দৈনিক হাডুডু | আজব দেশ

দৈনিক হাডুডু | আজব দেশ

An unofficial investigation on Mummy-Titanic Mystery-1

On the 12th April 1912 the Titanic on her way to New York on her first voyage. All seemed to be pleased on the voyage. A group of eight people gathered in the first class smoking room to discuss the meaning of life.

One of the group was William T Stead , the English journalist and Spiritualist. As the evening progressed Stead began to tell a ghost story which would open the flood gates to legends and myths surrounding the Titanic and her sinking.

He boasted that he was not superstitious as he pointed out that his story began before midnight on the 12th April and ended shortly after midnight.

The story concerned the finding of an Egyptian Mummy and the translation of the inscription on the Mummy's case. The inscription warned that whoever should verbally recite the inscription would meet a very violent death.

The others listened with sinister curiosity and became very confused. Could Stead have been serious? Was there such a curse? Where was the Mummy - surely not onboard the ship they were travelling on?

Seven men out of the eight went down with the ship, including Stead himself although he had already had a premonition about his death some time before. The only survivor from the group was Fred Seward , who later when asked about the Mummy story told them that he would never dare retell it.

Over the years there have been many different accounts of the Mummy's curse but after careful research the answer seems quite clear.

Before I can conclude it is important to retell the Mummy's curse as frequently told from various sources.

The course of Mummy

The Princess of Amen-Ra lived some 1,500 or 1600 years before Chris in Egypt. After her death she was laid in an ornate wooden coffin and buried deep in a vault at Luxor, on the banks of the River Nile.

In the late 1890s, four rich young Englishmen visiting at Luxor were invited to buy an exquisitely fashioned Mummy case containing the remains of Princess of Amen-Ra. Some people think the mummy to be a priestess.

Among them one was Douglas Murray paid several thousand pounds and had taken it to his hotel. A few hours later, he was seen walking out towards the desert and never returned.

The next day, one of the remaining 3 men was shot by an Egyptian servant accidentally.

The third man in the foursome found on his return home that the bank holding his entire savings had failed. The fourth suffered a severe illness, lost his job and started selling matches in the street.

Nevertheless, the coffin eventually reached England (causing other misfortunes along the way), where a London businessman bought it.

After three of his family members had been injured in a road accident and his house damaged by fire, the businessman lately donated it to the British Museum.

As the coffin was being unloaded from a truck in the museum courtyard, the truck suddenly went into reverse and trapped a passer-by. Then as 2 workmen were lifting the casket up the stairs, 1 fell and broke his leg. The other, apparently in perfect health, died unaccountably two days later.

Once the Princess was installed in the Egyptian Room, trouble really started. The Museum's night watchmen frequently heard frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin. Other exhibits in the room were also often hurled about at night. One watchman died on duty. Other watchmen wanted to quit. Cleaners refused to go near the Princess too. When a visitor derisively flicked a dust cloth at the face painted on the coffin, his child died of measles soon afterwards.

Finally, the authorities had the Mummy carried down to the basement figuring it could not do any harm down there. Within a week, one of the helpers was seriously ill, and the supervisor of the move was found dead on his desk.

By now, the papers had heard of it. A journalist photographer took a picture of the Mummy case and when he developed it, the painting on the coffin was of a horrifying, human face. The photographer was said to have gone home then, locked his bedroom door and shot himself.

Soon afterwards, the museum sold the Mummy to a private collector. After continual misfortune (and deaths), the owner banished it to the attic.

A well-known authority on the occult, Madame Helena Blavatsky , visited the premises. Upon entry, she was sized with a shivering fit and searched the house for the source of an evil influence of incredible intensity; She finally came to the attic and found the Mummy case.

Can you exorcise this evil spirit? Asked the owner. There is no such thing as exorcism. Evil remains evil forever. Nothing can be done about it. I implore you to get rid of this evil as soon as possible.

But no British museum would take the Mummy; the fact that almost 20 people had met with misfortune, disaster or death from handling the casket, in barely 10 years, was now well known.

Eventually, a hard headed American archaeologist, William T. Stead paid a handsome price for the Mummy and arranged for its removal to New York. In Apr 1912, the new owner escorted its treasure aboard a sparkling, new White Star liner about to make its maiden voyage to New York.

On the night of April 14, amid scenes of unprecedented horror, the Princess of Amen-Ra accompanied 1,500 passengers to their deaths at the bottom of the Atlantic. The name of the ship was of course, the R.M.S. TITANIC ."

