More often than not, we follow the same routine almost every day and then hit the sack. This makes our lives monotonous and wears us out. We become less productive and are overwhelmed with fatigue. Even though we have ample hours of sleep, we feel lethargic the very next day. And the cycle repeats itself.
But what can we do to be more productive and also ensure we sleep more efficiently? Well, let’s talk about a few activities which might make our lifestyle much better.
Exercise
Those of us who hardly exercise at all are bound to age faster than others. Our bodies will weaken and our muscles get tired more easily. It’s okay to not have time to head to the gym but there are other alternatives for you to try.
Before you sleep every night, try to go for a run. Other forms of exercise you can perform are push-ups, planks, burpees, lunges, pull-ups, crunches, and other essential home-based exercises.
After strenuous work all day, your body needs to build on its core muscles and strengthen its joints. You only have one body to last for a lifetime. Unless you take care of it, it will deteriorate soon. Why have regret later on?
Also, working out before sleep also warrants a deeper sleep. This is because as your body is worn out, you are more likely to doze off faster and have a sound sleep.
Reflect On Your Day
We learn valuable lessons almost every day either from scrolling through social media, from a personal experience, or even by eavesdropping on strangers’ conversations.
Eventually, we forget about the lesson of the day until we come across the message again. We learn by repeating mistakes or by hearing the same thing over and over again.
But why not reflect on the day we had? Keep a journal and jot down the key points of the day. What happened today? Did you pick up any new trick or idea? Reflect on your actions, the consequences, and the alternatives you had. What could’ve been done better? What did you win or lose?
You can even mark the highlight of the day or the week. Years later when you come across the journal again, you can recapitulate the year you’ve had and the important life lessons the year taught you.
Switch Off The Screens
This is crucial if you wish to have a deep sleep. Turn off all the electronics two hours before you tuck yourself in. The bright screens of TVs or mobiles are overly stimulating and keep your brain working overtime, even after you sleep.
Not having such stimulating noises and colorful displays trigger your brain to calm down and relax. Work around the house till your bedtime, and finally hit the bed. Say no to technology before sleep.
Read A Book
You obviously will be wondering what you’ll do if you aren’t browsing through the internet or playing a video game before you sleep. Well, when was the last time you read a book? Even if it’s not your thing, try it out again.
If you wish to change your lifestyle, reading books is a great start. You don’t have any specific genre to read before bed. Be it fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, a children’s book, doesn’t matter. Pick up a book and read it till you yawn.
Balance The Book
Okay, let’s say reading is absolutely not for you. Don’t worry because there are other options too. Do you have problems maintaining your finances? Why not have a register or a finance book?
At the end of the day, enter the transactions that you’ve made the whole day. How much you spent and how much you earned. Figure out the total. At the end of the month, you can calculate how much you spend on average each day and cut out on unnecessary expenditures.
You can also calculate how much income you have and how much you spend and can finally answer where your money goes.
Meditate
This is another trick to make sure your sleep is appropriate. Meditation might sound like a myth to many but this is because a lot of people don’t have the patience to master this trick. Perhaps you won’t be able to either, but why not give it a shot?
Meditation helps you to understand your body better and be aware of your thoughts and bodily functions. It helps you become much calmer and develops patience.
Once you get the hang of the activity, you can control your body’s desires and by regulating your breathing pattern and thoughts, you can dictate how easily you wish to fall asleep.
Yeah, it’s time to bid farewell to the unnecessary late-night thoughts that keep us awake.
Learn Lucid Dreaming
We spend at least a quarter of our lives sleeping. We feel like dreams are a reality till we wake up. Whatever we touch, see and eat feels real. They taste and look the same as well. This is because the subconscious part of our brains is still functioning even if we are asleep. But can you train this subconscious part of your brain for your better good?
The truth is you can. A lot of athletes and other professionals have tried lucid dreaming to be better at their work. Lucid dreaming is when you are in control of your dream. This means you regulate what actions you take and what the surroundings are like.
For instance, you wish to be a good football player. You can set the setting of your dream to be a football pitch where you are training. Some writers also use lucid dreaming to come up with ideas, as dreams inspire creativity.
There are lots of courses online and tutorial videos if you wish to learn more about lucid dreaming. Check them out to start right away and capitalize on your sleeping hours.
Final Words
From manifesting a good rest to conjuring your philosophy to creating your own world, this article mentions a lot of valuable points to make sure you not only have a sound sleep but also thrive from it in the future. Make sure to give them all a try at least once to sustain good health and lifestyle.