The Prepper Journal has posted in the past on the importance of sleep, like when it is your turn on guard duty. But in general sleep is a real need and knowing how to get quality sleep will go a long way in keeping your healthy and on your game, a requirement in dealing with disasters and emergencies big and small in the real world.
It would help if you prepared yourself well before bedtime to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep. There are many ways of achieving this. You can do exercise, have a comfortable mattress, control your caffeine intake, avoid foods that you know will be harder for your system to digest, switch off any electronic devices, and take a shower before sleeping.
While these are for creating a restful night’s sleep, your health will also be better. Take for example doing exercise; numerous health benefits come with them. So, let’s see, in details, the things that will prepare you for a good night’s sleep.
Control Intake Of Caffeine
Caffeine, the foundation of so many “energy” drinks, is your enemy here. While it re-energizes your body and makes you more active by spiking blood sugar levels, it takes time to be disposed of by your body which will make your ability to sleep difficult at best. Therefore, take control of the amount of caffeine you take per day. Consider cutting off it’s intake in the early afternoon.
Exercise Daily
Many people think that they should only do exercise to lose weight. Well, that is not the only reason that should make you walk 30 minutes a day or visit the gym regularly. However, avoid doing exercise at night. You should consider exercising in the early mornings before going to work, during lunch or the early evening – a real beneficial happy hour.
Manage Your Environment
The right bed and mattress and a controlled environment are conducive to restful sleep. A bad mattress, get something better, or just add a comfortable topper. Too much light, fix that. Too much ambient noise – eliminate it. Soft lighting, scented candles, lavender especially.
Switching Off Your Electronics
Have you noticed that you lose track of time when dealing with the electronics that overwhelm our lives? Do you notice when it is getting late when you are on your phone chatting with friends? The same applies to when you are using your computer. You see, the ambient light from these electronic devices disrupts your bodies rhythm, schedule. .
Dr. Michael Terman who is the author of “Reset Your Inner Clock” says that installing F.lux, which is a free App, helps in changing the color of your computer so that it looks the same as that time of the day. You can, therefore, know when bedtime is drawing near and switch off your computer ready for bed.
Try to mute or turn off your computer, mobile phone or any other electronic device at least one hour before you sleep.
Cooling Before Sleeping
Do you know that the food you eat as well as the lights in your bedroom can make the temperatures in your bedroom go up? The way to deal with this is by cooling your body. Taking a shower helps control the temperatures outside your body as well as giving you a cooling effect that allows you to fall asleep faster.
The Exit
A restful night’s sleep will affect your health, productivity, and self-esteem positively. It may be difficult to part with your computer or phone one hour before bedtime the first day, but with time you will get used to it. Exercising is not anything anyone who has not been doing would want to hear. However, at least 30 minutes a day for exercise is really a miracle drug. And that old “cool down” period can’t be over-stressed.
The Prepper Journal has posted often that your person, your being, and your mental state are the best preps you can make to deal with any situation (as long as the Glock is close and pantry is full.) Look inward Prepper!
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