How I Developed My Perfect Sleeping Rituals
The under-reported epidemic
Whilst we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. A lot of people including myself suffered or suffer from a silent epidemic: sleep disorder.
Sleep disorders are a group of conditions that affect the ability to regularly sleep well. The world health organization has recommended adults to sleep a minimum of 7 hours a day. Yet, 51% of adults worldwide have reported that they do not get enough sleep.
Knowing the consequence of suffering from a sleep disorder. I’ve decided to spend some time researching and finding rituals, that could enhance my sleep.
After weeks of trial and error of different sleeping rituals. I have finally managed to find the perfect rituals. Here are three rituals that have aided me to overcome this disorder.
1.Burn off energy during the day
Exercising is the best way of burning off energy. It also contributes to a restful sleep. Besides, regular exercise can be an effective natural therapy for insomnia(a common sleep disorder).
One of the most common things that keeps us up at night is stress. We worry about work, obsess about money, and work ourselves into a mental frenzy that makes sleep impossible. Exercising helps to reduce stress by clearing our minds and removing the symptoms of stress from our bodies.
Exercising causes the release of endorphins in the brain. This hormone triggers a positive feeling in our body. Making us feel more content and happy, and increases our quality of sleep.
Personal tip
Do not exercise within two hours before sleep. Instead, exercise in the morning or the afternoon, to burn off stress. Exercise constantly and do not go for once in a blue moon run. If you do decide to go for a late-night run, your body might find it hard to slow down and sleep easily.
2. Do not eat before sleep
I know this might sound almost impossible especially for some cultures who tend to eat during the last third of the night. However countless research has found that your body can’t sleep well if you eat late.
Eating just before sleeping may even cause reflux symptoms that causes heartburn and a bitter taste in your mouth. Some people describe this as “burping up food”. This is mainly caused by foods that take longer to digest like anything high in fibre or fat. Spicy food can also aggravate acid reflux. Which affects our overall sleep quality.
Personal Tip
Whenever you feel hungry at night, eat a healthy fruit such as Kiwi which is proven to boost your sleep quality. Try to change your eating schedule or work with your family to eat as early as possible. You will be amazed at how well you will sleep.
3. Light reading before sleeping
Stress tends to build up throughout the day. When it’s time for bed, your mind might be racing, and you’re likely contemplating tomorrow's to-do list while keeping track of everything that could possibly go wrong.
There is nothing like some light reading before sleeping to spur your imagination, relax your mind, and get you to sleep quicker. Research taken by SleepJunkie, found that reading books at night helped them to relax, increased their focus, and improved their sleep.
Personal tip
By immersing yourself in a good book, you can take your mind off your current situation. One study found that just six minutes of reading reduced stress by up to 68%. The content of the book isn’t important, either. It could be a fiction or a non-fiction book. As long as it’s interesting to you, that’s all that matters.
Final thoughts
Even though these tips have worked for me, this may not mean that it would work for you. Many other sleeping rituals work, such as taking a hot shower or meditating before sleep. Try different rituals, until you hit the sweet spot.
