This week is recognized as National Sleep Awareness Week by the National Sleep Foundation. If you’re one of the unlucky folks who have a hard time getting a good night’s sleep, you might want to consider a soak in your hot tub before heading to bed.
Part of the benefit of soaking in a hot tub is giving your body a chance to raise your core temperature. Studies have found that, even with soaking in a warm bath that elevates your body temperature by two degrees will help your body relax, setting up for falling asleep faster.
Most studies recommend you take a soak at least two hours before bedtime. Creating this as part of your wind down routine before bed will help set your body up to get a restful night of sleep. With the elevation of your core temperature, the subsequent cool down you experience after wrapping up your soak triggers your body to relax and readies your body and mind to fall into slumberland.
Here are some other helpful hints to help you experience better sleep:
- Make sure your lights in your bedroom are on a dimmer. Dimming the lights as you wind down your day helps your body produce melatonin, which helps regulate your body’s sleep/wake cycle.
- Ditch caffeine after 6 p.m. Caffeine is a stimulant that’s not conducive to helping your body ready for sleep. And—even if you think caffeine doesn’t affect your ability to fall asleep, it may affect your ability to have an uninterrupted night of slumber.
- Stop the electronic overload! No laptops, no cell phones, no TV after 9 p.m. Not only is the intake of info stimulating your brain, the light from all of these devices is failing to allow it to recognize it’s time to hit the hay.
- Something as simple as wearing socks to bed (if you struggle with cold feet) will help improve circulation and help you fall asleep faster.
Did you know…? Hot Spring is the only brand of hot tub to have had a sponsorship with the National Sleep Foundation because of the terrific massage and benefits of hot tub used before bedtime. Check out our entire line in one of our stores today. Or, schedule a test soak and see what it does for you!
Here’s to a good night’s sleep.