What Are The Best Ways To Relax Before Going To Bed?
Relaxation is an important part of preparing for sleep, but there is no best way – you must choose what suits you. There are many forms of relaxation therapy and most are easy for you to do yourself. Progressive muscle relaxation is one useful technique, where you tense and then relax different muscle groups in turn. Antigenic training also decreases body arousal. This involves mental exercises that switch off stress response and help relax the body’s muscles. Some people find listening to soothing music or relaxation tapes helpful. No single relaxation technique has been shown to be more efficacious than another.
There are many different relaxation techniques and you should choose one that suits you. Some people find meditation useful, while others enjoy yoga or tai chi. People with very high muscle tension may find it useful to do the progressive relaxation exercise, first described by Edmund Jacobsen in 1983.
This exercise is intended to relax step by step all the different group of muscle in the body. It involves lying on the floor on your back with legs uncrossed and out straight, and arms down by your sides. You eyes should be closed. The exercises should last about 30-60 minutes, depending on the degree of muscle tension present, but can be abbreviated. Each muscle group in turn is tensed, and then suddenly allowed to go limp, followed by relaxation for a couple of minutes. Start at your feet and gradually work up your body, tensing and relaxing each large muscle group in turn until your reach your head.
In addition to the other health benefits that regular exercise brings to the body, it can also help to improve sleep. Physical exercise tires us out and results in the release of chemicals and hormones in the body that produce sleep of a better quality, including the proportion of slow wave sleep that we experience. Exercising in the late afternoon may help you to sleep better, however, vigorous exercise within 3 to 4 hours of bedtime can interfere with your sleep.
Beside environmental temperature, variations in our body temperature also play an important role in determining the quality of sleep we have during the night. Our body temperature falls naturally as part of the circadian rhythm towards the end of the day as we prepare to sleep. Having a long soak in hot tub or a bath in hot water, at least an hour before going to bed, can help raise the core body temperature and then let it drop more quickly, decreasing the transition time to sleep. Water can also have a relaxing effect on us, which also enhance sleepiness.
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