It’s only natural to sit and rock a baby to sleep, but did you know that your body doesn’t appear to outgrow the sleep-inducing nature of rocking? BGR reports that adults sleep better when they’re rocked like babies, as evidenced by a study performed with specially constructed beds that rock adults. Findings show that the benefits of rocking while sleeping include deeper sleep, waking up less and improved memory.
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Short of buying a full-wave water bed (which was popular in the ‘80s) there really isn’t an option right now for beds that rock you to sleep beyond those in sleep research labs. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to improve your sleep and, hopefully, fall to sleep like a baby. You can begin by paying attention to your body’s own circadian rhythm.
The key to this is paying attention to and honoring ancient patterns of waking, sleeping and eating. By doing that, your body more or less takes care of itself automatically. Part of that includes working with the natural cycle of light in your life, as opposed to working against it.
This means getting bright outdoor light exposure for a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes a day, ideally at solar noon. In terms of light intensity, outdoor light is far more intense than indoor light, so don’t be fooled by the idea that a special lamp or other appliance is a substitute for the sun.
In the evening, avoid the blue light wavelength. This can be done by using blue-blocking light bulbs, dimming your lights and, if using a computer, installing a blue light-blocking software.
This is useful information indeed, as this means that even just going outside for half an hour at lunch time can provide you with the majority of anchoring light you need to maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.
Next, getting a good night’s sleep also means understanding that your sleep requirements change across your lifespan. Most infants will sleep a good percentage of the day. By adulthood, the amount of sleep typically settles somewhere around seven to nine hours.
Other ways to improve your sleep include such thing as: Shutting down your Wi-Fi at night
Moving alarm clocks and other electrical devices away from your bed
Sleeping in complete darkness or as close to it as possible
Keeping the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 degrees F
Getting rid of sound pollution that can keep you from sleeping soundly
Go to bed between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Those are just a few suggestions, but the bottom line is it’s challenging to get the sleep you need in the modern world. To get the sleep that helps keep you healthy and performing at your best, learn the fundamental components of good sleep, maintain smart light rhythms day by day, and engage with the right tools to keep you mindful of your daily sleep practice.
Sleep is hugely important in our health and these are some of the cutting-edge but practical techniques to help you get the best sleep possible.