Do you sleep for the recommended 7-9 hours, in the right sleep position, and on a real comfy bed with really soft pillows to go with, but you always seem to wake up tired still? There are some things you are not doing quite right, consider these:
1. Your Bedroom Is a Total Disaster
There are some bedrooms that look like a hurricane passed through them. For a happy night rest, you should ensure that your bedroom is clean (the sheets and pillow cases too!), comfortable, and conducive for rest.
2. You Are Not Doing Enough Physical Activity
Exercise not only gives us a toned body and well honed muscles. It has been proven that exercise causes our body to release endorphins – which make us feel good – and other such hormones that reduce the risks for depression, make us more relaxed and help us sleep better. So, taking a walk, or riding a bike instead of hopping on a motorcycle is good for you!
3. Your Best Food is Junk
Yes, you! Your idea of the best meal ever is a trip to the nearest KFC, Coldstone or Domino Pizza. Of course, we all love that once in a while, but they should NOT replace real food, because processed food are very high in trans (bad) fat, calories, and sodium, all of which don’t do your body any good and can cause a crash in energy levels.
4. You Are Not Waking Early Enough
Ever heard the famous cliche “Early to bed, early to rise”? Well, it’s the absolute truth! A little experiment here: How is your energy level when you sleep early and wake up as the cock crows, do you not feel like you can do most anything? What about when you sleep late (having watched Trace or MNet Action late into the night), and wake up mid-morning with the sun shining into your eyes especially on lazy Saturdays, don’t you just feel like a flat battery with all your energy completely drained? See logic?
5. You Are Not Getting Enough Sun
Surprised? Well, you’ve heard how the early morning sun gives us Vitamin D right? But it does more – yes it does – it helps you enter sleep more easily at night because your circadian rhythm (which regulates your sleep pattern) is controlled by the hormone melatonin, builds up faster in the day due to light from the sun, and decays faster at night (because of the darkness).
6. You Don’t Like Beans
You think this is so unreal right? Okay, maybe it’s a bit far-fetched. But it’s the magnesium in beans that actually aids you in getting better sleep. Even if you don’t like beans, you can still get magnesium from milk and nuts – groundnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, and others in that family.
Now that we have considered the Sleeping Six, could you give it a twirl, and tell us if they made you into a modern day Jonah?
