Getting a good night’s sleep is extremely important for your health and wellbeing. It’s essential that you prioritize your sleep to recharge your mind and body, which results in you functioning properly. Obtaining good Z’s also helps improve your concentration, productivity, and performance, plus it enables the body to stave off illness and heart disease. Use these tips to get a good night’s sleep.
- Try to stick to a sleep schedule. Go to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. The key is consistency.
- Did you know the stimulating effects of caffeine can take hours to wear off? If you want to have a quality night’s rest, avoid caffeine and alcohol a few hours before you climb into bed. You might even need to stop drinking caffeine after noon if you’re very sensitive.
- Avoid light-emitting screens and blue light exposure before bed. Watching tv might impact your body’s circadian rhythm and trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime. You want your body to produce melatonin at night naturally. You can also look into apps and products such as f.lux or blue-blocking glasses to reduce nighttime blue light exposure.
- If you have trouble sleeping, avoid daytime naps since they can confuse your internal clock. If you do nap during the day, make it a short power nap.
- Do relaxing things before bed. Don’t watch a thriller movie or read the news before hitting the mattress. Instead, listen to soothing music, take a bath, meditate, or practice deep breathing. Taking a hot bath about two hours before bed can significantly improve overall sleep efficiency. According to Quartz, our body temperature is at its lowest during nighttime, meaning the body temperature needs to lower in order to get good sleep. After a hot bath or shower, your blood flow brings the heat from the core to the surface, which causes a drop in body temperature.
- Make sure your room is extremely dark. This sends a signal to your brain that it’s time for sleep.
- Keep your room cold, usually around 69° or 70°. If your body temperature is too hot, it can decrease sleep quality.
- Train your brain. Negative thoughts about sleep can often worsen insomnia and cause more difficulty sleeping. To avoid triggering your stress response try recognizing the negative thoughts and altering them. Instead of “I must get eight hours of sleep,” try replacing it with “sleep requirements vary from person to person, and I will be okay, and most people don’t need eight hours to function the next day.”
- Start your mornings greeting the sun. Within an hour of waking up, try to get 30 minutes of direct sunlight. Considering we are biologically wired to sync up with the sun, being exposed to natural sunlight or bright light during the day helps us get more solid sleep.
- People discovered their sleep improved when using weighted blankets. After testing different weights and dimensions, Jennifer Adams, Interior Design Pro, found just the right fit to calm your nervous system and help you sleep better. Experience a sense of peace and cocoon-like sleep at the end of a long day with this Premium Weighted Blanket.