Sleep is essential for a person’s physical and mental well-being that contributes to various functions to overall health. Adequate sleep duration varies by age but adults generally need at least 7 hours per night with repeating REM and non-REM stages several times throughout the night. Without proper rest, the brain cannot function properly which can impair a person’s ability to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories.
Once a person falls asleep, the body follows a sleep cycle that is divided into four stages. The first three stages are known as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and the final stage is known as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
| Stage 1: NREM | The transition between wakefulness and sleep that consists of light rest. In this stage, your muscles relax and your heart rate, breathing, brain waves and eye movements begin to slow down. This typically lasts for several minutes. |
| Stage 2: NREM | The deeper sleep stage as your heart rate and breathing continue to slow down and the muscles become more relaxed. The eye movements will stop and the body temperature decreases. Thi typically lasts the longest of all the sleep stages. |
| Stage 3: NREM | This stage plays an important role in making you feel refreshed and alert the next day. The heartbeat, breathing, and brain wave all reach their lowest levels and the muscles are as relaxed as they can be. This stage will be longer at first and decrease in duration throughout the night. |
| Stage 4: REM | This will begin about 90 minutes after you fall asleep. The eyes begin to rapidly move back and forth and breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure will begin to increase. Dreams will also occur at this time. The duration of REM will increase as the night goes on. However, with the increase of age, there is a decrease in the time of the REM stage. |
Sleep Hacks
In order to set yourself for your best rest at night, there are things you can do or add to your sleep. With a few adjustments to your environment and routine, you could improve your sleep quality and no longer need “just five more minutes” of sleep in the morning. Some hacks being discussed will include the temperature of your room, using a sound machine, and incorporating Valerest into your supplements.
Temperature of your room
During the four sleep cycles, the body’s temperature tends to drop which are biological cues to tell the internal clock to sleep. The body cools itself down for the night by sending heat away from the core. The core body temperature is generally around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit and fluctuates by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the night. If your bedroom is at the wrong temperature, this could throw off the natural balance in our sleep and keep you awake. Here are some tips to keeping the bedroom cool:
- Close the blinds
- Move downstairs during the summer
- Turn down the thermostat at night
- Use a fan or air conditioner in hot climates or a hot water bottle on cold nights
- Open the windows for ventilation
- Control bedroom humidity
- Take a warm bath an hour or two before bed to encourage a natural cool-down effect.
Using a sound machine
Sound is one of the biggest disruptors in a person’s rest cycles. So why would adding more noise help you drift to dreamland faster? Because more noise can actually help you hear less and have a higher quality rest. In a setting that is too quiet, disruptive noises become more noticeable to individuals. When in a “silent” room, you can hear everything and your mind gives that sound meaning which also causes your brain activity to work, become frustrated, and prevent you from sleeping. While a sound machine can not eliminate those sounds, it can make them less noticeable while you are sleeping. When choosing a machine, take these points into consideration:
- Decide on the color noise you enjoy before buying the machine
- Check for automatic shut off options
- Consider special features
- Make sure the machine isn’t too loud
Incorporating Valerest
Exclusive to Relaxium, Valerest is a proprietary formula that uses a synergistic blend of ingredients such as hops and valerian to help you maximize quality rest. Valerest is derived from the root of the Valeriana officinalis plant. It is commonly called the garden heliotrope or the all-heal plant. It is native to Europe and western Asia but has locally naturalized in the northern U.S. and Canada. Valerian is popularly used as a herbal medicine because its roots have anxiolytic and sedative properties. As well as being a beneficial sleep aid, Valerian has been used for anxiety, stress, treating addictions, convulsions, gas, pain, hyperactivity, cramping, migraines, aggression, nervous exhaustion, coughs, epilepsy, and the flu. This plant has more than 2000 years of documented uses!
Using Relaxium Sleep
When creating Relaxium Sleep, founder and Clinical Neurologist, Dr. Eric Ciliberti, took into account the need for ingredients that help and relax an individual and promote a meaningful sleep. In Relaxium sleep, there are 228.9 mg of Valerest which provides a significant improvement on the quality of life through sleep.
At Relaxium, we have a simple mission in mind – to create affordable, safe, and effective supplements. Through extensive research, we created four life enhancing supplements: Relaxium Sleep, Relaxium Calm, Relaxium Immune Defense, and Relaxium Focus Max. We use a perfect synergistic blend of ingredients in our products to ensure results. If you are interested in trying our Relaxium products, click here for more information!
To restful and healthy days ahead,
The Relaxium Team
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Why Do We Need Sleep? | Sleep Foundation
The Best Temperature for Sleep: Advice & Tips | Sleep Foundation
Why and How Sound Machines Can Help You Sleep (everydayhealth.com)
Getting to Know the Valerian Plant – Herbal Academy (theherbalacademy.com)