Be Healthy and Relax » Sleep

Relieve Stress With Relaxation Therapy

Matt Wolfe — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:09:45 +0000

Sharon Bell asked:

The twenty-first century can be defined as the age of stress. It seems ironic that with all the modern amenities and technologies that science has come up with, life for most people still revolves around a rat race. Stress has taken its toll on the emotional and physical aspects of so many lives. Indeed, one can never avoid stress, what can best be done is to learn how to cope with the difficulties that stress can bring.

Relaxation therapy aims to produce a tranquil and well-rested state of both your mind and body. This therapeutic technique can be effective in relieving the tension and stress that you get from everyday work and family life. And since stress has been identified as one of the underlying causes of a large number of deadly diseases, relaxation therapy can be used to prevent and treat these ailments.

Ways To Achieve Relaxation

There are various ways of attaining a significant level of relaxation. You can start your regimen by learning proper breathing exercises; this will balance and smoothen the flow of blood in your nervous system. Proper breathing will allow you to absorb much needed oxygen-rich air, a requisite for efficient functioning of all your body parts.

Next, you can also try using mantras. Yes, it may sound preposterous to you, but many experts on relaxation response techniques employ rhythmic and soothing words or phrases which are seemingly meaningless. These words, or mantra, are repeated over and over again and are thought to help adjust and coordinate the activities of the neurotransmitters found in the brain; in effect, allowing you to have that calm and relaxed state of mind.

Progressive muscle relaxation is another means of attaining therapy through a systematic technique of constricting and relaxing certain muscle groups in your body. With enough practice, you will be able to differentiate between the feelings of a tensed and a relaxed muscle. With this you can easily prevail upon your muscles to relax at the first signs of stress and tension.

Indeed, the power of the mind is crucial in fighting off stress. Mindfulness is another technique which is basically characterized by accepting the things and the circumstances that are happening to your life at the moment. Mastering this technique will allow you to be content and happy with your life; in so doing, you disallow stress and tension to take the better of you. To exercise mindfulness, you simply find a quiet place and then get in touch with your inner self while sitting or lying down.

Finally, apart from these self administered relaxation techniques, you can also try more active methods like tai chi or yoga to stretch all the knotted veins and muscles in your body. This will result to better blood circulation and a more relaxed mindset.

When you start to practice any relaxation therapy technique, you must make it a point to abstain from most of the worldly distractions that surround you. Your plasma TV and your blaring sound system just don’t agree with any concept of relaxation, so ditch them for a while.

Benefits Of Relaxation

Attaining a relaxed state of mind and body will enable you to fight off the diseases linked to stress. High-blood pressure, hypertension, digestive tract ailments, and even skin allergies can be dealt with if only you can beat the stress out of your system.

Another disorder that relaxation can defeat is insomnia or lack of sleep; this disorder may sound incomplex but the truth is that inability to sleep can bring about serious illnesses like depression, heart ailments, and even mental disorders. To reach that deep quality sleep that you have always wanted, you can help your system by taking products like Sedamine. For more details about this product, visit http://Sedamine.com/

The Truth About Abs

Relaxation Techniques for Sleeping

Matt Wolfe — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:00:07 +0000

Tina Druv asked:

You are not alone in suffering with sleep problems—nor are you alone in seeking solutions.

Relaxing is not the same as sleeping. Many people sleep without being very relaxed, and although relaxing can lead one to yawn or feel sleepy, it need not lead to sleep.

Learning Relaxation techniques for sleeping can certainly help you to get to sleep more easily, and then to sleep more restfully.

Sleep is a vital part of life: muscle tissues are repaired and growth hormones are secreted during sleep, and you have better muscle tone and coordination when well rested. Sleep bolsters the immune system, and the molecules that provide mental energy for thinking and creating are restored during sleep.

Did you know?

Insomnia now affects over half of all adults.

Relaxation techniques for sleeping have been proven to be effective for insomnia.

These techniques improve sleep by producing brain wave patterns that are similar to the early stages of sleep.

One popular non-drug treatment for insomnia is relaxation techniques. The use of these Relaxation techniques for sleeping is based on the fact that individuals who suffer from insomnia exhibit elevated brain arousal that is associated with excessive mental activity during the night

Although meditation and relaxation techniques are widely used to treat a variety of health problems (including hypertension, headaches, anxiety, and irritable bowel syndrome) and have also been used successfully to treat insomnia, it has been presumed that these techniques work.

