatonin, the sleep hormoneproduced in the pituitary gland that signals sleep to the body. It’s crucial that the amount of light the body isexposed to decreases slowly over the course of the evening. Ideally, you would turn off all screens one totwo hours before you’d like to sleep.

6. Do Something Relaxing
Avoid activity that is too stimulating in the evening. The brain is wired to respond to your physical andemotional needs at any time of day. When you engage in stimulating activity such as a dramatic TVprogram, a heated discussion with a family member, or work-related emailing, your brain’s awareness isheightened and bringing yourself down from that will take time. Avoid that by winding down. Have a cut-offtime, perhaps one to two hours before bed, in which you will not engage in anything too stimulating. Makethis a daily practice and tell the people you live with that it’s a goal you have. Try something relaxing likereading a book, meditation or gentle stretching.

7. Have Sex
After a day of work, commuting and children, the last thing many people want to consider is sex. But thereare many health benefits to having sex, including better sleep. Weekday sex can be a simple quickie if timeand energy are concerns, and that too will provide benefit. You’ll fall asleep faster after orgasm and there’sgood reason for that. The hormone prolactin is released after orgasm. Prolactin is responsible for feelingsof relaxation and sleepiness. As well, following orgasm, the body produces oxytocin, the feel-good hormonethat reduces stress and helps us bond with others, so the benefit extends to your relationship and youroverall health.

8. Watch Your Food Intake
The body is sensitive to all of the things you do to it, expect of it and feel throughout the day. Food digestionis a key function of the body that influences many things, including sleep. Keep your consumption ofcaffeinated beverages, including coffee, to a minimum and consume them before 3 p.m. if possible. Caffeineis very stimulating and interferes with the hormones required to relax the body and produce sleep.

Also, consider the type of food you’re eating. Having simple carbs in the evening has a relaxing effect onmany people and helps with relaxation and sleep. Keep in mind how close you’re eating to bedtime. Ideally,you should stop eating three hours before bed. Digestion requires a lot of energy and time. If the body isbusy digesting your last meal, you will have problems falling and staying asleep. Give your body the break itneeds during the night to heal and repair you by allowing it to be free of the job of digesting food.

9. Drink Calming Tea After A Warm Bath
Magnesium is a mineral responsible for many functions in the body. One of its most important functions iscalming muscles. By adding magnesium to a warm bath with some essential oil, you will be able to relax anddrift into a deep sleep. Having a cup of herbal tea in the evening is calming and when done regularly (liketurning off screens, taking a bath or reading a book), functions as an important signal to the brain and bodythat time for rest is near, allowing the required systems to begin their work. Chamomile tea has long beenthought to be a helpful sleep aid. There are many companies producing blends that help relax the body andaid with sleep.

10. Keep Your Room Dark
Even the smallest amount of light hitting the eyelid (some research says the size of a pinhole will do it) caninterfere with the production of melatonin, which would result in poor quality sleep or lack of sleep. Keepingyour room both dark and cool have been shown to be imperative in regulating sleep. Invest in blackoutcurtains to ensure that your room is dark all night. Turn off and block the light from all electronic appliances,such as clock radios and cell phones. Better yet, remove them from your bedroom if possible. If blocking outthe light is problematic, purchase a soft eye-mask that you can wear comfortably throughout the night.

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