Lights Out for Better Sleep

Besides allowing us to see, our eyes help keep our body clock in tune by sensing the time of day and allowing our bodies to adjust themselves accordingly. Our circadian clocks govern our sleepiness, and circadian clocks are extremely responsive to – and even dependent on – environmental light. Electric lighting prevents us getting a good night's sleep because it gives us a "second wind" before bedtime when our body clocks should be winding down.

Managing your exposure to light, especially the blue light from television, computer, and tablet screens, throughout the day and night can help you get to sleep at a normal time. Here are several things you can do to get your body ready for a good night's sleep:

Eat by Candle Light

Dining by candle light in’t just romantic. It actually promotes better sleep. Ditching all artificial lighting after dark (including computers and TV) in favor of candles can make an enormous difference in your sleep. This is probably because fire, especially the tiny flames lighting up a candle, emits little to no blue light.

Read Before Bed

Instead of reaching for the laptop or the TV remote, why not grab a book? For one, the blue light streaming from the laptop or LCD screen suppresses your natural melatonin production, and secondly, reading is a relaxing activity that still requires the active engagement of your mind. Working your brain can be tiring, while watching something is usually just passive.

Lights Out

Sleeping in total darkness is best. That means turning off the blinking DVR, using a towel to block the light streaming in under the door, covering any visible LED lights, and drawing the blinds. If these aren’t doable, think about wearing an sleep mask. You may find that such drastic measures aren’t totally necessary, but they're definitely worth pursuing if you feel your sleep is suffering.

You can either work with your body or against it. Trying to go straight from bright lights, especially blue light, to sleep is working against your body's natural rhythms. On the other hand, gradually cutting back on artificial lighting after dark works with the way your body is evolved to function and leads to better sleep.

Finally, there is a way to get rid of tiredness and start living a full and energetic life that doesn't depend on drugs, stimulants, or expensive treatments. Instead, you'll learn some simple and easy-to-understand information, apply it, and then start fighting tiredness the natural way. To find out how to end tiredness once and for all, click here.