All too much evidence down the years indicates that many of us just don’t get enough sleep; this could be the case for as many as one in three adults.
It is believed that most adults require about seven to eight hours sleep every night. And you’re probably familiar with some of the obvious ill effects of not getting enough of it, such as feeling crabby and unrefreshed the next morning.
But the longer-term consequences of failing to sleep enough could be worse than that; it has been linked to a heightened risk of such health issues as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
So, it is definitely in your interest to do everything possible to close any sleep deficit you may be suffering from.
There’s another powerful reason to ensure you get sufficient sleep…
…yes, you guessed it from the title of this article: sleep is also believed to be a crucial “secret ingredient” aiding recovery from injury. And as you will know if you have some familiarity with fourfive, our business was literally founded by professional sportspeople who know how important it is to adopt every possible measure to support rapid and successful recovery from injury.
There are various factors that have been cited as to why and how achieving quality sleep helps improve injury recovery. One of those is the increase in blood flow to the muscles when the body falls into the deeper stages of sleep; this process delivers oxygen and nutrients to the muscles to aid their recovery and repair.
Bear in mind, too, that the deep sleep stage – known as non-REM sleep, causes the pituitary gland to release growth hormones, stimulating muscle repair and growth. Again, all of this underlines that you should be taking every possible step to make good-quality sleep a priority.
But how can you achieve that quality sleep when you just can’t get to sleep?
This is a very reasonable question. If, in particular, you suffer from stress and anxiety, you might find that your mind races and you struggle to “feel sleepy”, even at night after a seemingly exhausting day.
So, let’s take a look at some of the methods that could be instrumental in your efforts to calm down and drift off to sleep:
Try a few destressing exercises
Even simply Googling “destressing exercises for sleep” (or similar) will help you here. But even something as straightforward as taking several slow, deep breaths, and paying attention to the air as it enters and leaves your body, could greatly help you calm down.
Some people, meanwhile, schedule themselves a specific “worry time” during the day, when they’re allowed to sit down, worry, and figure out how they will address some of the issues that concern them. Although of course, we would urge you to not schedule your own “worry time” anywhere close to bedtime.
Different methods seem to work well for different people, so you shouldn’t be afraid to try out several.
Develop a sustained and consistent sleep routine
Do you depend on doing everything “spontaneously” and “instinctively”, right down to heading to bed with your smartphone or tablet in hand, and tapping away with outrage at what you see on Facebook or Twitter, when you’re supposed to be catching some winks?
OK, that might be an exaggeration of the reality of your bedtime routine. But a lot of us could benefit from having a much more ordered and organised regimen for ensuring we relax and feel genuinely sleepy once bedtime ‘proper’ arrives.
For you, that might mean enjoying a bubble bath before bed, petting your cat, or immersing yourself in a good book. It should certainly mean staying away from stressful activities, such as ‘doomscrolling’ on social media apps or discussing politics with someone, in the hours immediately before bed. Again, what works for you might not be the same as what works for someone else.
Consider the merits of CBD for sleep
We should probably emphasise at this point, that there is no definitive evidence that taking a CBD product will support someone to get to sleep – although some early studies indicate that might be the case.
So, alas, we find ourselves returning to a recurrent theme of this article, the importance of seeing what works in your personal experience. We, personally, have certainly heard of people saying that taking CBD seems to help them get to sleep, and we have felt more relaxed after taking CBD following training sessions.
Otherwise, though, the notion of taking CBD as a sleep aid is something else that you might want to try in your own time and on your own terms, bearing in mind factors like your own health and medical record. So, we would certainly urge you to discuss this subject with a medical professional before you try taking CBD for sleep.
Whether you’re specifically seeking out CBD for sleep in the UK, or you have other reasons for contemplating CBD use, our team at fourfive is committed to making available top-quality CBD and vitamin supplements for your consideration.
And don’t forget that if you do try and like the CBD products UKyou purchase from us, you could also save a lot on your future supplement purchases by committing to a subscription, delivered for free every month. That will hopefully be one more thing that helps you sleep easier.