Getting enough sleep is vital to a healthy regime – but sometimes it is easier said than done.
We’ve all been there – in need of a good seven to nine hours kip, but unable to switch off, staring at the ceiling. But it turns out there is an incredibly simple trick which could help.
In the first episode of New York Magazine’s ‘Science of Us’ series, they reveal that keeping a foot outside the covers could help ensure you get 40 winks.
Simply put, entering a state of rest can boil down to body temperature.
It has apparently been proven that alertness is linked to a higher body temperature.
Researchers found that memory, attention and reaction time were all improved by a warmer body temp.
And the opposite is also reportedly true, with a lower body temperature weakening those attention states, and allowing for people to feel sleepier…
And feet have two key features that make them ideal for regulating heat.
They are hairless, and they contain specialised arteriovenous anastomoses – or blood vessels which are great for dissipating heat.
Exposing your feet to the cold night air will have a cooling effect on the blood inside these vessels, and transport cool blood all around your body.
The cooling effect should then help you drift off, and set you up nicely for tomorrow.
Simple, free, and well worth a shot!
