Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep

Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep
Take charge of getting good quality sleep by incorporating good nutrition and a healthy environment for sleep. (The Epoch Times)
4/13/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/1_2353.jpg" alt="Take charge of getting good quality sleep by incorporating good nutrition and a healthy environment for sleep.  (The Epoch Times)" title="Take charge of getting good quality sleep by incorporating good nutrition and a healthy environment for sleep.  (The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1821102"/></a>
Take charge of getting good quality sleep by incorporating good nutrition and a healthy environment for sleep.  (The Epoch Times)

Poor sleeping patterns are caused by a number of different things such as stress, too much external noise, poor health, and an unbalanced body. To combat poor sleeping patterns, one needs to work on being able to let anxiety and emotional distraught go, create a good environment for restfulness, work on the ability to relax, and eat foods that offer the right nutrition.

To create a good sleep environment, make sure that you are able to keep you room dark, neither too cool nor too hot, clean, and quiet. Avoid watching television right before bed, as this will make it more challenging to fall into a restful slumber. Instead, take some time to meditate, breath deeply in a relaxing manner, or practice some light stretches before retiring to bed.

Be sure to be exposed to some bright light during daytime hours because it is known to be the most powerful regulator of our biological clock. Outdoor light, sunny or cloudy, is considered the brightest and most effective light for this. If you wake up at night, still try to avoid light.

Keep a pen and pad next to your bedside if you have the tendency to wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep. Write down anything that may be weighing on your mind and think of a time the following day when you’ll be able to address it. Then let it go.

Plan an ideal bed and wake time. Setting this pattern helps reinforce a good nights sleep because our body gets used to the routine.

Nutritionally, there are five fruits known for their sedative powers. They are apples, kiwi, jujube, grapes, and mulberries.

An apple’s full-bodied aroma has a very strong sedative and hypnotic effect. They are rich in vitamin B, vitamin C, potassium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, and calcium.

Kiwi fruit is rich in magnesium, vitamin C, and calcium. This nutrient combination stabilizes emotion and inhibits sympathetic nerve activity. A recent study shows that eating two kiwi fruit every day will improve the quality of one’s sleep by 40 percent.

Jujube is a blood tonic herb used in Chinese medicine. It calms the spirit and tonifies the spleen and stomach.

Jujube contains protein, sugar, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other beneficial nutrients.
Recent studies performed in Italy have confirmed that melatonin, which can be found in grape skins, improves sleep quality. Experts also speculate that melatonin levels in wine might be increased as an effect of its interactions with the antioxidants and alcohol wine contains.

Mulberry can be used for treating insomnia, according to Chinese medicine. Other health benefits of the mulberry include nourishing blood, sharpening vision, and quenching one’ thirst. It also assists vital energy and eliminates excessive fluids.

Editor’s note: Before taking any herbal treatment, please consult your physician. Due to documented presence of heavy metals in herbs coming from China, it is recommended that the reader avoid consuming herbs grown in China.

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