This is what you need to do to sleep better, scientists say

Researchers have found the best way to get a good night's sleep, beyond just eating bananas and Nyquil.

Scientists at Northwestern University in the US believe that having a plan for the next day can ensure you sleep for longer and the quality of the sleep is greatly improved.

Senior author of the study Jason Ong, an associate professor of neurology at the University's Feinburg School of Medicine, said:

Helping people cultivate a purpose in life could be an effective drug-free strategy to improve sleep quality, particularly for a population that is facing more insomnia...Purpose in life is something that can be cultivated and enhanced through mindfulness therapies.

The results were published in the journal Sleep, Science, and Practice.

Although the study's participants were elderly (aged 60-100), Ong believes the finding applies to sleepers of all ages.

The 823 participants answered survey questions about their life. Those who felt their lives had meaning were 63 per cent less likely to suffer from sleep apnea.

To measure 'meaning' in their lives, the participants were asked:

I feel good when I think of what I’ve done in the past and what I hope to do in the future.

Basically you will sleep well once you are content that you're not wasting your life and that you haven't done so far.

So just achieve that incredibly easy to attain life goal and you will sleep like a baby.

HT Telegraph

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