Everyone is always looking for the next big thing or cool trend to hop in with to help them recover better. Whether it be ice baths, K-tape, heat, cupping or some fancy apparatus that promotes recovery. But most of us overlook one of the most important aspects of recovery and overall growth. Whenever an athlete/weekend warrior/anyone with chronic pain
asks me what they should do to recover better, I always ask them how much are they sleeping per night then tell them to “sleep more.” I don’t mean to take a nap on the turf right now or on your desk but to get a solid 8 hours at night. We live in a time where technology is abundant and everyone is up late checking their likes on Instagram or swiping to find their next love. As exciting as that may be, staring at our phones hours on end may be inhibiting your ability to fall asleep as well as limiting your quality of sleep. So try and limit that phone/laptop use before bedtime. if you don’t know what to do, we got you covered.
Here are some quick things that you can do to get your sleep on
Tips:
- Get on a Schedule: One of the best things you can do to regulate your sleep is to get yourself on a normalized schedule. Set a timer for when you want to get into bed, put all electrical devices away, and begin your slumbering journey. The goal is to go to sleep and wake up at about the same time every day, making sure you give yourself about 8 hours of sleep.
- Sunlight: Get sunlight early in the day. This will help regulate your body’s wake and sleep cycle. At night make sure your room is dark so phones electronic devices should be off.
- Avoid Caffeine/Alcohol use: Avoid that afternoon coffee, caffeine can stay in the body for several hours and can make it more difficult to fall asleep. Alcohol before bed actually decreases the quality of your sleep even though you may feel you can get to sleep easier.
- Take a Hot Bath: After a hot bath the body temperature drops and this is needed to facilitate falling asleep. A hot bath can also help relax the body. In addition sleeping in a cool room may aid your sleeping.
- Don’t Toss and Turn: When you have difficulty falling asleep, get up, and perform a relaxing activity such as listening to music or meditating. The stress of being unable to sleep may make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Source: Walker, Matthew PhD. Why We Sleep: the New Science of Sleep and Dreams. Penguin Books, 2018.
P.S. We are offering FREE 30 Minutes in-person/online visit for anyone that is dealing with some nagging PAIN. Just because you are stuck at home, that doesn’t mean you should be in pain as well =) call us at 973-281-4936 or email Info@myokinetix.com