Nothing else is refreshing like sleep. It is almost always comforting, and definitely essential to our survival. And, although we spend 33% of our lives asleep, we hardly give it a moment's notice. It`s like that, until we can't sleep! Then we start to think about it to the point of obsession.



Everyone who suffers from sleep disorders, knows: the time in bed can be very long when sleep won`t come around, even if you are in a beautiful place like Hvar apartments http://www.hvar-apartments-center.com

But why is sleep so important for us?

Unlike eating and breathing, sleeping is the most important source of recovery in our lives. It`s also the most powerful of the daily rhythms.

If you have slept badly, then you wake up and feel like exhausted. 50 studies have shown that mental performance like reaction time, concentration, memory and logical/analytical reasoning, all decline continuing as sleep decreases.

So after several sleepless nights, you will start to find that you:

are tired all the time

drop off during the day

find it difficult to concentrate

find it hard to make decisions

start to feel depressed.

This can be very dangerous if you are driving or operating heavy machinery. Many accidents or even deaths are caused each year by people falling asleep while driving.

Can medication help to sleep better?

People have used sleeping tablets for many years, but nowadays we know that they:

-don't work for very long.

-Make you feel tired and irritable the next day.

-lose their effect after a time, so you have to take more and more to get the same effect.

-some people become addicted to them. Fact is the longer you take sleeping tablets, the more supposably you are to become physically or psychologically dependent on them.

Sleeping tablets should only be used for short periods (less than 2 weeks) ? although there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to sleep and tossing and turning yourself the whole night. Your mind is racing, going over everything that happened today. Noises keep you awake.

What can you do? There are things you can do! Here are some tricks you can use for a better, sleepy night.

-Sleep only when you feel sleepy (this will reduces the time you are awake in bed)

-If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something very boring until you feel sleepy

(for example: sit quietly in the dark or read something you don`t really find interesting. But don't expose yourself to bright light while you are up. The light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up.)

-Don't take naps (but if you just can't make it through the day without a nap, sleep less than one hour and take it before 3 pm)

-Get up and go to bed the same time every day (EVERY day, even on weekends! When your sleep cycle has a regular rhythm, you will feel better for sure)

-Leave exercise undone at least 4 hours before bedtime (of couse regular exercise is to help you sleep well, but the timing of the workout is very important. Exercising in the morning or early afternoon won`t hinder your sleep)

-Develop sleep rituals (give your body cues that it is time to slow down and sleep. You can listen to relaxing music, read something calming for a few minutes, have a cup of tea,but without caffein or do relaxation exercises)

-Use your bed only for sleeping (don`t use your bed for example in Hvar apartments to watch TV, do work or reading. So when you go to bed your body knows it is time to sleep. Sex is the only exception!http://www.hvar-apartments-center.com

-Keep off caffeine, nicotine and alcohol at least 4-6 hours before bed

(Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants which interfere with your ability to fall asleep. Coffee, some tea, cola, chocolate and some pharmaceuticals contain caffeine. Alcohol may seem to help you sleep at the beginning, because it slows brain activity, but you will end up having fragmented sleep)

-Have a light snack before bed

(if your stomach is too empty, it is possible that you will wake up very early. But if you eat a heavy meal before bedtime, that can interfere as well. Dairy products and turkey contain tryptophan.It acts as a natural sleep inducer. Tryptophan is probably the reason why a warm glass of milk is sometimes recommended)

-Take a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime

(a hot bath will raise your body temperature, but the drop in body temperature is the rason that may make you feeling sleepy)

-Make sure your bed and bedroom are quiet and comfortable (a hot room is not recommendable . A cooler room is better. If light in the early morning bothers you, get a blackout shade or wear a slumber mask. If noise bothers you, wear earplugs)

-Use sunlight to set your biological clock (as soon as you get up in the morning, go outside and turn your face to the sun for a few minutes)

-Plants are allowed!

(they convert consumed fresh air into oxygen around and may be good for relaxation while you re sleping)

Maybe you will fall asleep without problems in beautiful nature and a beautiful House, at Hvar apartments http://www.hvar-apartments-center.com