Dozens of scientific studies have proven that the Relaxation techniques for sleeping is an effective treatment for insomnia.

For a sample relaxation technique, try this simple exercise:

Sleeping with the window open will help the air to circulate in your bedroom and fill your lungs with fresh air. Relaxation techniques will help your body to wind down and prepare for the sleep cycle.

1.Take a deep breath.

2.Breathe in through your nose and visualize the air moving down to your stomach.

3.As you breathe in again silently count to four.

4.Purse your lips as you exhale slowly.

5.This time count silently to eight.

6.Repeat this process six to ten times.

Uses for progressive relaxation techniques has been effective in the treatment of muscular tension, anxiety, insomnia, depression, fatigue, irritable bowel, muscle spasms, neck and back pain, high blood pressure, mild phobias, and stuttering.

Progressive relaxation can be practiced while lying on your back or sitting in a chair with your head supported.

By practicing 15-20 minutes a day or several mini sessions of five minutes each, a person generally gains relative mastery in about two weeks.

Relaxation Techniques For Teenagers

Help teens get the sleep they need Most teens require at least nine hours of sleep but get much, much less.

To sleep well, a teen needs to be at ease…both physically and emotionally. If a tenn learns to soothe himself and is able to calm his body and mind, he will be able to thrive, even in the toughest of times.

Relaxation techniques appear to help teenagers fight off frequent migraines or tension headaches.

Teenagers, like adults, may experience stress everyday and can benefit from learning stress management skills. Most teens experience more stress when they perceive a situation as dangerous, difficult, or painful and they do not have the resources to cope.

Helping our teenagers to get adequate sleep is a daunting task, but there are things that you can do to help.

For a sample relaxation technique, try this

Stress the importance of a consistent bedtime.

Help teens to learn relaxation techniques in order to unwind and signal the body that it’s time for sleep. Encourage them to practice creative visualisation and progressive relaxation techniques. Putting their thoughts and worries in a journal often helps them to put their problems to rest, enabling them to sleep.

Have them turn off all electronic equipment (including phones) at least an hour before bed.

Discourage them from drinking caffeinated drinks in the afternoon and evening.

Encourage regular exercise, especially outside in the morning. (Morning sunshine can help to reset the internal clock.)

Although teens are likely to sleep in on the weekend, don’t let them sleep in for more than a total of two hours over the entire weekend.

Simulate the dawn by opening the curtains and turning on the lights an hour before your teen needs to get up.

And don’t forget to warn them about the dangers of driving while drowsy!

The Fat Burning Furnace

Cure Insomnia – Relaxation

Matt Wolfe — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 03:17:11 +0000

gladys906 asked:

Insomnia cures by relaxation have been popular since before man invented fire. We can trace them back, certainly in the case of China, for many thousands of years. It has only been in the last few years that we have been able to confirm the efficiency or otherwise of the Insomnia cure by relaxation.

Insomnia itself is a pernicious affliction bringing with it misery and despondancy. Many sufferers of Insomnia and other sleep disorders lay there night after night staring into the dark checking the alarm clock every five minutes and worring about the effects of sleep loss on their performance during the coming day. Getting more and more tense and finding relaxation ever more difficult.

How can we use relaxation to help to cure insomnia? One of the first stops for the sufferer looking to cure Insomnia by relaxation or any other way is the doctors surgery. This is an excellent idea as a physical checkup will reveal wether or not there is a physical reason for the Insomnia or just the need to relax. The drawback is that if the doctor finds no physical reason for the Insomnia he is likely to reach for his prescription pad.

The drawbacks here are well known. Unbeliveably simply to cure insomnia you could also suffer addiction, morning headaches, daytime fatigue, personality changes, memory impairment, impaired concentration, poor judgment, mood disturbances, and in extreme cases irregular heartbeat, and high blood pressure. The list goes on and on. A safer insomnia cure may well lie in the direction of lerning relaxation, a more natural remedy.

This is the reason why drug companies can afford large scale advertising such as TV ads and big internet ad campaigns. They know if they can get a hold of you once, they will trap you and continue to make money off of you for years to come. Their mission is to program you. Whenever you have sleep problems, they want you to think about their products.