Some accounts of the story go on to say that the American collector bribed the crew of the Titanic to put the Mummy in a lifeboat and was smuggled onboard the Carpathia when she picked up the Titanic survivors and landed safely in New York.

In America the Mummy continued to bring tragedy to those that handled the coffin and so it was shipped back to Europe on the Empress of Ireland which then sank with the loss of 840 passengers on the 29th May 1912.

Somehow, the Mummy was saved again. The collector decided to ship the coffin back to Egypt on a third ship, the Lusitania. The ship was torpedoed by a German submarine. What happened after that is not known.

To be continued............................................

Lonesome George, living legend lost

Most of you may already know the news of Lonesome George. Many of you may know more then me  but I am deadly feeling to write something about this remarkable tortoise. If I get anything wrong please let me know.

It was Ecuador where this beautiful rare species of tortoise lived. The thing which made him famous  was that he was the last one of his subspecies. Galapagos is a famous island of Ecuador. It’s famous for Sir Charles Darwin. He wrote his evolutionary book “The Genesis of Species’’[1859] seeing the different types of animal species here. On the 100 years of this book ‘’Charles Darwin Research Station’’  was built in this island.

Lonesome George was found in December1, 1971 in Penta island.  He spent the last 40 in a field on Santa Cruz Island. This 5ft-long animal showed little interest in either man or other tortoises. He almost ignored the female company provided to encourage him to breed, kept his 3ft scraggy neck down in the long grass, and only responded to his keeper, Fausto Llerena.

Over 30  years , scientists attempts at mating Lonesome George but unsuccessfully due to the absence of females of his own subspecies.

Until January 2011, George was penned with several females of the subspecies Chelonoidis nigra becki (from the Wolf Volcano  region of Isabela Island)and nearly, in the hope that his genotype would be retained in any resulting progeny. This subspecies was then thought to be genetically closest to George's; however, any potential offspring would have been intergrades, not purebreds of the Pinta subspecies.

In July 2008, George mated with one of his female companions. Thirteen eggs were collected and placed in incubators. But no egg produced any child.

On July 23, 2009, exactly one year after announcing George had mated, the Galápagos National Park announced one of George's female companions had laid a second clutch of five eggs. The park authority expressed its hope for the second clutch of eggs, which it said were in perfect condition. The eggs were moved to an incubator afterword it was announced the incubation period had ended and the eggs were unable to produce.

A reward of $10,000 was offered by the Ecuadorean government for the discovery of a suitable female to help save the subspecies.

On June 24, 2012, at 8:00 am local time, Director of the Galápagos National Park Edwin Naula announced that Lonesome George had been found dead by his caretaker of 40 years, Fausto Llerena. Naula suspects that the cause of death was heart failure consistent with the end of the natural life cycle of a tortoise. A necropsy is planned to determine an official cause of death. He was believed to be more than 100 years old.

In 1960, 11 of the Galápagos Islands' original 14 populations of tortoises remained, and most were on the point of extinction. Now around 20,000 giant tortoises of different subspecies inhabit the islands and most of the feral goats have been eradicated.

Some might think the extinction of a subspecies isn't a major loss, since the other tortoises are still around. But the giant tortoises' history showed that such losses can add up quickly to disaster.

For instance, captive breeding programs like George's have given hope for populations of the endangered California condor.

But similar efforts weren't enough to save the West African black rhinoceros, a subspecies that was formally declared extinct in 2011.

This is the time for us to think twice that the other animals around us are the child of earth like us. If we have the right to live then they also have. And if we think we are in power so we can do any thing then it’ll be a great inhumanity. Moreover millions years before Dinosaurs ruled the earth, we also may face such kind of thing. Signing out for now. Have a sound sleep.  

                              Lonesome George, may be last one from millions years.

UFO, the mystery-2

Now its time to complete the story of UFO though it will remain incomplete  as it was in before thousands years.

1926 was also very indictable year. In this year UFO was seen at least three times. The first case was in January. An American pilot described that in Ouachita, Census and Colorado,  he saw six man-hole cover flying. The next case was in Tibet. Nicholas Brich and his his five team members saw an egg shaped transparent thing flying with a great speed. Last case was of September in America. A pilot of a mail carrying  plane discovered a globular thing is flying just beside his plane. And finally made a decision for an emergency landing.

