Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial for your overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, many people don’t get the amount of sleep they need each night. This can lead to a number of physical health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and more. Lack of sleep can also cause irritability, anxiety, poor judgment, and even depression. A good night’s sleep can improve your memory, creativity, productivity, and decision-making skills. It also helps to regulate your emotions and keep you alert. Sleep is vitally important to our overall wellbeing, so if you are having trouble, here are some tips on how to organize your day so that you can get the most out of your hours of slumber!
Sleeping Habits
The best way to get more sleep may seem simple but is effective – by waking up later or going to bed earlier than usual, you can add an hour or two to your sleep schedule. Part of your schedule should include a nightly routine to help your body know it is time to go to sleep. Reading books, taking a shower, meditating, or just taking time to reflect on your day are all good ways to calm your body down. During the hour before you go to sleep, it is important to minimize the use of electronics.
Electronics can stimulate your brain and make it difficult to fall asleep. The blue light emitted from electronics screens can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle. If you’re using a device late at night, consider installing an app that filters out this kind of light or turns down the settings’ brightness. It is best to just keep off of devices, including TVs, at least an hour before you go to bed.
How to Fall Asleep Faster
In addition to a nightly routine that cues your body and mind that sleep is coming, another key component is creating an environment conducive to sleeping. This may include using a noise machine to listen to calming sounds, using aromatherapy, and maintaining a cool, comfortable room temperature. If you are still having trouble falling asleep within 30 minutes of going to bed, get up and do something relaxing until you feel tired again before trying to sleep.
There are a handful of steps that you can take during the day that can pave the way for better sleep at night.
- Exercise Regularly
People who exercise regularly sleep better than those who don’t. Exercise stimulates your body and mind, so it’s important to make sure that you get enough physical activity during the day in order to get some quality shut-eye at night. Exercising also releases endorphins which help improve moods while decreasing stress levels – both of these things can contribute towards making an individual feel more relaxed before bedtime.
- Get Outside
Our internal clocks are regulated by light exposure. Sunlight has the strongest effect, so try to take in daylight first thing in the morning and throughout your day. Exposure to sunlight during daylight hours can help you fall asleep faster at night, sleep more soundly for longer periods of time, and wake up feeling more refreshed than if it hadn’t been exposed earlier on in the day.
- Limit Your Caffeine
Caffeinated drinks, including coffee, tea, and sodas, are among the most popular beverages in the world. Some people are tempted to use the jolt of energy from caffeine to try to overcome daytime sleepiness, but that approach isn’t sustainable and can cause long-term sleep deprivation. To avoid this, keep an eye on your caffeine intake and especially avoid it later in the day, as it can be a barrier to falling asleep. Caffeine can be a good thing, and just remember to remind yourself to cut back as the day progresses. So how much caffeine is too much? As a general rule, you should really only consume about 200 milligrams of caffeine per day. That’s about two cups of coffee or four cups of tea.
If you’re having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, there are many products on the market that can help, including natural and pharmaceutical. More natural sleep-encouraging supplements include melatonin, magnesium, chamomile, valerian root, and glycine. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle and is available over the counter.
Magnesium deficiency has been linked to insomnia, so taking a magnesium supplement can help you relax and improve your sleep quality. Chamomile is a natural sedative that has been used for centuries to promote relaxation. Valerian root is also a sedative and has been shown to be as effective as some prescription medications in treating insomnia. Glycine is an amino acid that can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night. If the natural path does not work for you, there are over-the-counter sleep aids that have been effective for some people and are non-habit-forming. If you’re still struggling with your sleep, don’t hesitate to consult your doctor, who can prescribe something if needed.
Another part of getting a good night’s sleep could include tracking your sleep, especially if you don’t feel well-rested when you wake up. There are devices and apps that track your sleep and sleep cycle. Tracking your sleep can show you if you are waking up and possibly why. Some of the sleep cycle apps track your sleep and wake you up at the optimal time in your REM cycle to ensure you feel well-rested.
Getting enough sleep is the most important factor in our daily routines because it helps you to stay focused on everyday tasks, and it also has many benefits for your health. So how much sleep do you actually need? Most people need around eight hours of sleep per night in order to feel their best. Depending on your age and health conditions, you may need more or less sleep.
Using the methods above should positively affect your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Sleep should be a priority and we often forget to remind ourselves of that. Whatever you do, keep trying and find what works best for you and stick to it!
Check out our other blogs: News Archives – Operation Red Wings Foundation