Used to cure insomnia and many other ailments for thousands of years relaxation rechniques are becoming more and more popular with main stream health care professionals to cure insomnia. As a cure for insomnia you need to practice relaxation regularly , notice the experience of the sounds of the simple things in life.

Look into what causes your need for relaxation. When you discover the ways you create stress, you can look for ways you to relax and avoid these stress creators.

Plan to cure your insomnia – You need to consider the timing of your relaxation. It should be daily. Perhaps a weekend is better suited to a night out so that you don’t have to wake early the next morning for work or during the night for the bathroom.

Try relaxing music. Keep your favorite relaxation CD at the office, in the car, or wherever you’ll need it most. Certainly by the bedside.

Walk a while. If you have at least ten minutes to spare, walking is one of the best relaxation techniques. I have a dog and we walk as often as we can. Pounding the streets or woodland paths is an excellent way of getting rid of frustrations, relaxing, and ultimately, when gently tired, I can can think much more productively.

Exercise – Find a form of exercise you will enjoy – yoga and tai chi are great for relaxation. Schedule in relaxation time every day – This could be for as little as 30 minutes a day or one hour away from the office during lunch time.

Get into yoga. This type of exercise puts an emphasis on relaxation and breath control. Could have been designed to cure insomnia by relaxation. Practise this at least twice a day, perhaps on waking and when you go to bed. This will train your unconscious mind to be able to quickly take you into abdominal breathing and hence relaxation.

A massage is also a great way to relieve stress from the body and ease insomnia. Its great fun and as long as its not your partner doing it :) It’s very conducive to relaxation.

I will make a bold promise to you right off the bat: I will change the way you think about sleep forever.

Fat Loss For Idiots

Techniques For Better Sleep

Joe Fier — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:14 +0000

Does trouble falling asleep, or tossing and turning in the middle of the night describe you? How about waking too early or finding yourself dull in the morning?

… Don’t you worry as you are not alone: millions of people fight problems of falling and staying asleep.

By improving your daytime habits and generating a better sleep environment, you can set the stage for good sleep. Making a good bedtime routine or avoiding common pitfalls by making simple changes can bring you consistently better sleep. Here are some techniques:

You should exercise during the daytime. Regular exercise is not only good for health, but it also makes it easier to fall asleep and sleep better. If you don’t like exercising, go for a 15 minutes walk before you go to sleep.

Some people can take a short nap and still sleep well at night. But, if you are having trouble sleeping at night, try to eliminate napping. If you must nap, don’t take long naps (over 30 minutes) during the day.

Digestion takes away a tremendous portion of our available energy. What you eat makes a tremendous difference in how much energy you have and how much you need to sleep at night. The easiest foods to digest are fruits and vegetables. Include fruits, vegetables and nuts in your diet to improve your digestion system. Also avoid heavy fatty meals late at night. Fatty food takes a very long time to digest and takes up lots of our available energy.

You might be shocked to know that caffeine can cause sleep problems even up to ten to twelve hours after drinking it. Don’t drink coffee, tea or any other stimulants within 6 hours of bed time.

Before going to sleep do not watch TV in the bed. Read a book, take a bath… do something relaxing or tire yourself.

Do not drink much of liquids before sleep; it may result in frequent bathroom trips throughout the night.

There should be fresh air in the room (open the windows or get an air refresher).

If you can, maintain the room temperature. Most people sleep best in a slightly cooler room.

Do not eat at least two hours before going to bed.

Avoid the things that may cause worry or anxiety. Try to make the time before sleep a time of peace and quiet.

Avoid the intake of alcohol, it may make you fall asleep faster but it reduces your overall sleep quality.

Try to maintain a regular bedtime schedule, including weekends.

Relaxing techniques like meditation before sleep can also be very helpful.

Start following these simple tips and within one or two weeks you will feel how your sleep starts improving.

Simple Methods To Sleep Easier

Joe Fier — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:30:25 +0000

Do you often spend far beyond too much time trying to fall asleep? Or, are you never fully calm as you lay in your bed, waiting for those Zzz’s to come?

