Sleep Well Tonight | Tips for a Better Night's Rest
Sleep is one of the most important parts of your overall health and wellness. In the physical sense, sleep gives your body a chance to rest and recover from the things that you’ve done during the day, while also improving your immune system.
Good sleep is also an important part of your mental and emotional well-being, as scientists have proven that REM sleep, which occurs when you dream, gives your brain a chance to process emotions and deep thoughts.
Unfortunately, many people don’t get enough sleep. In addition to the millions of people who don’t sleep enough hours per night, millions more report that they don’t get good enough sleep. Poor sleep quality is linked directly to productivity, stress levels, and physical ailments.
Are you one of the millions of people who deal with poor sleep hygiene? If so, these tips for getting better sleep can help you wake up feeling rested and ready to face the day.
Set a Schedule
Of all the tips for getting better sleep, setting a sleep schedule may be the most important. Your sleep hygiene, which refers to the environment you sleep in and the quality of your sleep, largely depends on circadian rhythms. The best way to get a handle on those rhythms is to get on a consistent sleep schedule.
Setting your sleep schedule begins before your head ever hits your pillow. Most of us have a nightly routine that we go through before bed.
Whether it’s washing your face and brushing your teeth, or reading a book for an hour before you call it a night, start doing those things at the same time every evening. When you do those things and then get in your bed, your brain will start associating those tasks with sleep.
In addition to your pre-sleep routine and lying down around the same time each day, try waking up around the same time every morning. This isn’t always easy, especially if you get up early five days a week for work. It’s so tempting to sleep in when the weekend rolls around, but doing so messes up your circadian rhythm.
If your current sleep schedule is erratic, don’t try to make huge changes all at once.
If you’ve been staying awake until after midnight, it’s not reasonable to expect your brain to get used to going to bed at 10 PM over the course of two or three days. You may have to slowly integrate your new sleep schedule into your routine.
Nap With Caution
Few things feel better than wrapping up a long day at work and coming home to get a good nap. However, these naps may have a negative impact on your sleep quality. Not only do naps make it harder to fall asleep at night, but they also make it more difficult to fall into deep, REM sleep.
If you’re trying to figure out how to sleep better, you don’t have to give up napping altogether. Instead, you need to be strategic about when you nap and how long you stay asleep.
If you must nap, try to do so early in the afternoon so your body will have more time to get back around to needing sleep at night. Also, try to avoid naps that last longer than 30 minutes.
Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule. For instance, when you’re sick, your body needs more rest, which makes napping a necessity. However, napping shouldn’t be part of your daily routine if you’re healthy and figuring out how to get better sleep.
Turn Down the Lights
Most people don’t like sleeping in a bright room, but dimming the lights before you go to bed is a great way to help your brain get into sleep mode.
Between 30 and 60 minutes before bed, try to cut the lights down in whatever room you’re in. While you don’t have to sit in total darkness, consider turning on a lamp to give you enough light.
Once you go to bed, resist the urge to turn on the television to help you wind down. In addition to keeping your brain engaged with what’s happening on the screen, the light will make your brain think that it’s time to be awake.
Your body is naturally wired to sleep when it’s dark and be awake when it’s light, which is why people who work the night shift have such difficulties getting their sleep schedules in order. Dimming the lights before transitioning to darkness for bedtime allows your brain to pick up on what’s happening.
Turn off the Screen
Television screens aren’t the only disturbance to your sleep. Most of us have a cell phone close by at all times, even when we’re trying to get to sleep. Experts agree that putting a personal limit on your screen time is an important part of getting quality sleep.
There’s nothing wrong with scrolling through your social media feeds or playing your favorite games in the evenings, but sleep experts agree that putting your phone down at least 30 minutes before bed is a good idea.
In addition to the mental engagement associated with using your phone, cell phones also emit blue light which causes the brain to produce melatonin. Melatonin is known as the “happiness chemical” in your brain, and surges in this chemical can make you feel more awake and alert.
Invest in a Good Pillow
As we briefly mentioned earlier, sleep hygiene also refers to the environment in which you sleep. With this in mind, it’s important that you’re sleeping on pillows that promote comfort. Becoming uncomfortable in your sleep doesn’t always wake you up, but it does lead to restlessness, which is the enemy of quality sleep.
In addition to getting a good pillow, make sure you have a mattress that’s conducive to your comfort. If a new mattress isn’t in the budget, consider investing in a mattress topper.
So much of your sleep quality is based on your mental processing, and when your brain associates your bed with comfort and rest, you’ll be able to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Watch What You Eat (and Drink)
Coffee, some teas, soda, and other stimulants can leave you feeling awake and even agitated for hours after you consume them.
This becomes even more problematic if you have multiple servings of caffeine and other stimulants every day.
It’s worth noting here that beverages aren’t the only obstacle to sleep. If you eat a lot of foods that are high in sugar, you may find yourself struggling to wind down, even though your body breaks down sugar faster than it does caffeine.
This doesn’t mean that you never drink coffee or have a candy bar. However, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not consuming those things late in the afternoon or the evening.
Prioritize Comfort
Some people prefer to sleep in a cool environment while others prefer warmth.
If you share your sleeping space with someone else, this one can be a bit tricky to master, but if you’re sleeping by yourself, take whatever steps you need to take to prioritize your comfort.
If you need it cool, invest in some thin bedding and turn the thermostat down. Conversely, if you need a warm environment to sleep, get some heavy blankets and turn the temperature up a bit.
Be Active
Finally, one of the best things you can do to get better sleep is to be active throughout the day. When you feel tired, it’s your body’s way of telling you that it needs rest. Whether it involves going to the gym or just taking a walk around the block, physical activity promotes sleep.
Sleep is your body’s way of healing itself from the things that it’s done during the day.
If you spend your day sitting at a computer for work and then come home to spend the evening sitting on the couch watching TV, your body won’t need as much rest and recovery. Being active whenever possible helps your body need sleep.
Sleep Well!
The path to better sleep is not linear. You may have to spend some time figuring out what works for you and what doesn’t.
Implementing these tips and adapting as you go will put you in a position to sleep better and feel better.