Woman with red hair sleeping in bed with white sheets.

Tips to Fall Asleep When Restless

Trying to fall asleep and being unable to is a frustrating feeling. Tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable sleep position can sometimes just make it worse. Luckily, there are some things that you can do to help yourself get to sleep and have a restful night.

Sleep in a Cooler Environment

One of the easiest ways to get yourself to fall asleep faster is to turn the room’s temperature down a bit. Studies have shown that cooler temperatures allow us to fall asleep faster and to sleep more deeply.

The reason this works is thought to be that our body temperature tends to naturally drop as our circadian rhythms get close to the sleep phase. This temperature drop tends to remain lower until a few hours before your typical wake up time.

Calm Your Mind and Focus on Breathing

Your breathing patterns have an impact on your autonomic nervous system. This system regulates your heart rate, motivation levels, muscle tension, and other aspects of excitement or relaxation.

When you breathe shallow and rapid breaths, you might experience a sense of anxiety. On the contrary, when you breathe slowly and deeply, you can experience feelings of calmness. When you lay down at night, try to focus on taking slow, deep breaths.

Upgrade Your Mattress

While a mattress upgrade can be an expensive solution to this problem, it might make a huge difference in your sleep patterns. It is a good idea to go to a store to get a feel for different mattress types. Everyone is different, so there is no perfect mattress that fits everyone’s needs. Test out some mattresses to see if a firmer (or softer) mattress might be best for you.

Tharros House is a sober living community that helps its residents continue to live a restful, sober lifestyle. If you are interested in learning more, reach out to us today.

Woman in pink exercise gear stretching her arm.

How Can I Listen to What My Body is Telling Me About My Health?

If you pay close attention, you can catch certain signs about your health by listening to cues from your body.

One thing to keep in mind is that every person is different, so it is essential to learn your own body cues. Various health indicators can show up in different ways from person to person.

How to Listen to Health Cues from Your Body

The first way to make sure that you are ready to listen to your body’s cues about your health is to make sure that you know what is normal for you.

To get used to your baseline health indicators, you can keep a journal of how you are feeling daily. You don’t have to limit yourself to writing down just physical changes—tracking your emotions and mental health is beneficial, too.

There are many apps out there that you can use to log how you are feeling each day. Of course, writing things down in a notebook or journal works too.

By tracking your health and any changes each day, over time, you will have a good understanding of your general health and well-being, and you will be able to notice small changes that could be significant.

If you notice something unusual, consider doing a little research to clarify or isolate your concerns. While online research is certainly not a substitute for medical care, it can give you a little more clarity on the topic and allow you to explain your concerns to your doctor better.

Listening to your body and paying attention to any changes is crucial for your health, especially as you move forward in your sobriety journey.

A sober living home facility can be beneficial in many ways. If you are interested in learning more about this option, contact us today at Tharros House.