At the time of World War (II), UFO had been seen.  Then in the different areas of the Pacific sea and Europe flying planes were followed by something. Some of that thing were like circle discs, some were like balls of light. In February 1942, at the radar of Los Angeles and California   got some plane but where the planes  are from , could not be identified. US Army thought Japan sent those and they sent anti-aircraft missile. But  it was proved later that Japan didn’t sent those plane.

At 1946 Swedish Army got a lot of experience about UFO. 2000 report were sent about it. But specialists guessed that most them were different things of sky. But some of them were got by radar. Finally according to the report of radar everyone could not but admitting that many of them are from another world. After that there was no records of seeing UFO. They may be discovered another way for transport…..

Still scientists are interested in UFO. There’s a new wing of science is UFOLOGY. Different museums have been built up about it. Government of different countries are also interested. America, England, Brazil, Mexico, Chili, Russia etc are in the list.

Still the scientists are in confusion. Whether the alien are in our world or not, they caused no problem to us.

Are the Alien moving around us? Who can say the man beside you is not an alien?

   

UFO, the mystery-1

UFO MYSTERY-1

UFO. Now a days its very well-known thing to all. UFO-Unidentified Flying Object. There are a lots of moveis and books on them. But in reality also people of different places and status got some experiences about these UFO or alien .  Today I gonna share some news and views about these little known things.

UFO came more in discussion when some unidentified flying object had been seen at june 24,1947 in USA. An American pilot named keneth Arnold  observed it then. The word UFO was used at this time by US Air Force while dealing with it. But many years before the story of UFO or Alien are in people. Thousands years ago people draw such kind of flying object in the cave. They considered them as the vehicles of gods. This type of things are also introduced in ancient Egypt. Some people believe that the Pyramids are made with the help of alien. Specialists found some evidence about it. The Egyptians also considered them as gods.

A Chinese learned man and scientist Sen Kuo[1031-1095] wrote a whole book on UFO. The name of the book was “Dream Pool Essay’’ [1088]. He included description of two direct viewers. The viewers saw a flying object with a door and light was coming out from the inner part of the thing.

In 1235 UFO was seen in Japan. In a night of September General Yoritsume and his troop observed an excited egg shaped thing moving in the sky.

In 1561 , place Nuremburg ,Germany . UFO appeared. There was a war at that time but a news of UFO was drew more attention . Some of them saw a globular thing in the sky and many tubes were coming out from it. After a lot of imagination people forgot about it and mystery    remained mystery.

In 1868 there happened an important thing in the history of UFO. This time it was seen in Chili. In July in a city of Chili a globular flying object was seen. After some day a raw of star were seen crossing the city. This time the scientists became interested. They started to keep records of UFO thing. So it was important for the world of science.

After the happenings of Chili UFO began to be seen again and again. In 1838 a flying disc was seen in America. A farmer named John Martin saw it at January 25. According to him it had unbelievable speed.

Only after 5 years UFO was seen in Maxico. This time an astronomer himself saw it. Joseph Banilla was observing the sun with a telescope. Suddenly he saw some globular thing. He also captured some image of those thing. The first time humarn being gathered some photos of UFO.

In 1904 at February the world saw this unknown vehicles over the sea. It was San Francisco in America. Three navy army saw it at this time from their ship on Pacific Sea. Lt Frank Scolfield said, ‘they saw three discs flying below the cloud. After sometime they left away.’

In 1916 a British pilot saw another UFO at the time of flying. Near Rochford he saw a raw of light like light coming from windows of a plane. But  suddenly it disappeared.

TO BE CONTINUED……………….

Now I would like to inform you some interesting news about the great mans of history.

ð Leonardo Da Vinci is best remembered as the painter of the Mona Lisa (1504?)and The Last Supper (1495). But he's almost equally famous for his astonishing multiplicity of talents: he dabbled in architecture, sculpture, engineering, geology, hydraulics and the military arts, all with success, and in his spare time doodled parachutes and flying machines that resembled inventions of the 19th and 20th centuries.

ð He could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

ð He also made detailed drawings of human anatomy, which are still highly regarded today.

ð DaVinci wrote notebook entries in mirror (backwards) script, a trick that kept many of his observations from being widely known until decades after his death. It is believed that he was hiding his scientific ideas from the powerful Roman Catholic Church, whose teachings sometimes disagreed with what Leonardo observed.

ð He painted the Mona Lisa on a piece of pinewood, 77 x 53 cm (30 x 20 7/8 in) in the year 1506.

