Throughout my life I’ve had a love-hate relationship with sleep. As a kid, I never wanted to go to bed and seemed to rise with the sun. As a teenager and in college I could not get enough sleep, and even went through a period where I lined my windows with aluminum foil to block any trace of the sun! These days I take what I can get. Some mornings require more coffee than others, and some nights I toss and turn and can’t seem to get any shut eye. Sound familiar?
We’ve all heard that you should get 8 hours of sleep a night, but the numbers differ for everyone. In truth, there is no “one size fits all” for adult sleeping patterns. Most need anywhere from 7-9 hours, while others need only 6. And you can, in fact, get too much sleep. Oversleeping can often signal another problem, such as depression.
The best way to determine if you are a 6 or 9-hour sleeper is how you feel. Do you wake refreshed and generally get through the day without caffeine or excessive yawns? Then you are probably right on track. If you find yourself feeling sluggish, maybe you need to adjust your schedule to allow for a bit more rest.
Quality of sleep is also an important factor. Do you sleep peacefully through the night, or do you wake up often? If so, try to identify the reasons. If it is for frequent bathroom trips, try to stop drinking beverages after 6pm. Does the early morning light disturb your slumber? Maybe you need a sleep mask.
Before you turn to sleeping pills that will offer only a temporary respite, try a more natural approach. There is a great homeopathic remedy called “Field of Flowers,” that can be used to treat anxiety, but also helps provide a very restful night of sleep. It is also important to take daily supplements and vitamins to support your overall health. Good luck, and sweet dreams!
3 Comments
After a recent lost of my father, I was not sleeping at all. I tried different over the counter remedies to no avail. My excersise program is quite exhausting but I still was not sleeping. I tried the field of flowers and within 48 hours my solid sleeping patterns returned. What also helped was keeping a night time journal.
When I exercise regularly I sleep much better.
Great insight! I definitely agree that too much sleep can be detrimental to overall well-being. A few years ago I went through a minor depression and literally slept entire days away. Not good! Since then, I have found that sometimes it is hard to initially get to sleep at night. Probably the stress of the day and other worries cause me to stay tensed up. It is always a challenge to calm myself down. I have found that doing a little yoga before bed helps clear my head. I also love spraying my pillow with lavender! Smells wonderful and the natural oils help calm me down!