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How to Relax Before Going to Bed

Deepa Kartha
Are tiring days leaving your mind restless at night? Finding it difficult to shut yourself to chaotic thoughts? Once you know the activity that helps you to relax easily, you must make it a part of your everyday lifestyle. Your body and mind will take it as a cue, and will start relaxing automatically.
After a tiring day, you are ready to hit the sack. However, all the troubled thoughts  won't let you do so. No matter how much you try, a thought keeps popping up from somewhere. Sometimes, the anxiety to face a challenging day also leads to a restless night. Though these symptoms are considered normal, the benefits of a sound sleep can't be overestimated.
It's very important for every human being to get at least 8 hours of 'soundless' sleep. If you sleep for 10 hours, and if you're restless and disturbed throughout the night, it's not going to help. To make sure you sleep like a baby, everyday, all you have to do is follow these tips.

▶ Things You Can Do

Take a Bath

Hot water helps in relaxing stressed muscles. To make the bath more soothing and enjoyable, you can add a few drops of essential oils such as lavender, which are known for aiding relaxation and promoting sleep.

Read a Book

Pick a book and read till your eyes start drooping. Many people unwind themselves by reading before going to bed. Avoid reading violent or disturbing stories. These may disturb your thinking, thus disturbing your sleep.

Listen to Music

It has been observed that music helps the body and mind to unwind, thus making it easy for you to fall asleep. You must choose music which is soft and soothing. You can also listen to music while you're reading.

Exercise

Shoulder and neck muscles may be stressed during the day, especially in a desk job. A lit bit of exercise, can help de-stress these muscles. You can also massage the area yourself, calming down in the process.

Meditate

Meditation helps in getting rid of stress that you experience during the day. Learn some deep breathing exercises and practice them everyday.
A very popular exercise: place one hand on your stomach and the other one on your chest. After this, inhale and exhale deeply by keeping your shoulders and chest very still.
Herbal tea consumption helps in relaxing.
Some methods which will help you in relaxing the body and mind include indulging in body massages, wearing comfortable clothes, drinking a glass of wine or herbal tea, etc. An important thing that you must remember is to switch off the television as well as the computer at least thirty minutes before bedtime.