ð He name for the painting was La Gioconda. Named for the wife of Francesco del Giocondo; 1503-06.

ð Vincent Van Gogh painted a picture a day in the last 70 days of his life.

ð Alexander Hamilton and his son, Philip, both died on the same spot, and both during duels. Philip went first, 3 years before his father would be killed in that same field by Aaron Burr.

ð Florence Nightingale served only two years of her life as a nurse. She contracted fever during her service in the Crimean War, and spent the last 50 years of her life as an invalid.

ð Salim (1569-1627)heir to the throne of India, had 4 wives when he was only 8 years of age.

ð Alexander the Great was an epileptic.

ð Shakespeare spelled his OWN name several different ways.

ð Napoleon, the famous French general, was not born in France. He was born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica of Italian parents.

ð Napoleon constructed his battle plans in a sandbox.

ð When Napoleon wore black silk handkerchiefs around his neck during a battle, he always won. At Waterloo, he wore a white cravat and lost the battle and his kingdom.

ð Although most people think that Napoleon was short, he was actually five feet six inches tall (1.676 meters), an average height for a Frenchman in those days

ð Napoleon took 14,000 French decrees and simplified them into a unified set of 7 laws. This was the first time in modern history that a nation's laws applied equally to all citizens. Napoleon's 7 laws are so impressive that by 1960 more than 70 governments had patterned their own laws after them or used them verbatim.

ð George Washington, who was nearly toothless himself, was meticulous with the teeth of the six white horses that pulled his presidential coach. He had their teeth picked and cleaned daily to improve their appearance.

ð President George Washington oversaw construction of the White House, but he never lived there. It was our second President, John Adams, elected in 1796, who first lived in the White House. His term was almost over by the time he moved in, and only six rooms had been finished.

ð Before winning the election in 1860, Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections for various offices.

ð Louis XIV had forty personal wigmakers and almost 1000 wigs.

ð Queen Supayalat of Burma ordered about 100 of her husband's relatives clubbed to death. She did this to ensure the throne to her husband.

ð While performing her duties as queen, Cleopatra sometimes wore a fake beard.

ð Civil War General Stonewall Jackson died when he was accidentally hit by fire from his own troop.

ð Marco Polo was born on the Croatian island of Korcula (pronounced Kor-Chu-La).

ð Spartacus led the revolt of the Roman slaves and gladiators in 73 A.D.

ð When Elizabeth I of Russia died in 1762, 15,000 dresses were found in her closets. She used to change what she was wearing two and even three times an evening.

That’s all I have now.

Rediscovering history

Today I’ve got a little post for you guys. Let’s sleep with some interesting news of ancient world. Let’s rediscover our known world.

ð More than 5,000 years ago, the Chinese discovered the way to make silk from silkworm cocoons. For about 3,000 years, the Chinese kept this discovery a secret. Because poor people could not afford real silk, they tried to make other cloth look silky. Women would beat on cotton with sticks to soften the fibers. Then they rubbed it against a big stone to make it shiny. The shiny cotton was called "chintz." Because chintz was a cheaper copy of silk, calling something "chintzy" means it is cheap and not of good quality.

ð Long ago people of China used marijuana only as a remedy for dysentery.

ð In Northern parts of China it was once a common practice to shave pigs. When the evenings got cold the Chinese would take a pig to bed with them for warmth and found it more comfortable if the pig was clean-shaven.

ð The pharaohs, the ancient Egyptian king wore garments made with thin threads of beaten gold. Some of the fabrics had up to 500 gold threads per one inch of cloth.

ð The ancient Egyptians recommended mixing half an onion with beer foam as a way of warding off death.

ð A female pharaoh was unknown in Egypt before Hatshepsut, who had herself portrayed in male costume, with a beard and without breasts.

ð According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Egyptian men never became bald. The reason for this, Herodotus said, was that as children Egyptian males had their heads shaved, and their scalps were continually exposed to the health-giving rays of the sun.

ð History's first recorded toothpaste was an Egyptian mixture of ground pumice and strong wine. But the early Romans brushed their teeth with human urine, and also used it as a mouthwash. Actually, urine was an active component in toothpaste and mouthwashes until well into the 18th century - the ammonia it contains gave them strong cleansing power.

=> King Tut's tomb contained FOUR coffins. The third coffin was made from 2,500 pounds of gold. And in today's market is worth approximately $13,000,000. 

