A Good Night's Rest
We at the SF Neurofeedback Center are big defenders of sleep. We know a good night's sleep directly affects your energy leves, your humor and you general health. Besides recharging your brain, sleeping helps us absorb new skills acquired doing that day and save fresh memories. Deprivation of sleep can affect your production of insulin (which can deregulate the sugar levels in your blood), weaken your immune system and have a significant effect on your mental health.
Sleep is a big part of our lives, but sometimes it is hard to keep be disciplined about our sleep in today's busy world. Here are a couple of tips on how to have a better sleep:
Try to take more sunlight during the day. Exposure to bright light will help regulate your body clock and tell your body when it's time to rest.
Don't consume caffeine later in the day. Seems pretty obvious, but it's also important to keep in mind that the substance can stay elevated in your blood stream to 6—8 hours!
Try to have some consistency in your schedule. This one if a tough one, but trying to go to bed and waking up at regular times throughout the week can have a direct impact on the quality of your sleep.
Create the proper environment. Sleep generally depends on three factors: sound, temperature and light. Try to optimize these three for the best sleep environment.
Get plenty of exercise! Getting your body tired is an important part of sleeping well — just make sure you don't do it too late in the day, as this tends to have the opposite effect.