Weighted Blankets, Sleeping, and Horseback Riding

How many hrs of sleep are you getting regularly or each night?
Do you make rest a priority?
A sleep study published in December of 2018 disclosed that just 21% of Americans obtain the advised 7-8 hrs of sleep per evening. A similar research study by the National Sleep Foundation disclosed that the majority of people do not focus on sleep, and instead prioritize fitness/nutrition, work, social life, and hobbies/personal passions more often.

Along with feed and breathing, rest is one of the most vital resource of recovery in our lives. It’s a critical time that the body demands for rejuvenation.

Weighted Blanket Can Help You Sleep

Have you been thinking about a weighted blanket? This could be exactly what you need to make sure you are getting enough sleep at night, that will help you at work, with your family, and with your horse(s).

Here are the top weighted blankets on the market for your consideration:

   

Weighted Blankets Increase Serotonin

Weighted blankets are made to give you a warm, gentle pressure that is similar the feeling of being held (aka Deep Touch Pressure). Research shows us that this type of pressure increases serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in the regulation of sleep that has a calming effect. That feeling of being held from a weighted blanket tells your body to produce oxytocin, which can help to relieve pain and stress while giving a boos to your immune system. It has also been show to help you sleep longer and better at night.

Weighted Blankets Can Decrease Anxiety

Many people suffer from anxiety. Have you experienced your mind and thoughts racing as soon as you lay down, preventing you from falling asleep? Try a weighted blanket, as it has been known decrease activity in the nervous system and reduce anxiety.

Reduce Restlessness With A Weighted Blanket

Are you tossing and turning in the middle of the night, or does your partner wake you up by moving around? Get a weighted blanket to solve your problem. The weighted blanket evenly distributes weights to provide a gentle downward force across your body. This pressure from the weighted blanket helps to deter movement and encourages stillness while you are asleep.

With their ability to promote less tossing and turning and fewer nighttime disturbances, it makes sense that these blankets are so popular on the market right now.

What Takes place When You Are Tired?

Think of a time when you or someone close to you got extremely little sleep.

Many people would certainly note a few of the following:

  • Poor mood (cranky, irritated, etc.).
  • Mood swings
  • Fatigue and reduced strength
  • Unable to concentrate
  • Lack of physical stamina
  • Really feeling foggy & impaired memory.
  • Lowered performance in work or everyday tasks.
  • Failure to perform normal tasks.
  • Impaired reasoning and thinking.

“Inadequate sleep exerts a similar influence on our brain as drinking too much.”

There are those of us that have actually experienced these symptoms of fatigue after only obtaining a couple of hrs of sleep. Yet, what many of us do not realize is that by never obtaining the proper amount of rest, the snowball result takes place, where the absence of rest keeps building up.

Also tiredness has a substantial influence on physical stamina, energy, focus, memory, thinking and the ability to do automatic normal tasks, even riding.

R & R: Rest and Riding

Whether you head to the barn or a horse show after just obtaining 3-4 hrs of sleep or you’ve gone two decades only sleeping 5-6 hours an evening, the amount of rest you obtain has a result on your riding.

When reviewing the information above, it is tough to envision an individual having a good flight, even if they were experiencing only one or more of the signs and symptoms.

  • Your connection with your horse is a mental & psychological one. Your horse detects your body movement and feel. Communicating with your horse when riding, as you are experiencing emotional symptoms, like being in a bad mood and mood swings, or psychologically, like an inability to focus or being unreasonable, will be difficult as well as likely result in a frustrating ride for both horse and rider.

  • Since riding is an exercise, If you are experiencing physical signs like tiredness, weakness, a lack of energy, it may be tiring for you to hold the proper position or stay balanced while on horseback, which can quickly result in a negative ride.

Get More Rest And Start Riding Better

When you are riding, you require to be aware of your surroundings, your movement, your horse’s motion to make sure that you are able to make spontaneous decisions and react accordingly. To do this, you need to begin focusing on getting rest as well as take measures to ensure you are obtaining the right amount of rest per evening.

Right here are some tips to optimize sleep as well as get into a regimen:.

Here Are Common Causes For Lack Of Sleep

  • Inconsistent times for going to bed and also getting up.
  • Alcohol consumption.
  • A turbulent rest environment.
  • High levels of caffeine consumption late in the day– coffee, chocolate, hot caco, black tea as well as various soft drinks.
  • Foods that contain L-Tyramine (which triggers energizers to be launched in the brain)– bacon, cheese, delicious chocolate, eggplant, ham, potatoes, sauerkraut, sugar, sausage, spinach and tomatoes.
  • Stress and anxiety, particularly about things out of your control — courts, weather condition, fellow competitors, horse preparation, and so on.

Establish Healthy And Balanced Sleep Patterns.

  • Everyone requires 7 to 8 hrs of sleep per night.
  • Go to sleep in between 9:30 as well as 10 p.m. to take full advantage of the manufacturing of your natural development hormone.
  • Establish sleep rituals and follow them.
  • Choose what relaxes you, like a hot, soaking bath or read nonfiction, and do it every evening.
  • Go to bed and also rise at the same time.
  • Workout daily, but not too close to bedtime.
  • Remove long naps throughout the day (10-15 minutes are best).
  • Get a half hr of sunshine within half an hour of waking up.
  • Do not look at your clock if you awaken throughout the night.
  • Keep your room cool, well-ventilated and dark.
  • Utilize specific anxiety-relieving approaches when you are maintained awake by anxious thoughts.
  • Withstand the lure to become angry, disappointed or distressed when you can’t sleep. Adverse feelings enhance stimulation and lower the possibility of rest. Just unwind and appreciate the quiet time.
  • Make your bed room or trailer living quarters a sanctuary of rest.
  • Try a weighted blanked

Put in the time to discover what works for you to ensure that you can get more rest. This will certainly not just help you with your riding and in the show ring, but can help you progress on your horsemanship journey.