ð The Aztec Indians in Central America used animal blood mixed with cement as a mortar for their buildings, many of which still remain standing today.

ð King Charles VII, who was assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. Charles I, II, III, IV, V, never existed. No one knows why. To add to the mystery, almost 300 years went by before there was a Charles VIII (1448-57).

Had fun? Now have a sweet dream…

27 INTERESTING FACTS

1. A right hander tends to chew food on  right side. A left hander tends to chew  food on left side.

2. Your tongue is germ free when it is pink. when it is white, there is a thin film of bacteria on it.

3. The Mercedes-Benz motto is “Das Beste oder Nichts” meaning “the best or nothing”.

4. The pupil of the eye expands 45 percent when a person looks something pleasing.

5. If you stop smoking, you’ll be OK with one hour less sleep.

6. Laughing decrease levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day. So be a child.

7. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, it’s the sound of blood circulation through the veins in the ear.

8. Dalmatians got no spots when it borns.

9. The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink and the all other birds raise their lower eyelids.

10. Honey is so easy to digest because it’s already been digested by a bee.

11. The color blue causes the brain to release calming hormones. So it has a calming effect.

12. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.

13. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.

14. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and it used a tomato can as a carburetor.

15. Google is actually the common name of a number with a million zeros.

16. 7 million dollars were needed to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film on it.

17. Human hair and fingernails continue to grow even after death.

18. A red blood cell takes 20 seconds   to circle the whole body.

19. The part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye and  takes oxygen directly from the air.

20. the parrot and the rabbit are the only 2 animals who can see behind itself without turning its head.

21. Intelligent persons have more zinc and copper in their hair.

22. Women blink nearly twice a men.

23. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog.

24. An adult kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump.

25. Whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the speed of sound.

26. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle; if the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle; if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural cause.

27.You can kill a fly clapping just over it.

today I wanna let you know some interesting information. They gave me fun & I hope it'll be same to you too.

Thats all for now .  I'll b back to entertain u on your bad..

How to Sleep Better

TIPS FOR GETTING A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP

Who can afford to spend so much time sleeping? The truth is you can’t afford not to. Learn about restorative sleep, how to determine your nightly sleep needs, and what you can do to bounce back from chronic sleep loss and get on a healthy sleep.

The secret to getting good sleep every night

Good sleep strategies are essential to deep, restorative sleep you can count on, night after night. By learning to avoid common enemies of sleep and trying out a variety of healthy sleep-promoting techniques, you can discover your personal prescription to a good night’s rest.

The key is to experiment. What works for some might not work as well for others. It’s important to find the sleep strategies that work best for you.

The first step to improving the quality of your rest is finding out how much sleep you need. How much sleep is enough? While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need at least 8 hours of sleep each night to function at their best.

How to sleep better tip 1: Keep a regular sleep schedule

Getting back in sync with your body’s natural sleep–wake cycle—your circadian rhythm—is one of the most important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you will feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only an hour or two. Consistency is important.

• Set a regular bedtime. Go to bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss and turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, help your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.
• Wake up at the same time every day. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, you may need to set an earlier bedtime. As with your bedtime, try to maintain your regular wake–time even on weekends.
• Nap to make up for lost sleep. If you need to make up for a few lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping late. This strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep–wake rhythm, which often backfires in insomnia and throws you off for days.
• Be smart about napping. While taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.
• Fight after–dinner drowsiness. If you find yourself getting sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.

Discovering your optimal sleep schedule

Find a period of time (a week or two should do) when you are free to experiment with different sleep and wake times. Go to bed at the same time every night and allow yourself to sleep until you wake up naturally. No alarm clocks! If you’re sleep deprived, it may take a few weeks to fully recover. But as you go to bed and get up at the same time, you’ll eventually land on the natural sleep schedule that works best for you.

How to sleep better tip 2: Naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production is controlled by light exposure. Your brain should secrete more in the evening, when it’s dark, to make you sleepy, and less during the day when it’s light and you want to stay awake and alert. However, many aspects of modern life can disrupt your body’s natural production of melatonin and with it your sleep-wake cycle.

Spending long days in an office away from natural light, for example, can impact your daytime wakefulness and make your brain sleepy. Then bright lights at night—especially from hours spent in front of the TV or computer screen—can suppress your body’s production of melatonin and make it harder to sleep. However, there are ways for you to naturally regulate your sleep-wake cycle, boost your body’s production of melatonin, and keep your brain on a healthy schedule.

