Peoplehave tried everything to get more sleep. But unlike almost every other area oflife, effort is not rewarded. The more you try, the less you are likely to succeed. Here are some ways to improve your sleep that might just work.
There is nothing you can do between now and bedtime to guarantee that you will sleep tonight. There is, however, plenty you can start doing to improve yourchances of sleeping well next month. So instead of worrying about the night ahead, make sleeping well a long term goal and expect to see progress in a few weeks rather than tomorrow.
Have a late night. Adults need to be awake for at least 16 hours to generate enoughsleepdrive to sleep for eight hours at night. Having an early night can meanyou won't be sleepy enough to fall asleep quickly and easily. Don't pay too much attention to the exact times or the hours of sleep you are getting—the details don't matter. And don't take naps(小睡) in the day.
Smile more. Smiling can reduce tension and promote relaxation. As you turn the light out at night, try to think of something funny and smile to yourself in the dark. Even a fake smile is enough to send a message to the brain to change your mood and retrain the brain to be comfortable with being awake, thus reducing tension and allowing sleep to follow.
Stop reading articles about sleep. None of the researching, monitoring or analyzing actually leads to better sleep. In fact, constantly looking for a solution is undoubtedly making things worse. Make this the last article you read on the subject, then go and find something more interesting to think about.
A. Try to stay awake at night.
B. In fact, it is actively punished.
C. Give up trying to sleep tonight.
D. So give sleep less of your attention.
E. They take the edge off your appetite for sleep.
F. It doesn't have to be a genuine, heartfelt smile.
G. You have to do things differently to get a different outcome.