Many people experience this same sort of problem each and every night. Not being able to fully feel comfortable in bed can be a result of various things. More often than not, stress and anxieties in our lives is what stops us from feeling at peace in the one definite spot that we should. As we get into bed, many think about the problems they’ve experienced over the day, or the list of to-do’s that are needed to be done the next day. Check out what I had to say about keeping stress and work out of your bed from my guest post on DietHack. As our minds travel at a million miles per hour when we’re anxious and stressed, the rest of our body also feels the same tension, if not more. It’s not often realized, but during this time our muscles tense up beyond belief all night long when we feel like this. The end result of this is waking up in the morning feeling very tired and even more stressed throughout the day. Try some of these simple methods to help ease your body when it comes to getting some solid shut-eye…

It’s all in the breathing

When laying down into bed, focus on taking few, but deep and pleasant breaths. Breathe in through your nose, while holding it in for a bit, and then exhaling slowly out of your mouth. While doing this, focus on the slightly cool air passing through your nose, and then the warmer air smoothly rolling out of your mouth. Steve at Brip Blap has a great article that further explains this breathing process, with a slightly different spin. After fully focusing on these deep and slow breaths, you should feel much more eased and grounded. Just as you would take these types of breaths before a speech or any other type nervous situation, they will help settle your nerves and calm your body.

Never forget body control

As you are doing your slow and deep breaths, also take this time to focus on the various muscles all throughout your body. First, begin by thinking of the muscles that make up the face and head region. With a breath in, concentrate on tightening and then relaxing the muscles in your face, tongue, neck, and jaw. After focusing on each of these single muscle groups, exhale, letting go of the deep breath that was within. Continue with this technique throughout the rest of your body, starting from the top and all the way down. Work to tense the muscles and then slowly letting them go to a relaxed position. After extending this exercise to your fingertips and toes, continue the process by adding positive thoughts and surroundings to help put your mind and body at peace.

Remembering how to sleep

To help enhance what you have already done to ease your body, begin to think of the times you’ve had your best night’s sleep. These could be times from your childhood, with your partner you love, or from a vacation spot that was far beyond relaxing. As we spend our times trying to slip into slumber, we often feel even more anxious because of the time that it takes. Use these previous images and memories as anchors to ease the fear of insomnia. While putting the first two steps together, your body should feel much more at home with itself, with the least amount of worry. If you ever feel even the slightest twinge of worry or anxiety enter your mind, quickly erase it with these positive and soothing thoughts from the past.

Watch the food and drinks

Having the proper type and amount of food in you as you go to bed is equally important. It’s never a good thing to go to bed hungry, so that’s beyond the most important tip here. More often than not, the reason why we go to bed with a slight hunger is because we ate an early dinner and then skipped a midevening snack. Without eating this small night snack, our blood sugar level drops and sparks anxiety. Many times this can happen in the middle of the night when your body feels the most hungry, so you will find yourself awakening from sleep. As not every type of food is the best before sleep, try focusing on these simple types:

A serving of fresh fruit, such as an apple or orange.
A low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese.
Any high-carbohydrate, high-protein favorite.

These foods will help relax your mind and body before even entering bed. Your emotions will calm and your whole state of mind will become much more mellow. Although, along with these foods, we must keep in mind of the foods that we would better not have right before jumping into bed:

Any coffee, tea, or other caffeinated beverages within 4-5 hours before bedtime.
Any alcoholic drinks within 3-4 hours. We might think that alcohol helps slow the mind, but as it does this, it also throws off our normal brain-pattern of sleep. This can result in frequent awakenings in the middle of the night with difficulties in getting back to sleep.

On a side note…

I have been very fortunate to be included in three very well-informing help carnivals this week. Please visit each one and read what the many others have to say.

Photo credit: hamed

How A Visit To The Sauna Could Benefit You

Joe Fier — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:34:27 +0000

As I was working out at the gym last night, I decided to to check out something that I’ve always looked past and thought was crazy. Since I ate a rather large dinner right before working out, I wanted to see how the sauna room might help me digest and allow me to relax. It took some time for the hot rocks to get the temperature up to 150 degrees, but once it did, that room was baking…

A Release Of Tension

Before doing any research, I came to my own conclusion that about 20 minutes in the sauna would do wonders on my very tensed, and tight back. As the acupuncturist told me the other day as she massaged my back, I needed to keep my body and back very warm to promote blood circulation. One thing she did not mention for me to visit was a sauna, BINGO! Luckily my assumption was correct. When I did research later on, saunas greatly increase the heart rate, about double. This definitely increases blood flow throughout the body, including to those areas of the body that are in pain and feel tensed. From the warmth of the sauna, the increased blood flow helps relieve contracted muscles and aching joints. This is exactly what the doctor ordered! After I spent 20 minutes in the sauna, and now that I sit here 10 hours later writing this article, my back feels much more relaxed and my aching neck is almost nonexistent.

