SLEEPHYGIENESLEEP

HYGIENESLEEP

HYGIENEEXPERT TIPS FOR GETTING THE BEST

POSSIBLE SLEEP

BROUGHT TO YOU BY the lifePilot

CHAPTER 1: PRIME YOUR BODY DURING THE DAY FOR BETTERSLEEP AT NIGHT

CHAPTER 2: CREATING THE PERFECT SLEEPING ENVIRONMENT

PROLOGUE

Daylight Exposure

Caffeine (and other stimulant) Intake

Exercise

Eating the Right Foods at the Right Time

Balancing Water Intake for Optimal Sleep

Making it Dark

Make it Cool

Eliminate All Distractions

CHAPTER 3: ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

Keep a Regular Sleep Schedule

Keeping a Sleep Journal

Nighttime Meditation

Natural Sleep Supplements

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CONTENTS

If you're reading this right now, it's probably because you're one of the millions of people in the world whose daily life is interfering with their ability to achieve restful, restorative sleep on a nightly basis. You may have been suffering with this problem in silence for a long time, thinking that there's no hope for your intractable insomnia problems. Or maybe your sleep disturbances are a recent change, coming on the heels of recent life changes. Either way, we want to emphasize something very important: you are not alone, and there is hope.

The first step towards changing your sleep patterns for the better is to start The first step towards changing your sleep patterns for the better is to start practicing proper "sleep hygiene". When you get into the meat of this booklet, you might find yourself saying "'sleep hygiene' is a strange phrase; this has very little to do with washing my hair or brushing my teeth!" But the true definition of "hygiene" includes "conditions or practices conductive to maintaining health and preventing disease".

This definition of hygiene makes the phrase "sleep hygiene" entirely appropriate for This definition of hygiene makes the phrase "sleep hygiene" entirely appropriate for the changes you will be making after you finish reading this book. After all, getting plenty of good, quality sleep can and will prevent disease. Lack of good sleep can cause memory problems, lead to mood disorders, and even complicate cardiovascular disease if left unchecked for too long. Practicing good sleep hygiene is beneficial for the mind and the body as a whole.

If some of the steps in this booklet feel overwhelming at first, start small. Begin If some of the steps in this booklet feel overwhelming at first, start small. Begin with one or two steps at a time until they become a solid part of your nightly routine. Then step up your game and keep adding steps little by little. Also, be patient. For most people, even practicing their new sleep hygiene routine religiously will take a little time to yield positive results. But once you start experiencing better quality sleep, the benefits you experience in your waking life will be well worth all the effort.

PROLOGUEHELLO, AND WELCOME TO YOUR FIRST STEPS TOWARD GETTING ABETTER NIGHT'S SLEEP.

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Most people believe that what they do during the day doesn't have any effect on what happens to their body when they try to sleep at night. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth. Everything you do - from the moment you wake up in the morning until you lay your head back on the pillow at night - has the power to influence how well (or if) you sleep. In this chapter, we'll cover some common mistakes that people make during the day which keep them tossing and turning all night. We'll also provide suggestions for fixing these mistakes and helping you achieve a more restful sleep. helping you achieve a more restful sleep.

Yes, exposing ourselves to too much bright sunlight can give us wrinkles, increase the odds of skin cancer, and make us break into an unpleasant sweat if it's really hot outside. But as difficult as it is to admit, exposure to bright, natural light during the day is very important to our circadian rhythm (the natural sleep-wake rhythm inside your body that tells you when to wake and when to feel sleepy). Without regular exposure to natural sunlight, your body gets confused as to when it's time to sleep and when it's time to feel alert - which can lead to sleep problems at night.

