This is the final part in our Four-Part Sleep Series
Part I: The Land of Nod | Part II: The Dark Ages | Part III: All the World’s a Stage
Buddha described the human mind as being filled with drunken monkeys, jumping around, screeching, chattering, and carrying on endlessly. His teachings were all about how to calm the anxious mind.
Residual stress, worry, and anger from your day can make it very difficult to sleep, so practicing relaxation will improve the quality of your sleep.
Here are some suggestions of nice things to do to help you relax:
• Take a warm bath. The act of bathing stimulates blood circulation and calms the nervous system. It can also help relieve common aches and pains.
• Enjoy low key activities late in the evening, like:
ReadingListening to books on tapeListening to musicEnjoying your favorite hobby
Avoid the screens: Computer, TV, and Mobile phones
• Practice some relaxation techniques, like:
– Progressive muscle relaxation – Start at your toes and work up your body slowly and systematically tensing and relaxing your muscles.– Deep breathing – Breathe in through your nose slowly for a count of four. Hold for a count of four and then breath out for a count of four. Make sure to breath from the abdomen rather than the chest. Try and do this for about five minutes.– Stretching – Slow gentle movements with still intervals.– Visualization – Create an images of a happy and relaxing situation, like sunning on a beach or lying in a hammock.
• Have sex. An orgasm releases a hormone called prolactin, which makes you feel relaxed and sleepy. Good sleep will improve your sex drive and more sex will improve your sleep. It’s a win-win!
• Sip on a cup of warm milk before you hit the sack. Warm milk contains the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan and can be as effective at making you sleepy as some prescription medications.
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