Increase light exposure during the day

• Remove your sunglasses in the morning and let light onto your face.
• Spend more time outside during daylight. Try to take your work breaks outside in sunlight, exercise outside, or walk your dog during the day instead of at night.
• Let as much light into your home/workspace as possible. Keep curtains and blinds open during the day, move your desk closer to the window.
• If necessary, use a light therapy box. A light therapy box can simulate sunshine and can be especially useful during short winter days when there’s limited daylight.

Boost melatonin production at night

• Turn off your television and computer. Many people use the television to fall asleep or relax at the end of the day. Not only does the light suppress melatonin production, but television can actually stimulate the mind, rather than relaxing it. Try listening to music or audio books instead, or practicing relaxation exercises. If your favorite TV show is on late at night, record it for viewing earlier in the day.
• Don’t read from a backlit device at night (such as an iPad). If you use a portable electronic device to read, use an eReader that is not backlit, i.e. one that requires an additional light source such as a bedside lamp.
• Change your light bulbs. Avoid bright lights before bed, use low-wattage bulbs instead.
• When it’s time to sleep, make sure the room is dark. The darker it is, the better you’ll sleep. Cover electrical displays, use heavy curtains or shades to block light from windows, or try an eye mask to cover your eyes.
• Use a flashlight to go to the bathroom at night. As long as it’s safe to do so, keep the light to a minimum so it will be easier to go back to sleep.

How to sleep better tip 3: Create a relaxing bedtime routine

If you make a consistent effort to relax and unwind before bed, you will sleep easier and more deeply. A peaceful bedtime routine sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and let go of the day’s stresses.

Make your bedroom more sleep friendly

• Keep noise down. If you can’t avoid or eliminate noise from barking dogs, loud neighbors, city traffic, or other people in your household, try masking it with a fan, recordings of soothing sounds, or white noise. You can buy a special sound machine or generate your own white noise by setting your radio between stations. Earplugs may also help.
• Keep your room cool. The temperature of your bedroom also affects sleep. Most people sleep best in a slightly cool room (around 65° F or 18° C) with adequate ventilation. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality sleep.
• Make sure your bed is comfortable. You should have enough room to stretch and turn comfortably. If you often wake up with a sore back or an aching neck, you may need to invest in a new mattress or a try a different pillow. Experiment with different levels of mattress firmness, foam or egg crate toppers, and pillows that provide more support.

Reserve your bed for sleeping and sex

If you associate your bed with events like work or errands, it will be harder to wind down at night. Use your bed only for sleep and sex. That way, when you go to bed, your body gets a powerful cue: it’s time to nod off.

Relaxing bedtime rituals to try

• Read a book or magazine by a soft light
• Take a warm bath
• Listen to soft music
• Do some easy stretches

• Wind down with a favorite hobby
• Listen to books on tape
• Make simple preparations for the next day

How to sleep better tip 4: Eat right and get regular exercise

Your daytime eating and exercise habits play a role in how well you sleep. It’s particularly important to watch what you put in your body in the hours leading up to your bedtime.

• Stay away from big meals at night. Try to make dinnertime earlier in the evening, and avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of bed. Fatty foods take a lot of work for your stomach to digest and may keep you up. Also be cautious when it comes to spicy or acidic foods in the evening, as they can cause stomach trouble and heartburn.
• Avoid alcohol before bed. Many people think that a nightcap before bed will help them sleep. While it may make you fall asleep faster, alcohol reduces your sleep quality, waking you up later in the night. To avoid this effect, so stay away from alcohol in the hours before bed.
• Cut down on caffeine. You might be surprised to know that caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten to twelve hours after drinking it! Consider eliminating caffeine after lunch or cutting back your overall intake.
• Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening. Drinking lots of water, juice, tea, or other fluids may result in frequent bathroom trips throughout the night. Caffeinated drinks, which act as diuretics, only make things worse.
• Quit smoking. Smoking causes sleep troubles in numerous ways. Nicotine is a stimulant, which disrupts sleep. Additionally, smokers actually experience nicotine withdrawal as the night progresses, making it hard to sleep.

