Sleep Tip #38: Keep Your Neck in a Comfortable Position

Sleeping on the right pillow is key when trying to optimize your sleep. If you wake up every morning with a stiff neck, your pillow may be either too flat or too big for you. The right pillow size will keep your neck in a neutral position throughout the night. How can you tell if it's keeping you in a proper position? If you're a side sleeper, your nose will be aligned with the center of your body. If you sleep on your back, your neck will stay in line with the spine. Stomach sleeping is not suggested as it typically twists the neck. Additionally, keep your neck in a neutral position if you watch TV to fall asleep, although we don't recommend TV either!

Sleep Tip #36: Make Your Bed

The secret behind making your bed is, well, there is no secret. One of the key ingredients to making a perfect sleep environment is having a clean and tidy room. That extends all the way to your bed. Getting up and making your bed will not only lead to a more calming environment, but it will also help alleviate morning stress. Have you ever lost your keys or phone and found them tangled in the covers? Making your bed first thing will help keep you from accidentally losing your possessions in the morning. We all know how stressful it can be when you can’t find your car keys. Make your bed and your morning routine will be easier.

Sleep Tip #32: How to Keep Your Partner From Rolling and Snoring

One of the most common causes of snoring is when a person rolls onto their back while sleeping. This can cause a person to snore loudly and disrupt sleep for everyone in the room. A home remedy to help stop this person from rolling over is to use a pillow or rolled up towel. Place the pillow or towel by their back to create a wedge. When the person has the urge to roll over, this wedge will make it harder to move onto their back and may prevent them from doing so all together. Over time, this person may unknowingly train themselves to stop rolling on their back.

Sleep Tip #30: Dealing With RLS

Many people suffer from RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) and feel there may be no help in sight. One major impact on your symptoms may include a lifestyle change. Cutting back on caffeine and exercising more are some steps that you may need to take. Saying no to alcohol and cigarettes can make RLS symptoms worse and occur more frequently, so you may need to say “no” to these items. Weight loss and yoga may also help relieve some of the painful symptoms associated with RLS. If you find that some of these lifestyle changes have helped, please let us know in the comments!

Sleep Tip #28: Advice for the Side Sleeper

Sleeping on your side can reduce the chances you will snore during the night, a condition that can unknowingly decrease the quality of your sleep, if not wake you up entirely. But when it comes to sleeping on your side, sleeping on your right side is best advised. If you sleep on your left, your body puts extra strain and pressure on your heart, liver and other internal organs. This can possibly lead to health issues later on in life. To avoid any complications, sleeping on your right side is best.

Sleep Tip #27: Power Nap

We have all been there. The day is dragging on, and lunchtime can’t come soon enough. If the coffee isn’t cutting it and you are exhausted, a power nap might be just what you need. Work can be hard and exhausting, so if you feel as if you are slowing down, lay down for a quick 15 to 20 minute nap. This will help energize you, allow you to focus and be more productive than when you’re falling asleep. Do not make this a daily routine as it may cut into your nighttime sleep, but a quick nap every now and then will boost your morale.

Sleep Tip #22: Clean Your Pillows

It is summer time, and now more than ever, you should be washing not only your pillow covers, but the pillow itself. Hot and humid air can be a breeding ground for bacteria. Even if you have air conditioning, the sweat and oil from your body and hair that rubs off while you rest can hurt your sleep. Make sure to wash your covers at least once a week and your pillow at least once a month to get rid of any bacteria that might have built up. This will also help alleviate any allergies or allergic reactions to any substance that has penetrated the cover and gotten into the pillow itself.

Sleep Tip #17: Wear Something Comfortable

As easy as it may sound, there are countless times where people are just so tired that they go to sleep in the clothes they wore that day. Wearing jeans or long pants may be fine at first, but as you sleep your body will begin to sweat. If your uncomfortable in your sleep, you will most likely toss and turn. While tossing and turning you can accidentally shift your clothing into an uncomfortable position which will force you awake, and probably cause you to change. This disrupts your sleep, when it could have been avoided in the first place.

Sleep Tip #13: Get Out of Bed

There is no worse feeling than laying in bed trying to fall asleep without being able to. In fact, the stress created by praying you fall asleep will actually keep you up longer. If you have trouble falling asleep, make sure to get up and out of bed, and do something that will relax you. Listen to light music, read part of your book or even clean. Doing an activity out of bed to help promote sleep will relieve the stress of not being able to. Once you are tired again, get back into bed, clear your mind and be at peace.

Sleep Tip #11: The Darker, The Better

Most people sleep when it is dark out. This is partly due to the body associating the lack of light to the time it should be resting and preparing for another day of productivity. To ensure you get the best sleep possible, you want to block as much light as you can from entering your room. Putting up blinds, or shades will help any unwanted light from entering your bedroom. Even the light from your alarm clock can disrupt your sleep. Light from a variety of sources can trick your brain into thinking it should be awake and active. Reducing the amount of light that enters your room will ensure a deeper sleep.

Sleep Tip #6: Comfortable Mattress and Pillow

The key to a well night's rest is your mattress and pillow. It is very difficult to sleep if you are uncomfortable. Make sure you enjoy laying on your mattress and your pillow. Each mattress or pillow is subjective to the individual, you may like one that someone else does not. The pillow also plays an important role in your sleep. Nobody likes waking up with a stiff neck, so make sure your pillow isn't too soft or too hard. If you do not sleep alone, make sure there is enough room on the mattress for both of you. 

To find out more about how your pillow affects your sleep visit our "Your Pillow And You; How Your Sleep May Be Affected" article.