We all know that eating good food makes us feel better; but we often neglect sleep as a huge part of maintaining our overall health. A good night's rest makes us feel all the better for it, and helps our bodies to repair.
The issue of sleep, though, is not that we don't want to sleep (for heaven's sake-- we're teenagers!). Have you ever wanted to fall asleep, but you couldn't? Right-- well, you're not alone. I have certainly suffered from insomnia, and here are some tips that have helped me overcome it:
I don't have to convince you to go to bed "on time" or not to start your day early. On the contrary, go to bed only when you are tired, and get up half an hour earlier than you usually get up. There are sceptics who claim that we all need exactly seven to nine hours of sleep a night. That's optimal for a lot of people- yes- but it's not entirely possible in our busy schedules, besides the fact that a lot of us are in bed for nine hours, but never really get decent restorative sleep. The goal here is to get to sleep fast, and to make the sleep we get really quality.
Let's all admit the best way to feel tired at night-- exercise. It doesn't have to be a ton of exercise, just a little exercise sometime 3 hours before you go to bed (your body needs the time to calm down all the hormones released when you exercise.) Not only are you more tired; you feel like you accomplished something during the day. That helps a ton.
Of course, eating well also works wonders for good sleep. What you eat affects the hormones in your body, a lot of which directly control how we sleep. We've been talking about nutrition on this blog for a while now, so you already know exactly what to do. In particular, bananas and mangoes have a chemical called tryptophan, which aides in relaxation and quality sleep... so chug down those tropical smoothies!
I would also suggest keeping your room dark and fairly cool, as it tends to help in regulating body temperature, which plays a definite part in comfort and relaxation. Use blankets, so that if you get chilly, you can tuck into a nice, warm bed.
Noise also affects the way you sleep. Our bodies learn to ignore regular noise, but any variable noise is definitely a no-no, because your brain is activated and focused on something new in your environment.
If you're like pretty much any teen, homework makes you tired, and bores the heck out of you. Seriously, guys, if you're one of those people, try to save some homework for before you prepare for bed, and after five or six minutes, you'll want to run to bed! That's right- school has been my number one sleeping tool lately; see if it works for you.
Try to keep what you do in your bed to a minimum; the less you do there, the more your mind associates that place with sleep. And most importantly, if you are tired at night, go to bed. I try all the time to stay up and just do "one more thing." By the time I'm done with it, my body has tapped into its, what I call, "reserve energy" and I'm no longer sleepy. So just go to bed if you're tired- your body is obviously trying to tell you something!
Simply try to empty your mind, calm down, and climb into bed... Sleep tight!
The issue of sleep, though, is not that we don't want to sleep (for heaven's sake-- we're teenagers!). Have you ever wanted to fall asleep, but you couldn't? Right-- well, you're not alone. I have certainly suffered from insomnia, and here are some tips that have helped me overcome it:
I don't have to convince you to go to bed "on time" or not to start your day early. On the contrary, go to bed only when you are tired, and get up half an hour earlier than you usually get up. There are sceptics who claim that we all need exactly seven to nine hours of sleep a night. That's optimal for a lot of people- yes- but it's not entirely possible in our busy schedules, besides the fact that a lot of us are in bed for nine hours, but never really get decent restorative sleep. The goal here is to get to sleep fast, and to make the sleep we get really quality.
Let's all admit the best way to feel tired at night-- exercise. It doesn't have to be a ton of exercise, just a little exercise sometime 3 hours before you go to bed (your body needs the time to calm down all the hormones released when you exercise.) Not only are you more tired; you feel like you accomplished something during the day. That helps a ton.
Of course, eating well also works wonders for good sleep. What you eat affects the hormones in your body, a lot of which directly control how we sleep. We've been talking about nutrition on this blog for a while now, so you already know exactly what to do. In particular, bananas and mangoes have a chemical called tryptophan, which aides in relaxation and quality sleep... so chug down those tropical smoothies!
I would also suggest keeping your room dark and fairly cool, as it tends to help in regulating body temperature, which plays a definite part in comfort and relaxation. Use blankets, so that if you get chilly, you can tuck into a nice, warm bed.
Noise also affects the way you sleep. Our bodies learn to ignore regular noise, but any variable noise is definitely a no-no, because your brain is activated and focused on something new in your environment.
If you're like pretty much any teen, homework makes you tired, and bores the heck out of you. Seriously, guys, if you're one of those people, try to save some homework for before you prepare for bed, and after five or six minutes, you'll want to run to bed! That's right- school has been my number one sleeping tool lately; see if it works for you.
Try to keep what you do in your bed to a minimum; the less you do there, the more your mind associates that place with sleep. And most importantly, if you are tired at night, go to bed. I try all the time to stay up and just do "one more thing." By the time I'm done with it, my body has tapped into its, what I call, "reserve energy" and I'm no longer sleepy. So just go to bed if you're tired- your body is obviously trying to tell you something!
Simply try to empty your mind, calm down, and climb into bed... Sleep tight!
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