Sleeping is the most important thing you can do. Sure, some people spend a lot of time thinking about work, family, relationships, or what they are going to eat, but fact of the matter is sleep affects every moment of your day and can greatly impact your health. It's important to get enough sleep if you want to be healthy and happy in your day to day life, but it isn't easy for all of us.
Sometimes getting enough sleep is tricky. Whether it's because of insomnia, overactive thoughts or pain and discomfort, sleeping isn't always as easy as closing your eyes. There are however a few unusual tricks that can help you sleep that you may not have thought about before.
1. Leave your door open
A lot of us close our bedroom doors when we go to sleep, but apparently this creates poor ventilation that make it harder to relax. The build up of CO2 in a poorly ventilated room make people feel less relaxed while they sleep, and according to studies causes people to wake up more frequently in the night. By leaving the door ajar you are allowing fresh air to circulate, which helps you sleep better and more soundly through the night.
2. Get rid of that sleep tracker
Sure, knowing how long you sleep is helpful, but there is a limit. Tracking your sleep using one of those motion trackers can be useful if you are looking for a problem, but for the average person it can be the cause of an obsession that you don't need. It's creating more stress than you had in the first place, so just take it off and get as much sleep as you can.
3. Try out tai chi
Tai chi has been found to help insomnia by helping establish a relaxing routine over time. It helps to regulate your circadian rhythm, which helps you fall asleep at the same time each day. The slow-moving motions of tai chi are relaxing and research has shown that it benefits those with insomnia at a surprising rate.
There are also some even more unusual methods to getting better sleep...
4. Try on some rose-colored glasses
None of us can seem to resist screens. Whether we are using a TV, a computer, or our phones, all the blue light from these screens have become a regular part of our day. The problem is that it affects our sleep. If you can buy yourself some blue-light blocking glasses or some amber-tinted lenses, then you will be able to block out the stimulating light and have better sleep. Research found that wearing the amber-colored glasses for two hours before bed led to participants sleeping an extra 30 minutes each night.
5. THC does more than get you high
While medicinal marijuana remains controversial for some, its benefits when it comes to sleep have been proven several times. The chemical compound in marijuana called THC can be manufactured in a synthetic version that has been found just as beneficial. This version has been given to patients with sleep apnea and they saw a 33% improvement in their sleep.