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Tips to Help You Relax: Part II

Stress and sleep are not good bedfellows. Stress can mess with your rest and cause a vicious cycle of anxious days and sleepless nights. And these days, who among us doesn’t have experience bit of stress?

Perhaps you read our last blog with the first five of 15 relaxation techniques to help you get to sleep and stay asleep better. Here’s the second set of savvy (and, we admit, slightly sappy) solutions designed to make your nights more relaxed and ultimately, more restful:

  1. Play soothing music. Researchers have found restful melodies and nature sounds help to soothe the soul and quiet the heart rate. Maybe for you this means getting outside in the peaceful dusk of evening to hear the birds’ bedtime chatter. Or maybe it means picking a tune or two on your own guitar. Maybe you blow off steam dancing around your living room to rockin’ jams. Or maybe you turn up your classical playlist. Any way you like it, music can be a great way to reset your mind and wash away the preoccupations of the day.
  2. Laugh. Nothing like a good belly laugh to ease stress and lighten up. You know the feeling! And it’s not just a feeling. Laughter reduces cortisol, your body’s stress hormone, and boosts endorphins. The old saying is true: laughter really is the best medicine. Hang out with a funny person, watch your favorite comedian or treat yourself to some funny YouTube goodness…there’s plenty to be found!
  3. Work out the kinks. Gentle exercise, such as yoga or tai chi, can really help your body smooth and release its tension and relax into bed better. Research has shown that these activities also prompt the brain to release feel-good chemicals that combat anxiety.
  4. Capture thoughts on paper. If you have a problem lying awake with a merry-go-round of to-dos, worries and wonderings in your head, it helps to keep a journal by your bed and write down things as they come to you. Writing things down can give you permission to come back to something later. It’s amazing how quiet your mind can be when you don’t feel like you have to remember all of those things or figure them out right now.
  5. Phone a friend. Sometimes connecting with a great old friend or beloved family member is all you need to take the edge off and reorient your mind on more positive thoughts and emotions. Talking to others can help take your mind off your own troubles. And people who really know you can offer crucial support in stressful times and help to lighten the burden.

More to come! Read our next blog for another awesome quintet of relaxation tips to help you sleep.

Sleep Tight, Urbanites!