{"id":14600,"date":"2015-07-13T10:55:58","date_gmt":"2015-07-13T17:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/?p=14600"},"modified":"2015-07-13T10:55:58","modified_gmt":"2015-07-13T17:55:58","slug":"stop-tossing-and-turning-7-steps-to-a-better-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/health-insurance-blog\/stop-tossing-and-turning-7-steps-to-a-better-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Tossing and Turning – 7 Steps to a Better Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"

More often than not, our busy, stressful days tend to become endless nightly marathons of tossing and turning. And, as you\u2019ve probably discovered, counting sheep rarely proves successful. So, you may want to pay extra attention to your health insurance<\/a>, because lack of sleep could affect your well-being.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why you may also want to consider some simple tips for a better sleep \u2013 from setting a sleep schedule to including physical activity in your daily routine. The next time you feel crabby or simply worn out and wonder what\u2019s wrong \u2013 maybe the solution is better sleep.<\/p>\n

A variety of factors can interfere with a good night\u2019s sleep \u2013 including pressure at work, family responsibilities as well as unexpected challenges, such as layoffs, relationship issues or illnesses. Even noisy neighbors can sometimes make getting quality sleep elusive.<\/p>\n

Although you might not be able to control all factors that keep you up at night, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep by following these 7 simple steps.<\/p>\n

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  1. Stick to a sleep schedule<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Start by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. That includes weekends, holidays and days off. By being consistent you\u2019ll reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle and help promote better sleep at night. However, if you don’t fall asleep within about 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing, such as reading a book. Go back to bed when you begin to feel tired. Try not to agonize over falling asleep or you might find it even tougher to nod off.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Pay close attention to what you eat and drink<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Most times you won\u2019t give it much thought, but don\u2019t go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Both might cause discomfort that keeps you awake. In addition, limit how much liquid you consume before bed, to prevent sleep disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom.<\/p>\n

      Avoid nicotine, caffeine and alcohol. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine can take several hours to wear off to the point they can ruin a quality sleep. And, while alcohol might make you feel relaxed and sleepy at first, you can expect it to disrupt your sleep later in the night.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Create a bedtime routine<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        In other words, do the same things each night so your body knows it\u2019s time to wind down. Relaxing activity, such as taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music, preferably with the lights dimmed can help promote better sleep by easing the transition between a state of wakefulness and one of drowsiness.<\/p>\n

        Using the TV, especially watching the late night news, or other electronic devices as part of your bedtime ritual can have an adverse effect. In fact, some research suggests that screen time or other media use before bedtime interferes with sleep.<\/p>\n

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        1. Get comfortable<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Create a room and atmosphere that are ideal for sleeping. That usually means keeping things cool, dark and quite. Room-darkening shades that block light, earplugs, and a fan or other device to produce white noise can be quite helpful.<\/p>\n

          Don\u2019t overlook your mattress and pillows as a reason for your lack of sleep. They should contribute to you getting a good night\u2019s slumber, not keeping you awake. When it comes to bedding, choose what feels most comfortable to you. And, if you share a bed, make sure there’s enough room for two. So, resist letting children or pets sleep with you \u2013 and you\u2019ll have a better chance of sleeping through the night.<\/p>\n

          We promised you 7 Steps to a Better Sleep<\/strong> and we\u2019ll deliver on that promise next week. Just stay tuned for Part II \u2013 and the final 3 steps to a better sleep.<\/p>\n

          In the meantime, don\u2019t neglect your health. Whether you call it Obamacare or Affordable Care Act, health coverage is more affordable than you think. And, now \u2013 in case you haven\u2019t heard \u2013 there\u2019s a penalty for not having health insurance. So, why not start thinking about protecting yourself and your family before the next enrollment period by getting the best health insurance quotes<\/a> today?<\/p>\n

          Are you prone to having trouble falling asleep? Did you find these tips helpful? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          More often than not, our busy, stressful days tend to become endless nightly marathons of tossing and turning. And, as you\u2019ve probably discovered, counting sheep rarely proves successful. So, you may want to pay extra attention to your health insurance, because lack of sleep could affect your well-being. That\u2019s why you may also want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[309,306],"tags":[231,53,232],"importance":[],"type-content":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14600"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14600"},{"taxonomy":"importance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/importance?post=14600"},{"taxonomy":"type-content","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.freeway.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/type-content?post=14600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}