According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over one-third of American adults barely sleep the recommended hours. While sleep deprivation is easily dismissible, it has been associated with chronic illnesses such as diabetes as well as accidents and injuries on the roads and in the workplace. Even though there are multiple factors that could interfere with a good night’s sleep, such as work-related stress and family responsibilities, adequate sleep is just as essential as a healthy diet. While you might not be able to control these factors, incorporating certain habits into your daily routine can encourage a better night’s sleep. Read on to learn more.
1. Start Exercising
Incorporating physical activity into your daily routine is a sure way to get a good night’s sleep. It does not only tire you out, which improves your sleep drive, but it helps reduce stress and anxiety levels by stimulating the release of endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals. Although there’s no specific time as to when you should work out, avoid intense workouts two to three hours before your bedtime because of their stimulatory effect.
2. Regulate Your Daytime Naps
Even though studies have shown the benefits of daytime naps such as increased alertness, improved mood, and stress alleviation in adults, unregulated daytime naps can significantly affect your night sleep, hence a need for limitation. You should never nap for more than 30 minutes. Also, avoid sleeping late in the day so as not to confuse your internal clock.
3. Create a Relaxing Bedroom Environment
Creating a restful bedroom environment is among the key factors that significantly improve a good night’s sleep. Certain circumstances such as noisy roads are sometimes challenging, prompting the need to create a cool, quiet, and dark environment. This is achieved through optimizing external light, which is solved by installing blackout curtains that block 99.9% of light, setting the right temperature to avoid sweating or feeling cold, blocking outside noises, and sleeping in comfortable bedding according to your preference. Also, removing clutter and cleaning your bedroom regularly will create a tranquil environment that is comfortable to sleep in. True, restorative rest is not a luxury, and peaceful sleep is within your grasp by harnessing the natural, calming energy of the Earth. This feature is passive and accessible with an Earthbound grounding mat.
4. Maintain a Nightly Routine
Apart from the recommended daily dental hygiene to prevent oral diseases, which affect approximately 3.5 billion people globally according to the WHO, experts have determined a nightly sleep routine just as important. A consistent nightly routine conditions your mind to follow certain cues every day, thus making the transition easier. These cues may include dimming your lights, taking a hot bath, and listening to soothing music to set the mood. Also, sleeping and waking up around the same time every day, even during weekends, significantly reinforces the ideal sleep-wake-up cycle.
5. Keep Devices Away
Experts always advise against the use of electronic devices a few hours before bed due to their effects on the circadian rhythm, which basically is the body’s natural process that responds to light and darkness. Electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers emit blue light, which tricks your brain into thinking that it’s still time to stay awake, thus inhibiting the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Therefore, to promote a good night’s sleep, use bluelight glasses if you have to use your gadgets or, better yet, avoid them two to three hours before bed. Since reports have shown that 14% of the electrical fires originate from the bedroom, keep devices away to avoid accidents.
6. Watch What You Consume
Whatever you consume hours before your bedtime significantly affects the quality of your sleep. Eating heavy meals before bedtime can cause discomfort while taking a lot of drinks can cause frequent urination during the night. Also, alcohol consumption may inhibit the production of melatonin, which may lead to sleep disturbances at night. Therefore, eat the right amount of food at least three hours before bed and reduce fluid intake at night.
While there is a lot of advice out there on what is right and what is wrong, the above tips will ensure you get a good night’s sleep.
1 comment
Hi, thanks for your ideas in the article. In fact, sleep is very important to your productivity, and often all you need is a good bed and a schedule. On rare occasions when you have problems, you can use sleep aids to fix your schedule.