Tips on How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Here are some healthy and hopefully helpful alternatives to get a good night's sleep without the use of prescription drugs or over-the-counter sleep aids.

A lot of prescription drugs and over-the-counter sleep aids are clinically proven to help ensure a good night's sleep.

However, there are several risk factors associated with using this method for long, or even short periods of time.

Instead of feeling refreshed and awake, taking prescription drugs or over-the-counter sleeps aids results in feeling sluggish and tired the next morning because the toxic medicinal ingredients often take twelve to fourteen hours to wear off.

There is also the risk of developing a dependency, as well as interactions with other medications that are prescribed by your doctor for other health reasons.

This can have potentially life-threatening consequences.

When having restless nights of agonizing tossing and turning, try these simple techniques, instead.

1. Read a boring piece of literature.

This technique will help re-wire the brains neuropathways to slow down from a hectic day and result in the welcoming of a relaxing slumber.

2. Drink one or two cups of chamomile tea.

Chamomile tea has natural ingredients to help with muscle tension in the body, helping the mind and body wind down.

3. Avoid drinking any caffeine or alcohol three hours prior to going to sleep.

Things like soda and coffee contain a lot of sugar and caffeine, which act as stimulants, which can cause feelings of edginess and anxiety, which will hence create tossing and turning, making it difficult to fall asleep.

While alcohol is a good depressant, which can help induce sleep, often this results in intermittent periods of walking up in the middle of the night due to some of the receptors in the brain being fully functional, preventing R.E.M (Rapid ye Movement) sleep from occurring. Not only will an individual not feel rested and alert; depending on the the amount of alcohol still in the blood stream, a nasty hangover will result in feeling additionally irritable and extremely cranky.

4. Drink a lot of water and orange juice.

Drinking one or two glasses of water before going to bed will help flush out any toxins in the body.

Orange juice has a lot of melatonin to help the brain safely shut down before sleep.

5. Go for a walk or run.

This is also a great way to relieve stress and muscle tension in the body.

6. Ensure that the mattress is of good quality and gives proper back and arch support.

Make sure to invest in finding a good pillow for head and neck support, as well.

7. Turn out or dim the lights.

Before turning in for the night, avoid any bright lights, such as the glare from a cell phone. Use a light bulb with a lower wattage to avoid headaches and migraines. Using this technique, will help focus on the idea of night time, which will hence create a good quality night's sleep.

Seven effective, natural, and safe tips to ensure a good night's sleep without the use of prescription drugs or over-the-counter sleep aids.

Author's note:

The ideas and concepts contained within this short story are only suggestions and should be treated as such for alternative means of getting a good night's sleep, without the use of prescription drugs or over-the-counter sleep aids.

Always consult a physician for a professional opinion when choosing which methods to improve mental and physical health.