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Walla! Exercise Is One Of The Best Natural Sleep Aids For You! No Kidding!If you don't already exercise, start now and see for yourself one of the best natural sleep aids powerfully at work in your body! You'd be amazed at the type of deep, quality sleep you'll enjoy because of exercise you do during the day! Not convinced? OK, try today to do just some light exercises like walking (look, you don't have to do 5-6 day type hard cardios) and see how you sleep tonight. Yep, you'll notice that even simple light exercise improves the quality of your sleep, right? I've tons and tons of stories on why exercise is one of the best natural sleep aids around. I've suffered insomnia before...... Urgh....the agony, the frustration, the bitterness, the depression, the anger, the.....you name it, that comes with not being able to sleep! Well, that's history now. I can sleep "tight" and "sound" every night now ever since I started exercising. This natural sleep aid (I mean exercise) is wonderful and works in many ways to help promote deeper sleep for me:
I always exercise in the morning because this is the best time to exercise plus it promotes a quick temperature rise and quick drop in my body temperature as I approach bedtime.
A little reminder here..... Don't exercise 2 hours before bedtime as your body temperature will probably still be on the rise for a considerable time and you may find falling asleep or sleeping deeply more difficult.
Sleep experts say exercise is the best natural sleep aid because it has effects similar to sleeping pills, but doesn't have all the ugly side effects of sleeping pills! If you've trouble sleeping, you should consider exercise as an option as it could lead to better, quality sleep for you. Regard exercise as an alternative to treat your problem with sleep, other than taking pills and using sleep remedies. I exercise 3-4 times per week, for 1 hour per session. Toning , cardios , strength training , Pilates and stretching are all in my exercise day's agenda.....
I can tell you the effect exercise as a natural sleep aid has on me is "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......." I hit the sack at 10.30 p.m. every night and by 10.35 p.m, I'm fast into the slumber land.... Mmmm......Nice slumber all the way through!!! I wake up fresh and alert and full of energy, to face another day of activities and chores. Because of exercise and because of sound sleep at night, I won't feel sleepy during the day. One "gem" tip for you here. Do your exercise outdoor or near a place where you're exposed to sunlight as when you're exposed to the light, the light exposure has sleep-promoting and anti-depressent effects. You'll sleep even more soundly and deeply. If you can, expose to natural sunlight for about an hour per exercise session. Try it.
Hey, no. To get good, sound quality sleep, you still need to stick to those sleep hygienes that you've been reading or hearing about -go to bed/wake up at the same time every night/every morning, use your bed for sleep only and not other acitivities, don't sleep late on weekends and on Sundays..... PLUS I've some practical tips here for you to get good sleep:
Eat a light snack about 1 to 2 hours before your bedtime. Don't drink too much water before bedtime. If you do, you'll wake up repeatedly at night for trips to the bathroom. And that interrupts your sleep in a very annoying way! Don't eat too much spicy or fatty food. They may cause heartburn and interfere with your sleep. Avoid caffeine and nicotine. You may be so sensitive that even a cup of coffee drank at lunch time can interfere with your sleep. I'm in this category - one small cup of coffee during lunch keeps me wide awake the whole night! Avoid stimulants as well. Diet pills that contain stimulants such as citrus aurantium can keep you awake. So can nutrients such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, certain hormones, ginseng and other herbs. Hey, I don't know all these stimulants' names nor their "killer" properties to cause insomnia.... A doctor friend of mine told me this..... Do you know high doses of vitamins may act as stimulants to keep you awake? So take most of them early in the day. Don't read in bed. Don't watch TV in bed. Don't lie on your bed while chit-chating on the phone. Don't do your paperwork in bed. Don't do exercise in bed.... In one word, stay off your bed until it's time for bed! Or else, whatever natural sleep aids brought about by exercise aren't going to lure you into sleep la la land. Yes, that's how your brain associates - your bed is a place for reading, watching TV etc., not for sleeping! A hormone called melatonin controls your sleep and is regulated in reaction to the amount of light you exposed to. The key - the more darkness you're exposed to, the more melatonin you'll produce, which in turn causes you to fall asleep easily and to sleep soundly. If you've too much light in your room caused by say, a nighlight or street light coming in through the windows, production of your melatonin will be affected. Your sleep could turn bad. Try to change by sleeping in total darkness. You'll enjoy a sounder, deeper sleep. Long daytime naps steal hours from your nighttime sleep. Limit your daytime sleep to 10 or 20-minute, power naps. And take your nap before 2-3 PM. Late nap at 5-6 PM is a huge NO NO. Do you know sleeping pills are destructive to your sleeping system and your health? Granted they may put you to sleep, however they've many side effects (nausea, daytime drowsiness, loss of appetite....) and leave chemicals to stay in your blood for up to 6 days. They're that destructive! Anyway, even if you sleep, your sleep is not the deep, sound type, no way compares to the type of deep, sound sleep associated with exercise. So don't let sleeping pills deprive you of your good quality sleep. Come on, get up and exercise. You'll get much, much better sleep bargains from it. Who knows, this natural sleep aid may be the solution to your problem with sleep, if you've one?
These natural aids have their impact on your sleep, but in my experience, they can't surpass the type of powerful, natural sleep exercise gives you.
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