We can’t emphasize enough how important it is for you to sleep well. Sleeping directly impacts your mental and physical health. Fail to get enough sleep and you’ll have an awful day. You will feel exhausted, unproductive, and you’ll crave food more than you are supposed to. This also means that you can gain weight if you don’t sleep well. However, there are some things that you can do to considerably improve your sleep quality.
The Natural Cycle
One of the most important strategies for sleeping better is getting in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Keeping a regular sleep-wake schedule will make you feel more refreshed and energized. Sleeping the same number of hours at different times won’t do that. There is no way that you can trick your body. So, try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. This will set your body’s internal clock and optimize the quality of your sleep. Choose a bedtime when you normally feel tired just so that you fall asleep quickly.
Melatonin Control
Melatonin is a hormone controlled by light exposure that plays a pivotal role in the regulation of your sleep-wake cycle. When it’s dark, your brain secretes more melatonin and you feel sleepy. When it’s light, however, you feel more alert. Therefore, you should avoid bright screens one or two hours before your bedtime. The blue light produced by your phone, tablet, computer and TV is especially disruptive. Avoid late-night television and don’t read from backlit devices. Make sure that the room is dark and you should be good to go. If you get up during the night, keep the lights down. That way you’ll fall back to sleep easier.
Exercise
It’s plain and simple; exercise helps you sleep better at night. People who exercise on a regular basis sleep better and feel more energized during the day. If you exercise regularly, you’ll avoid sleep apnea and insomnia. You’ll also increase the amount of time you spend in the restorative stages of sleep. The harder you exercise, the better you’ll sleep. However, even a 10-minute walk a day will improve your sleep quality. You should also know that it can take several months of regular activity before you start experiencing the sleep-promoting effects, so you need to be patient.
Caffeine Problem
Coffee aficionados, we are sorry but you’ll have to reduce your caffeine intake. It would be best if you completely eliminated it from your diet, but that can be quite difficult. So the least you can do is try to stay away from caffeine within four to six hours of your bedtime. Did you know that half of the caffeine you take in at 7 p.m. is still in your body at 11? That’s not good for you. Be persistent with this and few days later you should already notice that your sleep has improved.
Sleep-Inducing Environment
Sound slumber is what you’ll only get in a quiet, dark and cool environment. Try to eliminate the outside noise; you can even use earplugs if necessary. Use heavy curtains, blackout shades or an eye mask to block light. And, most importantly, the air in the room has to be as clean as possible. Vent the room or simply buy a good air purifier. Having an air purifier in your bedroom means that you’ll be able to breathe in fresh air throughout the night without having to do a thing other than plugging your device in. If you don’t know how to select the right air purifier you can always look for up-to-date air purifier ratings online, which will help you choose which one to buy.
Naps and Cigarettes
We grouped these two together and it is quite easy to see why. Firstly, say no to nicotine. Nicotine is a stimulant, just like caffeine, and it can disrupt your sleep. There are numerous reasons why you should stop smoking, but now you have one more. Secondly, naps can be tempting, but you have to say no to them too. If you are tired and you think that a quick afternoon nap will solve the problem: it won’t. It will only make things worse. It will meddle with your sleep cycle. If you really have to lie down and rest, please do it for just a few minutes.
Read
We used to love bedtime stories as kids, but as we grew older, we kind of dropped the habit of reading ourselves to sleep. Our parents used to read us stories to make us fall asleep, and later we would read for ourselves, but nowadays the majority of people never read before going to bed. Reading before bedtime will clear your mind, trigger your imagination and help you fall asleep. So, grab a book and at least try to make this a habit.
Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t easy. But if you follow through at least some of our pieces of advice, we firmly believe that your sleep quality will improve!