We recently talked about the types of food and supplements that can help you sleep. Now, we’re focusing on the physical ways to help ease your mind to sleep called “sleep hygiene.” Everything from keeping your cellphone away from your bed at night to using certain calming techniques can all help with sleep hygiene and ultimately a better night’s rest.
Holistic family nurse practitioner with Table Health in Traverse City and owner of Northern Roots wellness, Meghan Sarna has specific guidelines that she recommends to patients struggling with either falling asleep or staying asleep.
“There’s different techniques that you can incorporate when you have difficulty falling asleep or when you wake up and you’re feeling anxious with racing thoughts. There are different techniques. My favorite is progressive muscle relaxation. You just start at the top of your head and you just relax every muscle from your head down. So, some people like to squeeze muscles and relax them as they go down their body to their feet. By the time you hit your knees, you should be sleeping,” says Sarna.
Sarna also recommends a gradual alarm clock with a dim light to ease our minds out sleep as opposed to a sudden jolt from a loud alarm.
“It’s like a little natural sun as slowly wakes you up with softer music,” says Sarna.
If you would like more information on sleep hygiene and ways to ease your mind into a restful and lasing sleep, check out the interview posted above.
For a link to Table Health .
For a link to Northern Roots Wellness .
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