Eight Things You Need To Know About Sleep

Although we spend about one-third of our lives asleep, most people still don’t know how to get a good night’s rest and how important it is.

Sleep is a good indicator of overall health—how we sleep actually reflects how happy we are and how well we deal with stress. Take care of yourself during the day—by eating healthy food, exercising and dealing with whatever is causing you anxiety—and your sleep will naturally improve at night.

While it varies among individuals, the average adult needs seven to nine hours. A recent study from the UK’s Surrey Sleep Research Centre shows getting less than six hours a night for just a week can start to disrupt hundreds of genes that fight stress and disease. People who don’t sleep enough end up being at greater risk for obesity, heart disease, depression and, not surprisingly, car accidents.

Meditation, journaling, yoga and other stress reduction activities are all important tools to help relax the mind and body. Here are some tips for a good night’s sleep.

• Keep the room dark. Even the tiniest bit of light can keep you up. Make the room as dark as possible. An eye mask can also do the trick.
• Cool down. A cool room is better for sleeping.
• Remove or cover your clock. Watching the minutes or hours go by can make you anxious. Surprisingly, even that small amount of light from your alarm can affect the body’s production of melatonin, which supports your natural sleep cycle.
• Reserve the bedroom is for sleeping. Don’t work, use your computer, or watch TV in bed. The visual stimulation, as well as the light, can keep you awake.
• Stick to a schedule. Ayurveda teaches us that human bodies work better on schedules, so try and unwind an hour or two before bed and go to sleep at around the same time each night. We get our best sleep between 10:00 pm and 1:00 am, so don’t stay up late.
• If you’re hungry at night, snack early. Have a snack one to two hours before bed, ideally protein and fruit, not grains or sugary foods. Cookies will raise and then crash your blood sugar, causing you to wake up during the night.
• Take a hot bath. A few drops of lavender oil in the water and on your temples will help you relax.
• Journal before bed. Writing a gratitude journal or simply recounting your day can clear the mind and release tension before you close your eyes.

© Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. All rights reserved. To request permission to reprint, please e-mail editor@kripalu.org.