If you’re hungry at bedtime

For some people, a light snack before bed can help promote sleep. When you pair tryptophan–containing foods with carbohydrates, it may help calm the brain and allow you to sleep better. For others, eating before bed can lead to indigestion and make sleeping more difficult. Experiment with your food habits to determine your optimum evening meals and snacks. If you need a bedtime snack, try:

• Half a turkey sandwich
• A small bowl of whole–grain, low–sugar cereal

• Granola with low–fat milk or yogurt
• A banana

You’ll also sleep more deeply if you exercise regularly. You don’t have to be a star athlete to reap the benefits—as little as twenty to thirty minutes of daily activity helps. And you don’t need to do all thirty minutes in one session. You can break it up into five minutes here, ten minutes there, and still get the benefits. Try a brisk walk, a bicycle ride, or even gardening or housework.

Some people prefer to schedule exercise in the morning or early afternoon as exercising too late in the day can stimulate the body, raising its temperature. Even if you prefer not to exercise vigorously at night, don’t feel glued to the couch, though. Relaxing exercises such as yoga or gentle stretching can help promote sleep.

How to sleep better tip 5: Get anxiety and stress in check

Do you find yourself unable to sleep or waking up night after night? Residual stress, worry, and anger from your day can make it very difficult to sleep well. When you wake up or can’t get to sleep, take note of what seems to be the recurring theme. That will help you figure out what you need to do to get your stress and anger under control during the day:

If you can’t stop yourself from worrying, especially about things outside your control, you need to learn how to manage your thoughts. For example, you can learn to evaluate your worries to see if they’re truly realistic and learn to replace irrational fears with more productive thoughts. Even counting sheep is more productive than worrying at bedtime.

If the stress of managing work, family, or school is keeping you awake, you need help with stress management. By learning how to manage your time effectively, handle stress in a productive way, and maintain a calm, positive outlook, you’ll be able to sleep better at night.

Relaxation techniques for better sleep

Relaxation is beneficial for everyone, but especially for those struggling with sleep. Practicing relaxation techniques before bed is a great way to wind down, calm the mind, and prepare for sleep. Some simple relaxation techniques include:

• Deep breathing. Close your eyes—and try taking deep, slow breaths—making each breath even deeper than the last.
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Starting at your toes, tense all the muscles as tightly as you can, then completely relax. Work your way up from your feet to the top of your head.
• Visualizing a peaceful, restful place. Close your eyes and imagine a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for you. Concentrate on how relaxed this place or activity makes you feel.

How to sleep better tip 6: Ways to get back to sleep

It’s normal to wake briefly during the night. In fact, a good sleeper won’t even remember it. But if you’re waking up during the night and having trouble falling back asleep, the following tips may help.

• Stay out of your head. The key to getting back to sleep is continuing to cue your body for sleep, so remain in bed in a relaxed position. Hard as it may be, try not to stress over the fact that you’re awake or your inability to fall asleep again, because that very stress and anxiety encourages your body to stay awake. A good way to stay out of your head is to focus on the feelings and sensations in your body.
• Make relaxation your goal, not sleep. If you are finding it hard to fall back asleep, try a relaxation technique such as visualization, deep breathing, or meditation, which can be done without even getting out of bed. Remind yourself that although they’re not a replacement for sleep, rest and relaxation still help rejuvenate your body.
• Do a quiet, non-stimulating activity. If you’ve been awake for more than 15 minutes, try getting out of bed and doing a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book. Keep the lights dim so as not to cue your body clock that it’s time to wake up. Also avoid screens of any kind—computers, TV, cell phones, iPads—as the type of light they emit is stimulating to the brain. A light snack or herbal tea might help relax you, but be careful not to eat so much that your body begins to expect a meal at that time of the day.
• Postpone worrying and brainstorming. If you wake during the night feeling anxious about something, make a brief note of it on paper and postpone worrying about it until the next day when you are fresh and it will be easier to resolve. Similarly, if a brainstorm or great idea is keeping you awake, make a note of it on paper and fall back to sleep knowing you’ll be much more productive and creative after a good night’s rest.

How to sleep better tip 7: Know when to see a sleep doctor

If you’ve tried the tips above, but are still struggling with sleep problems, you may have a sleep disorder that requires professional treatment. Consider scheduling a visit with a sleep doctor if, despite your best efforts at self–help, you are still troubled by any of the following symptoms:

• Persistent daytime sleepiness or fatigue
• Loud snoring accompanied by pauses in breathing
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Frequent morning headaches

• Crawling sensations in your legs or arms at night
• Inability to move while falling asleep or waking up
• Physically acting out dreams during sleep
• Falling asleep at inappropriate times