Baths For SleepIce Baths Hot baths seem to be the more popular choice. But there has been a Stanford professor that claims cold is more effective a signaling sleep onset. It's really a more extreme method, but you're going to fill up your bathtub with cold water. Add in 2-3 bags of ice from a convenience store. Wait until around 80% of it has melted and start to get in. At first this will open your eyes, as it is intense at first. You don't want to stay in long. Keep it about 10 minutes in length. You should give yourself an hour or little longer before bed because if it is too close you'll have a adrenergic response to the whole process, which won't allow you to sleep. The only way to tell if it will work for you is by testing. There's science that shows both ways work, so it's hard to tell which is right and wrong. Warm Baths This is exactly an interesting concept. The idea is to have this warm bath around 4hrs before you're expected to go to bed. It's really an interesting way of doing things, but you can bring on the sleep hormones by simple perspective. When you have a warm bath, your body gets hot. When you bring the core temperature up, you feel more awake. As you cool off before bed, your temperature takes a substantial drop. This drop in temperature brings on the sleep hormones. The warm bath also allows you to feel more relaxed too, which will always help aid in sleep. |