Heard of the Caveman Diet? Now here’s the Caveman Sleep Regimen: Get lots of sunshine (or vitamin D3) in the daytime and lots of dark, as in no light, when going to bed.
That may be simplifying matters, but in the cave days — with no incandescent light bulbs and maybe just the glow of a fire to warm you — it was pretty easy to let the body take over and lull you to sleep, provided no wild creatures were after you.
In contrast, in our modern society with light and sound blaring at us almost 24/7, the caveman facility to sleep has been compromised, although the wild creatures have been kept mostly at bay.
In short, we often are our own worst enemies when it comes to getting proper sleep. We take our work — and our daily stresses — home with us, checking emails and working on laptops, cells or tablets late into the night, or leaving the television on to blare at us and make for a noisy environment.
This 24/7 propensity to achieve and enjoy ourselves nonstop in daily life works against our natural instincts to arise when the sun comes up and retire when the sun goes down. As a result, at least one-third to one-half of all Americans report problems with sleeping. The others maybe aren’t being truthful, or they’re just smart and/or lucky enough to be able to sleep properly.
All that being said, what are the keys to a good night’s sleep?
First, of course, is to observe nature’s ways. Get lots of sunshine in the day and maintain a darkened room when going to bed. The other keys involve our life-style choices. As mentioned above, forget the electronic tools and toys that we’ve become accustomed to — even hooked on. At least, avoid them well before retiring. Keep your bedroom free of all such influences.
Also, avoid heavy meals, alcohol, caffeine and nictone hours before retiring. You don’t want to go to bed hungry, but you also don’t want to stuff yourself too closely to retiring. Likewise, nicotine and caffeine are stimulants, while alcohol, though a soporific, leads to poor quality sleep.
Your choices in life will definitely influence how well — or how poorly — you sleep at night, and sleeping well seven to eight hours a night is what your body requires. If you try these approaches and still have problems sleeping, it’s time to seek professional help, just as you would if you fell ill. Sound sleep is essential to everything we do in life.
