As we celebrate the start of a new year, most individuals resolve to lead a healthier life. If this is your goal in 2021, it’s important to know that getting enough sleep is also integral to a healthier life. Ideally, every adult needs to sleep between 7 and 9 hours every night to achieve optimal sleep and overall wellness.
However, this is easier said than done. Therefore, if you’ve been struggling to improve your sleep quality, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s an in-depth guide on some valuable tips to implement, thereby start enjoying better quality sleep.
- Ensure Your Bedroom Is Comfortable And Restful
Your bedroom’s ambiance greatly affects the quality of your sleep. Because of this, your main goal should be creating an environment that’s peaceful and silent. And if you’re struggling to create a quiet environment, the best thing to do would be to buy sleep earplugs. With these devices, you’ll be guaranteed there won’t be any outside distraction that might distract you from sleeping.
Another thing you need to do is making sure your bedroom isn’t overexposed to light. It would be best if you also desisted from the habit of using light-emitting screens before going to bed. Once you do this, your bedroom becomes a restful and comfortable environment, and thus promotes sleep.
- Create A Sleep Schedule
Having a sleeping schedule is also a crucial step in helping you improve the quality of your sleep. The best way to achieve this is by aiming to sleep at the same time. And while this might be a challenge during the weekends, you should try to make sure the difference between sleeping time doesn’t exceed an hour. By implementing such measures, you’ll be able to strengthen the sleep-wake cycle of your body.
A great way to help you stick to a specific sleep schedule is by doing certain activities that act as signals that prepare your mind and body for sleep. This includes taking a bath, reading a book, or listening to soothing music.
- Avoid The Use of Electronics Before Bedtime
Electronics are notorious for creating anxiety and excitement that then destroy your sleep. Therefore, you need to steer clear of all electronic gadgets such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets at least one hour before going to bed. Doing this is crucial since these gadgets produce blue light that slows melatonin production, a sleep hormone, thereby keeping you distracted and awake for longer.
- Make Sure To Always Workout
Another often overlooked way to achieving better quality sleep is by exercising. This doesn’t necessarily have to be intense workout routines, but simple things such as a casual walk each day is enough to make it easier to sleep. Exercise achieves this by increasing the effects of the body’s sleep hormones, including melatonin. As a result, you’ll have an easier time falling asleep.
Because exercising can be stimulating, you should avoid working out too close to your bedtime. Instead, you should try and exercise in the morning hours.
- Make Your Bedroom A Sleep Haven
For you to enjoy better quality sleep, make sure to make your bedroom into a sleep haven. This means freeing your bedroom from all the stressors troubling you during the day. To attain this, consider investing in a high-quality bed, ideally one with upholstered headboards or made with solid wood and not metal beds. You should also buy a mattress, sheet, and pillows of exceptional quality.
With a supportive and cool mattress, you won’t feel sweaty during the night and will be free from any aches the following day.
- Monitor Your Food Intake
It’s important not to go to bed hungry or too full. Eating too much food before sleeping is especially not advised since it might cause you great discomfort, thereby hindering you from enjoying quality sleep. This means you shouldn’t eat any large meal for two or three hours before going to bed. In case you feel slightly hungry, only take a small healthy snack, such as a couple of whole-wheat crackers.
- Manage Your Worries
Stresses you deal with during the day might spill over to the night and affect you from having a quality sleep. This is because stress is a stimulus, meaning it activates the fight-or-flight hormones which start operating against your sleep. Therefore, it’s critical to come up with some ways of managing your daytime stresses.
Some of the stress management techniques that can help you de-stress include medication, setting priorities, doing breathing exercises, and being organized. By doing this, you’ll be able to ease your anxieties and, in turn, improve the quality of your sleep.
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