A good night’s sleep is important to overall health and well being. However, many people don’t get the quality sleep needed to enjoy the benefits of sleep. Are you struggling to get quality sleep? If so, read on to find some tips on how to get a good night of restorative sleep. In this article, physiologist Jade Wells offers tips on how to sleep well.
Getting quality sleep can be a challenge. Our emotional health, our fitness, our nutrition, and general well being, comfort and sleep environment have a huge impact on the quality of sleep. This works both ways as a bad night’s sleep can negatively impact the areas we just mentioned. Therefore, a bad night’s sleep can negatively affect your health especially over a long period of time. Ensure that you have the best sleep environment set up with the right mattress. Browse puffy mattress reviews and find the best fit for you.
As such, it is good to visit a GP if you are struggling with sleep to get help. However, before you visit your GP, here are some tips that can help you sleep better at night:
“Sleeping in” on weekends can make it hard for you to wake up earlier on Monday since doing so re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening. If you want to sleep well, go to bed at a certain set time every night and also wake up at a certain set time every morning. Apart from helping you enjoy quality sleep, having such a schedule will also make you more productive during the weekends.
Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise on a daily basis can help you enjoy a good night’s sleep. This is because exercises use up all the energy stored from eating. Exercises also stimulate an adrenaline rush hence keeping your body in an alert state. To get quality sleep, exercise about 5-6 hours before you go to sleep.
Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine are stimulants which can keep you awake as they increase your heart rate and blood pressure. Avoiding caffeine intake can remove the desire for that mid-afternoon pick-me-up cappuccino.
Meditation, reading or a warm bath before going to sleep can help you sleep better. Lavender has a natural soothing scent that can lull you to sleep and is also something worth considering to enjoy quality sleep. Also, train yourself to associated particular restful activities and smells with sleep and include them in your bedtime ritual.
It is a good idea to control your bedroom’s temperature considering the fact that extreme temperatures can hinder sleep quality. You can control your bedroom’s temperature by using air conditioning, opening a window or adapting heaters/thermostat in your bedroom.
Sunlight can make the internal biological clock of your body reset itself every day. Therefore, if possible, wake up with the sun or use very bright lights in the morning. If this is not possible, it may be a good idea to consider buying an alarm clock that mimics the effect of the sun rising.
Light from electronic devices or under the door can disrupt your sleep especially light that keeps on flashing. This is due to the fact that our bodies are naturally programmed to wake up with light. Therefore, if you have a light on any device turn it off to enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Electronics such as phones and laptops emit blue light which can disrupt your sleep. So, it is good to put them down at least an hour before going to sleep. Instead, read a book before going to bed to enjoy quality sleep.
I'm a writer and illustrator. I did graduation in Journalism. For my Postgraduate thesis, I researched on Communicative Science and Disorder.