CHAPTER 1

DAYLIGHT EXPOSURE

PRIME YOUR BODY DURING THE DAY FOR BETTER SLEEP AT NIGHT

Do your best to avoid stimulants, such as caffeine, cigarettes, and more within 6 hours of going to bed. These chemicals trigger your adrenal glands to release cortisol into your blood stream. Cortisol is a stress hormone which is part of the "right-or-flight" response. Naturally, if your body thinks it's about to either run away from or fight with a threat, it's not going to be in the mood to go to sleep! You should also try your best to avoid alcohol before bed. Sure, it might make you sleepy at first; but once your body starts metabolizing it, the process generates energy which will most likely wake you up in the middle of the night. energy which will most likely wake you up in the middle of the night.

CAFFEINE (AND OTHER STIMULANT) INTAKE

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Exercising regularly is essential for getting better sleep. The best time to exercise for those who suffer from sleep problems is in the later afternoon hours. Not only will the exercise help tire your body, which makes it more willing to accept sleep, but your body temperature naturally drops post-workout. This temperature drop sends a signal to the brain that says "it's time to rest", making it that much easier to fall asleep at night. And regular exercise isn't just good for your quality of sleep; it can also reduce anxiety, stress, and depression, too!

EXERCISE

CHAPTER 1: PRIME YOUR BODY DURING THE DAY FOR BETTER SLEEP AT NIGHT

Believe it or not, the foods you eat within a few hours of going to bed might be responsible for keeping you awake at night. In particular, you should try to avoid fatty foods, spicy foods, and processed carbs if you're planning on going to bed soon. Instead, reach for high-protein foods, fruits, and vegetables. These foods contain amino and vegetables. These foods contain amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants which are great for digesting while you sleep.

EATING THE RIGHT FOODS AT THE RIGHT TIME

Eating right close to bedtime isn't just about the solid food you put in your body. You need to keep your liquid intake in mind too. Too much water before bed, for example, can leave you waking up in the middle of the night to make an urgent trip to the bathroom. Too little water, however, can also result in you waking up feeling thirsty and dehydrated. Finding out the right amount of water to drink before bedtime is going to take some trial and error on your part. But once you figure it out, the good night's sleep you get will be worth it.

BALANCING WATER INTAKE FOR OPTIMAL SLEEP

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Here's another basic, common rule for getting good sleep: your bedroom should only ever be used for sleep and sex. Everything else, such as watching TV, reading, or using a computer should be done somewhere else if possible. Below, we'll give you some tips for turning your bedroom into the ultimate sleeping sanctuary.

Light exposure during the day - especially natural light and blue lights from electronics - can help you feel awake and alert. But at night, that light exposure can make it difficult for your body to settle down and get ready for sleep. This is especially true if you spend several of your evening hours on your phone, computer, or in front of a TV.

To counteract this, try turning your bedroom into a dark, quiet sleep oasis. Install To counteract this, try turning your bedroom into a dark, quiet sleep oasis. Install dark, thick "blackout" curtains to keep out ambient light. If curtains aren't an option, try picking up a sleep mask online or at your local drug store. The less visible light you can see once your head hits the pillow, the easier it will be to get the sleep you want.

MAKING IT DARK

Your body temperature naturally drops as it prepares itself for restorative sleep. Depending on how hot-blooded you are, you can facilitate this process by turning the temperature down to between 60-75 degrees when it's time to go to bed. It'll also help to put soft, breathable sheets on your bed. And lastly, try getting a little naughty and sleeping naked! It'll help you achieve the optimal cool body temperature for a great night's sleep.

MAKE IT COOL

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CHAPTER 2CREATING THE PERFECT SLEEPING ENVIRONMENT

Whether it is pets, noise, or the bright lights mentioned earlier, it's important to eliminate as many distractions as possible from your bedroom. If you have a pet, such as a dog or a cat, which has a habit of waking you up in the middle of the night, then it might be time to get Fido or Fluffy a bed of their own. Living in a noisy area can bed of their own. Living in a noisy area can make getting a good night's sleep difficult; but canceling it out with a white noise machine can help soothe your brain into slumber. If the noise is especially bad, you can shop around online for flat headphones that you can comfortably wear in bed.

