Revive Root

Revive - Recharge yourself with resources for sleeping well, taking time off and unwinding

In a journal written by the Environmental Research and Public Health body, it is reported good sleep guarantees mental health and wellbeing. Furthermore, stress and sleep deprivation are associated with an increase in cardiovascular risk factors in individuals who don’t exercise. Its proven that resting boosts your immune system, sharpens your mind and recharges your body. 

The recommended number of hours sleep a night for adults is between 7 and 9 hours. So how can you rest your mind, get the sleep you deserve and wake up feeling refreshed?

Here are some top tips from Thrive Global

• Take a hot bath. This is proven to induce relaxation and encourage a good night’s sleep.
• Try a wind down routine, maybe some meditation or deep breathing exercises, what ever makes you feel relaxed.
• Switch off those devices at least an hour before bed.
• Have a regular sleep routine and stick to it.
• Think about your surroundings. A comfortable bed and relaxing bedroom can make all the difference
• Open the window! In a study from 2015, lower levels of CO2 in the bedroom led to better sleep and improved performance the next day. 

Do you struggle with racing thoughts at night which stop you getting to sleep?

According to an article by Thrive Global

That voice is more vocal at night, according to Fiona Barwick, Ph.D., director of the Sleep & Circadian Health Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine’s Sleep Medicine Center, “because that’s when our emotional brain, with its negativity bias, gets unleashed, and our executive brain, which regulates our emotions and imposes reason, is offline.”

“It’s normal for adults to wake up several times during the night. But what wakes us up is not what keeps us up. What keeps us lying awake is our stress response — the fight-or-flight instinct that gets triggered when our ‘obnoxious roommate’ won’t keep quiet,”

How do you calm your mind at night?

A worry list

Simply keep a piece of paper and pen at the side of your bed. Before you sleep write down your thoughts and worries. This way you remove them from your mind and onto paper, helping to clear your head to get to sleep. 

A gratitude journal

Before you go to bed write down 3 things in your life that are good or that you are grateful for, this could be anything at all. Gratitude is proven to induce a positive mental state helping you to fall asleep more easily. Research shows as little as two minutes of gratitude practice can help improve your mood. 

 Learn to unwind with meditation and mindfulness techniques

Mindfulness and meditation are great as part of your wind down routine helping to relieve stress that has built up during the day.

 Don’t go to bed too early

Are you a night owl? Some people naturally feel sleepy later than others. If you go to bed too early you might find yourself lying awake. If so, get up and distract yourself for 20 minutes, try to find your own routine. If you do find yourself lying awake try the 4-7-8 breathing technique recommended by  MySleep30

• Close your mouth
• Inhale for the count of four
• Hold your breath for a count of seven
• Exhale forcefully through your mouth (tongue against teeth) for a count of eight
• Repeat

It’s a little weird at first, but then it gets easy: 4. 7. 8.   4. 7. 8.   4. 7. 8. Repeat the cycle three more times, if you can. You might fall asleep in the middle of . . .

Ready for a break now?!

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