Pro Tips to Improve Your Sleep

Details of a Good Approach to Better Sleep

Good sleep requires good planning. You can’t sleep for 7 ½ hours if you only plan to be in bed for 7 hours. In fact, you really need to plan to be in bed for about an hour longer than you want to sleep, because on average, you spend about 1 hour at night awake in bed. Typically it takes 10 to 20 minutes just to fall asleep and even normal sleepers tend to awaken up to 5 times a night and many of us awaken more often than that. The time spent in awakenings is generally longer than we are aware of – typically 30 to 60 minutes. Being asleep for a solid 7+ hours will make you feel more awake and refreshed, clear-headed, and in general improve your health. Regularly sleeping less than 6 hours substantially increases your risk of illness and definitely decreases your quality of life. Plan for a good night’s sleep. Plan to be in bed for 8+ hours, so that you can derive the maximum benefit from the system.

Your brain and body are synchronized to an internal clock called your circadian rhythm, which is approximately 24 hours. Respecting this internal clock will improve your sleep. This means going to bed at about the same time each night, so that your body knows when to get tired and sleep and when to wake up. It also means to go to bed at a reasonable time, which is generally earlier than most of us retire. Since our most important stage of sleep, Delta sleep, occurs early during the night, going to bed a bit earlier makes it more likely to have more Delta sleep. This is vital, as Delta sleep does so much to improve the rest of our night’s sleep. For instance, the more Delta sleep you get, the more likely it is that you will sleep longer and have fewer awakenings. Many substantial benefits are derived from Delta sleep, which unfortunately, we lose as we age. Fortunately, the SOLTEC•HEALTH system, promotes restoration of Delta sleep, even after we have lost it, but to fully take advantage of that, you need to go to sleep at a reasonable time. Respect your internal clock, which tells the system what you need and when you need it.

Obviously, getting to sleep is important. Staying asleep is just as important. Since awakening at night is extremely common and for many of us, unavoidable, it is extremely important to know how to fall back to sleep. SOLTEC•HEALTH can play a big role in helping with this process, as it creates frequencies which promote deep relaxation. However, during this process, there is one really big issue to avoid. And that is thinking, which often leads to worrying. Once that happens, it is far more difficult to fall back to sleep. A simple trick to prevent you from thinking is to feel. After you realize you are awake, direct your attention to your body and feel it, particularly your hands and feet. Often you will feel a subtle vibration. Allow yourself to feel that and let the system relax you back to sleep. Just let it happen.

The first 3 tips; how long to be in bed, when to go to bed, and how to fall back to sleep after an awakening, all relate to nighttime activities. The 4th tip is a daytime activity that can significantly improve nighttime sleep. It’s exercise, another way to further increase Delta sleep, especially after you’ve been using the SOLTEC•HEALTH system and have begun to restore Delta sleep. As mentioned, Delta sleep is the most important stage of sleep because during Delta sleep, 80% of your growth hormone is secreted, bone repair and cellular regeneration occur, your immune system is brought into greater balance, β-amyloid plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease is removed from nerve cells, and even DNA repair occurs. Furthermore, Delta sleep during the first half of the night, helps prevent awakenings and assists in promoting longer sleep, which means you are more likely to have more normal REM (dream) sleep too, as dream sleep occurs predominantly in the last half of the night. This aids in memory formation and emotional health. Needless to say, exercising in conjunction with the use of the system to promote more Delta sleep, is of great value.

These 4 tips, used in conjunction with the system, will substantially change your sleep dynamics, which you will see reflected in your sleep scores. However, if you follow these tips, you will notice something that you may not have anticipated. Your body will rather forcefully tell you when it is time to go to sleep. Many of us recognize this when we start falling asleep on the couch before going to bed. So, here is a 5th tip to avoid this problem. After you have learned what time is best for you to get in bed and go to sleep, prepare for sleep 30 minutes in advance. Do all of the activities you normally do when you get ready for sleep, but do them 30 minutes in advance, so that when your body tells you it’s time to sleep, you can simply get into bed and sleep.

Following these tips will substantially improve your sleep and the quality of your life. Enjoy.