A good night’s sleep is essential to recharge and hit the ground running the next day. It will not only leave you energized but will also help you focus better throughout the day.
The benefits of sleeping well do not end there; being well-rested helps you maintain your weight, reduces the chances of heart diseases, and aids the body in recovery. However, a good night’s sleep is often hard to come by and its importance is often overlooked.
Furthermore, many people find it hard to fall asleep due to their hectic schedules. Sleep disorders are also getting more common by the day, a majority of which are driven by stress and anxiety.
Getting a good night’s sleep is important and a few small lifestyle changes can help you sleep better. Here are some effective tips that should help lull you into your best sleep ever.
Follow a Schedule
Following daily sleeping, the schedule can get your body accustomed to it and will help you get in sync with your circadian rhythm.
It is recommended that you get 8 hours of sleep daily. As such, you should adjust your schedule and plan ahead to allow yourself a sleep of that duration.
Hitting the bed at the same time every day and getting up at consistent times can help you sleep better in the long term.
Following a proper sleep schedule will ensure that you wake up way more refreshed than sleeping at inconsistent times. Even at weekends, you should try to stick to your schedule, even though you might be tempted to do otherwise.
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Limit Your Siesta
While a power nap in the afternoon may help you get back on track, it can have an adverse effect on your sleep cycle. If tired, one should definitely take a power nap rather than powering through, but it is important that you keep it short.
Extended sleep during the day, will keep you awake late at night and disrupt your sleep schedule. Short powers naps ranging from 10 to 20 minutes are ideal and extending them beyond half an hour can leave you feeling even more tired.
Work Out Regularly
Getting some exercise can help improve the quality of your sleep. You don’t have to hit the gym for this purpose, even light exercise like walking can help you sleep better.
Furthermore, exercising regularly can also help alleviate the symptoms of insomnia. Regular exercise will leave you more energized during the day, limiting your daytime naps. However, it takes a little time for the benefits of exercise to show.
It is important to exercise at the right time. While it’s probably best to work out early in the morning and in the evenings, you can exercise at whatever time suits you, as long as you avoid exercising before bed.
Avoid Blue Light Exposure
Blue light, which is emitted by our electronic devices, from phones to tablets, is a short wavelength electromagnetic wave that can trigger headaches, fatigue, and disrupt your sleep.
Avoiding your phone and tablets or avoiding working on your laptop before hitting the bed can help you fall asleep faster and sleep better.
A lot of people have the habit of checking social media or catching up on their favorite sitcoms while lying in bed. This is a habit that needs to be avoided. Furthermore, if you spend a lot of time working on the computer, you should consider using glasses with blue light filters.
Additionally, you would be better off reading a book before going to sleep. Reading books will not only help you relax but can often help you to drift off to sleep.
Get Checked for a Sleep Disorder
If you often get up feeling groggy and tired, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. There is no harm in getting tested, and the right diagnosis can do wonders for your sleep cycle.
Sleep apnea and insomnia are amongst the most common sleep disorders. If you suffer from sleep apnea, the experts at https://snoozeez.com/ recommend using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) mask to help you sleep better. O2Vent Optima is also a great device for sleep apnea.
If you suffer from insomnia, you can consider taking melatonin supplements. Melatonin is a sleep hormone and is very commonly consumed to help induce sleep.
Watch Your Diet Before Sleep
Consumption of caffeine late in the evening can make it difficult for you to fall asleep. For the same reason, it is advisable to avoid consuming coffee for at least 6 hours before your bedtime.
This applies to tea as well, as it also contains a significant amount of caffeine. You should also avoid going to bed on an empty stomach or after consuming a heavy meal.
While regular green tea or black tea can disrupt your sleep, an infusion tea made out of chamomile can help you sleep better. It has a calming effect and helps relieve stress and anxiety.
In addition to helping you sleep better, it is also anti-inflammatory in nature and helps improve digestion and provide relief from sore throat.
You may also want to avoid drinking too much water before bed as you may have to get up to visit the loo. While not drinking enough may end up in you waking up thirsty. You have to find the right balance.
Make Your Bed Comfortable
To get the best sleep possible, it is important to have a bed that you find comfortable. This includes having a mattress that is neither too soft nor too hard and hits the sweet spot.
Modern memory foam mattresses take the shape of your body and help avoid backaches. Further, if you prefer pillows, you should make sure that the pillows are of the right thickness.
Getting proper sleep daily is a key aspect of maintaining your health. However, we often disregard its importance. While some of us sacrifice a few hours of sleep to catch up on that ‘just one more’ episode on Netflix, many of us find it hard to get a good night’s sleep in spite of hitting the sack well in time.
Following these tips can help you catch that elusive relaxing sleep that you have been craving for.