A Great Way To Relax

Saunas have proven to be beneficial to our physical health, but it also works wonders on our psychological side. As I am right in the middle of finals week at my university, I figured the sauna would also be a wonderful way to relieve some stress and just find a quiet place to relax for a bit. I know there are some out there that are not appealed to a hot, possibly steamy room, but I love ‘em! Through the drips and drops of sweat off of my body, I felt a complete release of tension and an overall peace. The heart pulse rises, but the mental functions slow. I laid down and closed my eyes for about 15 of the 20 minutes and felt completely relaxed. As research shows, saunas also prepare the body for a great night’s sleep. Those that have problems sleeping or have a condition such as insomnia, saunas would definitely aid in finally getting that much needed complete rest.

A Possible Exercise Replacement

Replacing any type of exercise was not my intention of the sauna, but it was definitely a plus. As the sauna reaches very high temperatures, such as 160 degrees, the heart rate nearly doubles. I took my pulse after being in for over 10 minutes and I definitely noticed that my pulse felt very similar to as when I’m running. It was difficult for my head to wrap around how my pulse could be so high by just laying down in a sauna, but I guess it works. While sitting down in a sauna, you are actually burning calories and losing weight, believe it or not. Just as your heart rate increases with exercise, along with your metabolism, saunas allow the body to do the same. 15-20 minutes in the sauna is about equivalent to 1-2 hours of brisk walking or 1 hour of exercise. Now you can burn all of the unwanted fat by never lifting a finger!

Detoxify In The Sauna

As we all know that when you’re in a sauna, you sweat buckets (or maybe that was just me last night). Along with the other benefits, saunas trigger the body to release unwanted toxins through the act of sweating. Since sweating is the way that our body rids nearly a third of its toxins, saunas provide a very important relief. When our body temperature rises, we detox as the sweat releases through our pores. This is also a great, purifying way for people with skin conditions to cleanse their pores. Saunas have shown that those with acne and other skin conditions benefit from the rise in temperature and the increase of oxygen and nutrients to the skin.

Guide to Home Saunas & Sauna Kits – Everything you ever wanted to know about home saunas and building your own. Finnish, steam, infrared and portable saunas, sauna kits and heater options.

Photo credit: ansik

Simple Ways To Improve Sleep

Joe Fier — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:40:33 +0000

What are your pre-bedtime rituals?

Are you finding yourself surfing the net or watching some late night TV?

As these activities seem to feel like they calm you down, they may actually stealing some of your much needed sleep from you. Studies have shown that when people spend nearly 2 hours of casually checking out online websites or sitting and watching television, over a third has had more problems with their sleep than those that avoided these. These activities definitely feel like they are calming to the body, but they actually stimulate various brain functions that prove detrimental to one’s sleep. Television and computers exposes us to a light that seems to completely mess up sleep cycles and rhythms. This light causes many of us to spend extra time trying to fall asleep because of the added stimulation to parts of the brain, such as the pineal gland.

Try a few of these ideas to help the quality of your sleep:

Find a routine. Just as anything else, routines help to get you in the habit of doing something. Pick a time to hit the sack and stick with it. Getting your 6 to 8 hours per night is key.
Relax to music. Pick out some music that is very easy to listen to, such as white noise or soothing natural sounds. There are even programs for your computer that provide these sounds specifically for sleep.
Do some stretching. Each night before bed and when you wake in the morning, do some light stretching. Loosen up any parts of your body that may seem tight; when you hit the bed you’ll fall asleep like a baby.
Keep the temperature low. Any room temperature over 70 degrees heats the body too much and makes it more difficult to fall asleep. Watch those heaters this winter!
Avoid alcohol. It may seem like a good way to get to sleep really quick, but once the effect wears off on the body, many people wake up in the middle of the night with difficulty trying to fall back asleep.
Watch your snacking. It’s never good to go to sleep feeling hungry, but watch how much you eat. Blood sugar levels are raised after eating but then drops during sleep, which causes many to wake up.
Move the clock. If you are having trouble falling asleep and a clock is in view, move it! It will only cause more worry about trying to fall asleep.
Don’t make up sleep. If you happen to lose some sleep during the week, don’t try and make it up by sleeping extra hours on the weekend. Doing this will throw off any kind of rhythm you have with sleeping.
Keep the bed for sleeping. The bed needs to be thought of as a place to calm down and relax. If you are watching television or playing on a computer on, or even near the bed, it will always be on your mind when you try to go to sleep.
Move the TV and computer. Along the lines as the previous tip, remove any television and computers from the bed room if they become a distraction. Having these in the room could feed the urge watch TV or use a computer in bed.