No matter what it is that's keeping you up at night and distracting you from a decent sleep, finding ways to eliminate these distractions is very important for improving your overall sleep quality.

ELIMINATE ALL DISTRACTIONS

MAKE IT COOL

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CHAPTER 2: CREATING THE PERFECT SLEEPING ENVIRONMENT

Whether you've already mastered the techniques from the previous chapters and want to take your sleep game to the next level, or whether your sleep quality isn't quite where you'd like it to be, you can benefit from taking a look at the advanced sleep techniques below. These tricks can help you hack your way to getting some of the best sleep you've ever experienced in your life.

The human body likes routine. It even has its own internal clock - the Circadian Rhythm we mentioned earlier - that helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle for optimum health. Many people who keep to a regular sleep schedule (which includes going to bed and waking up at the same time each day) don't even need to use alarm clocks anymore, because their bodies naturally know when it's time to wake up each day. It's also better for your health to wake up naturally at the top of your sleep cycle. Being jarred awake from a deep sleep by a loud, blaring alarm not only leaves you feeling more fatigued, but it will also trigger a surge of cortisol, the only leaves you feeling more fatigued, but it will also trigger a surge of cortisol, the stress hormone, from the moment you wake up. And who wants to start their day with an unnecessary surge of stress?

KEEP A REGULAR SLEEP SCHEDULE

Tracking your progress is a great way to keep yourself on task. After all, poor sleep leads to poor memory - so you might be making progress and not know it! Good things to note in your sleep journal include what time you went to bed, how many hours you slept, if you woke up in the middle of the night (along with the reason why), and if you remember dreaming. You don't necessarily need to write down your dreams (unless you're into that sort of thing), but noting when dreaming happens is important. Your brain dreams once your body enters REM sleep. Your body and brain also do the most healing during this deep, restorative slumber. So, body and brain also do the most healing during this deep, restorative slumber. So, the more REM sleep you can get, the healthier you will be.

KEEPING A SLEEP JOURNAL

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CHAPTER 3ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

One of the biggest problems that insomniacs suffer from is that they can't get their brains to quiet down at night when it's time to fall asleep. Even when the body is physically exhausted, the brain may continue to wander and ponder well into the night. More often than not, an unquiet brain at bedtime likes to focus on stressful thoughts from earlier in the day, raising the levels of cortisol in your blood and making it even harder to get a good night's sleep.

Guided meditation may sound like something only hippies do, but there is actual, Guided meditation may sound like something only hippies do, but there is actual, legitimate scientific evidence proving that it works. Specifically, it can change the neurological structure of the brain in ways that reduce your stress levels and make it easier to fall asleep at night. Just 10 minutes per night could be all you need to calm your mind and get the restorative sleep you need.

NIGHTTIME MEDITATION

CHAPTER 3: ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

When you look at all the facts, natural sleep-aids are clearly the superior choice compared to prescription drugs. Prescription medications are made with harsh chemicals that even the major drug companies don't understand how they work - they just know that "it works". And for some people, potent prescription sleep aids and anti-anxiety can help, even in the face of anti-anxiety can help, even in the face of frightening side effects that many people suffer from. Sleeping pills prescribed by your doctor may include sleepwalking, sleep-eating, blackouts, tingling sensations in the extremities, dry mouth, and daytime drowsiness. Anti-anxiety meds can also come with drowsiness, weight gain, headaches, and nervousness. gain, headaches, and nervousness.

NATURAL SLEEP SUPPLEMENTS

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Natural sleep remedies, thankfully, don't have such horrible side effects. Because they are made from natural botanical extracts, they are more easily absorbed by the body. And best of all, you don't need to go to all the trouble of making a doctor's appointment, getting a prescription, and paying an arm and a leg to get it filled at your local pharmacy. If you have trouble swallowing large pills, as many people do, there are plenty of natural sleep aids on the market available at a fair price.

NATURAL SLEEP SUPPLEMENTS (CONTINUED)

CHAPTER 3: ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

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