Getting enough sleep is essential to health and happiness.
Here’s the why and how of being able to ‘sleep yourself happy’.
Why?
Scientific research (and experience) tells us that people who don’t get enough sleep are more irritable, have problems concentrating and remembering things, don’t cope well with stress, are more accident-prone and also come across to others as sad and pessimistic.
In other words, they are far more likely to be unhappy, and to spread that unhappiness to others.
If any of that sounds familiar then you are probably not getting enough sleep. Most adults function best on around 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.
How?
There are several things you can do to help you regularly get a good night’s sleep:
– Sleep on a good mattress – invest in a good quality one; after all, you spend a third of your life on it! And your mattress should be replaced roughly every 10 years or so
– Go to sleep at roughly the same time each night (even at weekends); and if you have a daytime nap, make it for less than 30 minutes
– Relax for an hour before bed-time, by avoiding any stimulating activity (e.g. work, strenuous exercise, TV, etc)
– For the 4 hours before bedtime, drink only non-caffeinated soft drinks and don’t smoke – alcohol, caffeine and tobacco affect the quality of the sleep you have
– Only use your bed for sleep and sex – no TV or reading in bed – then your mind will better associate being in bed with falling asleep
– Put yourself in a positive frame of mind before bedtime – make peace with anyone you have argued with; de-clutter your mind by putting aside any negative events in your day; think instead of at least 3 things you have been grateful for that day
If all this doesn’t work, then speak to your doctor as it is possible that you have some kind of sleep disorder.
It really is possible to ‘sleep yourself happy’ or at the very least become happier, through getting a good night’s sleep regularly.
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Tell me what you think – share what you have done to help yourself sleep better, and how it has affected your happiness levels – it’s great to hear your experiences, and I feature some of them in my newsletters.
Leave a comment here, or email me: Mary@Coach-me-Happy.co.uk