Photo credit: dickuhne

Picking the Right Pillow

Joe Fier — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 16:50:48 +0000

About two months ago I began getting stiff and sore necks as I woke up. This was not a problem that arose every morning, but was often enough to question what the heck was going on. Eventually I went to the chiropractor and found out that one of the disks in my neck was out of line. Read my previous post, Chiropractics: A Life Adjustment, and check out all the fun I went though. As the exact cause of my misaligned neck was not known, my sleeping positions and pillows at home are two prime culprits. At the time I was sleeping on my stomach, mainly, which is the worst sleeping position. I was told to immediately stop doing this and to flip onto my back for sleeping. With the pillows I had, along with many other pillows out there, while sleeping on my stomach, my neck was being either pushed up or slumping down and twisted to the side. In relation to the position of where my misaligned disk was, the C7 (just above the shirt-line), it made sense that this might be my reason for stiff necks.

The only two healthy methods to sleep is either on our backs or our sides. I will not even bring up the stomach sleeping, as many chiropractors think very poorly of it, and it would require some magical pillow that I’ve never seen before. Here are some suggestions to finding the right pillow, depending on the type of sleeper you are…

Side Sleepers: Find a pillow that is supportive enough to fill the space between your shoulder and head. The goal is to find a pillow that will fill that gap without allowing the head to slump down or be pushed up. You need to keep that neck perfectly straight throughout the night!
Back Sleepers: One of those memory foam, or slightly rounded-shaped pillows might be best for you. For this sleeping style, you want a pillow that isn’t as stiff as one you would use for sleeping on your side. Find a medium firmness pillow that is just high enough to keep the neck aligned without pushing the neck too high. Still, keep that neck straight! A plus with the shaped pillows is that there is sometimes a curve for the lower neck to fit in to. This is helpful because it lifts the lower neck enough to allow the spine to hold its natural curve.

Choosing the correct firmness, shape, and all of that might take some work. It’s worth shopping around for and taking the time to rest your head on pillow after pillow in the store. You might look a little funny testing all pillows, but it’s definitely worth spending the extra time. I purchased a memory foam pillow for my back sleeping and a thicker pillow for my side sleeping; ever since then I have not have any neck pains in the morning. So, don’t settle for that old pillow on the bed anymore, go take care of yourself!

Napping is a Very Powerful Tool

Matt Wolfe — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:50:32 +0000

Most people associate nappers with lazy people. You sleep all night and still need a nap in the middle of the day. You must have went to bed too late or are just plain lazy. Studies have actually shown lately that there is a little more to napping than meets the eye. There are numerous benefits.

Naps improve alertness and stamina.
Naps can lift productivity and mood.
They can lower stress.
They can improve memory and learning.
Brain activity stays high throughout the day after naps.

The optimum nap time is about 20 minutes but no more. When you sleep for 20 minutes you go through the first 2 cycles of sleep where you really relax and fall in to a slight sleep. Any more than that and you start to fall in to the third cycle of sleep which is a deeper, slow wave sleep. If you start to slip in to this stage of sleep, you may wake up groggy and tired. This is the opposite effect of what you want. So set an alarm clock to get the optimum level of sleep.

When taking a nap, follow these steps:

Avoid drinking caffeine, sugar, or fatty foods before naps.
Eat foods with calcium or protein which promote sleep.
Find a dark place to sleep or use an eye shade.
Find a quiet place to sleep where you won’t be disturbed.
Sleep with a blanket to raise body temperature.
White noise works for some people to help them relax.
Set an alarm to make sure you don’t fall in to too deep of a sleep.

Power naps are very beneficial. Take advantage of them to improve your life. For more information on the subject and the source of this material, check out this article at Men’s Journal.

-M