Farewell to insomnia!

Internet, Netflix, and countless distractions on social media often take our sleep away; making us drowsy zombies throughout the day. Our sleeping pattern gets disrupted and our physical wellbeing takes a toll. This article tells you easy and effective ways by which we can improve the quality of our sleep and also turn our erratic lifestyle into a more disciplined one – bidding farewell to much-abhorred insomnia.

Bid adieu to electronic devices
TV, Laptop, or even your smartphone – all have an impact on your sleep, in fact disrupting it. Digital gadgets display blue light, a short frequency light that tends to obstruct us from sleeping. Hence it is better to restrict your screen time at least 2-3hours before hitting the bed. Many might think that harmlessly browsing through your Facebook profile or chatting before calling it a day calms your nerves, but it steals your sleep instead. Hence, it’s a big NO.

Follow a sleeping routine
We all have a body clock, otherwise known as our circadian rhythm. Following a repeated pattern of a particular action helps our body to get into a rhythm; as a result, we can wake up at the same time every day. One special condition for this is that the schedule needs to be religiously followed; and that even includes the weekends.

Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol at night
Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine are notorious for taking away someone’s sleep for the night. So, whether you are in a social gathering or is simply having your me-time in the evening, keep an eye open on your caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine intake. Most importantly, it’s not just black coffee – caffeine is present in several other things as well, such as chocolate, tea, weight loss pills, and energy drinks. So be careful about consuming them.

Work out your way to slumber
Exercises have constantly been proven to increase your chances of better sleep. According to several types of research, even 10 minutes of basic aerobic exercise such as skip rope, jumping jacks are sufficient for improving sleep quality. If you are really into exercising, then cycling, swimming and even running are good options. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that your workouts must not be done 3-4 hours before going to sleep. The strenuous activities stimulate your body by increasing your body temperature, which has chances of intervening with your sleep.

Mind the lights
One vital element of ensuring good sleep is darkness. The absence of light automatically conveys a message to your body that it’s time to wind down; whereas the presence of light at night does the exact opposite. It disrupts the body clock and harms both the quantity and quality of your sleep. A hormone named “Melatonin”, popularly known as the “sleep hormone” is produced by your brain’s pineal gland at night, especially at around 3 am. The more production of melatonin, the better the quality of your sleep. Hence, try to avoid huge chandeliers or glowing bedside lamps in your room. Use dim lights if you have to and pull the curtains to ensure a relaxing, stimulating sleep experience.

Avoid midnight munchies
Whether it’s a football match between your favorite teams or the second season of Sacred Games, many of us tend to drop by the refrigerator at night; especially while binge-watching. You probe the fridge for any late-night snack and chomp them down as the night goes on. Although this vice might seem pretty harmless and fun, it is one of the biggest disruptors of your sleep. There is a high chance that you will start to gain weight and experience digestion problems.

Try Yoga
One of the proven and most effective solutions for beating insomnia is to perform Yoga. Insomniacs performing yoga regularly have been reported to have slept for longer and have gone to sleep faster. Using yoga to banish your insomnia involves having a solid understanding of which yoga you opt to perform. The following three poses are ideal for ensuring good sleep.

• Legs Up the Wall – Lie on the ground on your back and put the back of your legs up a wall (it is important to keep your legs straight), so your body is in an L-shaped pose. Relax into the position, hold it for at least 30 seconds, and focus on your breathing.
• Lying Butterfly – Lie on the ground on your back. Press the bottoms of your feet against each other and let your knees fall out to the sides. In case your knees feel too strenuous and start to hurt, it is fine to put a pillow under them.
• Corpse Pose – To perform a Corpse Pose, lie on the ground on your back with legs straight, arms by sides, and palms facing up. Breathe slowly, focusing on your inhales and exhales.

The most important thing that you need to do to tackle insomnia is not to treat it as a taboo and isolate yourself from the world. Instead, you need to take proactive and deliberate steps to break free from this habit. Remember, it is not just you – people like George Clooney, Mariah Carey, and Chuck Palahniuk – all suffer from a lack of proper sleep at night. Chuck Palahniuk’s global blockbuster Fight Club was inspired by his insomnia! “At night I wandered sleepless through the empty all-night casinos and restaurants, exhausted, delirious, and inventing a story about a man who thought he had insomnia but was actually living a double life: whenever he thought he was asleep, his alter ego would venture forth to have all the adventures he, himself, could never consciously dare,” he once said in an interview. Nonetheless, it is high time you put a leash on your troubled sleeping routine and work towards ensuring whatever is necessary to grab a good night’s sleep. No, it won’t be easy, but I can promise you if you can beat insomnia, you can go on to beat the world.