Tips for a Tranquil Sleep, Plus Cariloha $100 Gift Card

Getting enough sleep is vital for a healthy balanced life. Skimping on sleep will inevitably have short and long term consequences that will affect us. Burning the candles at both ends can interfere with our natural sleep pattern and lead to significant health and behavior problems. Lack of sleep, chronic sleep deprivation or insomnia will escort us to a deluge of health issues. These include having a negative effect on our hormones, blood pressure, cognition and our moods with negative thinking, depression and emotional eruptions. Plus it can even affect our weight. While we may be a challenge to avoid our hectic lifestyles, here are a few tips that will help us embrace a few more hours of deep relaxing sleep.

Daily Exercise

Exercising every day will have a host of positive effects on our mind, spirit, and body. Taking the time to go for a walk outside has the most benefits. We get fresh air, vitamin D from the sun, it improves circulation, increases our metabolism, reduces stress and promotes better sleep.

Limit Caffeine

We all love the buzz coffee gives us in the morning, but it can interfere with our sleep patterns if consumed late in the afternoon or late at night. If you like a hot drink in the evening, consider switching to matcha tea, golden milk, and other less stimulating beverages.

Light or No Late Night Snacking

Gorging on a heavy meal or bags of junk food before bed is not only bad for our overall health, it will impede a full night’s rest. While our stomachs are digesting this heavy meal, our sleep pattern is disrupted. Eating late increases our cortisol levels and interferes with the release of melatonin. Melatonin is imperative for falling and staying asleep. Binging late can also create acid reflux, nightmares and puts on the pudge. Secret code: Yuletide.

Finding that Perfect Pillow

Pillows have a significant effect on our sleep and finding one that works for us can be a challenge. We can experience headaches, neck pain, back pain, and shoulder pain because the pillow is either too thick or thin or too hard or soft. Here is where the Cariloha Flex Pillow can help.

The Flex Pillow has three layers, a quilted cover, a bamboo charcoal envelope, and the flexible loft fill. This system allows you the freedom to adjust your desired firmness and softness. You simply unzip the bamboo charcoal envelope and either remove or add fill to your comfort level and sleep preference. Once you are happy, the pillow will conform to the shape and weight of our head, alleviating any pressures. Other benefits from using the Flex Pillow is that it’s moisture-wicking and helps repel odors, toxins and dust mites. It’s adjustable for side, back and stomach sleepers.

Retire When You’re Tired

If your eyelids are heavy and you’re fighting to stay awake, you’re clearly tired. Our internal alarm is telling us to go to bed, but we ignore it. Many people will fight this and try to do that last load of laundry, finish that movie, catch up on work or entertain guests who dropped by. Decide that cut off time is 10 pm or a reasonable hour that works for you, and adjust to this new schedule. Going to bed at a decent hour means you are fresh and alert the next morning.

Sleep in Darkness

It might be your habit to sleep with the drapes open or with a night light on, but these conditions may be interfering with you getting a tranquil rest. Light stimulates alertness and our minds can wander and ponder for hours. Darkness allows our bodies to release melatonin so we can enjoy a peaceful sleep.

OM at Home

Meditation is one of the kindest things we can do for ourselves. It reduces stress, anxiety, depression and improves our sleep quality. Find a quiet place inside or outside, sit or lay down, and practice mindful meditation. If this is a challenge for you, there are umpteen CDs online or free options on Youtube. Ommm.

Disclaimer: I received product to facilitate a review. All opinions are my own, yours may differ.