We often underestimate the power of sleep but it’s important to know that it’s just as vital as a healthy diet and regular exercise. It’s also an essential factor in improving our physical and mental health. But a good fraction of the population is regularly deprived of quality sleep. And if you are one of them, you’ve stumbled on the perfect blog post.
Tips to sleep better at night
Here are proven healthy sleep tips to make a good night’s sleep better!
Light exposure during the day
The body has a natural clock known as circadian rhythm. This affects the brain, body, and hormones. It also tells your body when to stay awake and when it’s time to sleep.
Natural sunlight during the day keeps the circadian rhythm healthy, improves daytime energy and nighttime sleep quality.
People with insomnia have seen improvements in sleep quality due to ti increase bright light exposure. So if you want better nighttime sleep, try getting a good dose of sunlight exposure during the day. If can’t, you can always in an artificial bright light device.
Reduce blue light exposure
Natural light and blue light exposure are two completely different things. One is beneficial to have a good sleep, while the other has the opposite effect. This is still because of the circadian rhythm, telling your brain that it’s still daytime and it’s not the time to sleep yet.
Blue light can be found in large amounts in electronic devices like smartphones and computers. And we are all guilty of lounging in bed, smartphone or laptop in hand, waiting for sleep to take over. The fact is it doesn’t help with sleep but instead tricks our brain into thinking it’s sill daytime.
Here are some popular methods to reduce blue light exposure:
- Wear blue light blocking glasses
- Install blue light blocking applications on your laptops, computers, or phones.
- Refrain from using your tech devices (smartphones, TVs, laptops, computers) 2 hours before heading to bed.
No caffeine late in the day
In the U.S alone, 90% of adults regularly consume caffeine. A single dose can boost focus, energy, and even sports performance. So you can only imagine what happens when you drink one so close to nighttime.
When consuming caffeine during the late hours of the day, it stimulates your nervous system and stops your body from relaxing at night. It also stays in the blood for up to 6 to 8 hours. All of these are factors to a bad sleep quality at night.
If you are sensitive to caffeine or have sleeping troubles, we recommend you avoid drinking caffeine after 3 to 4 p.m.
Practice consistent sleep and wake time
The body’s natural clock, the circadian rhythm, functions on a loop, according itself to the sunrise and sunset. And when you have a consistent and regular sleeping schedule, your sleepy quality is more likely to improve.
Try and keep your weekday sleep and wake time consistent even during the weekends. So no matter how tempting it is to stay up late and binge-watch your favorite season, refrain from doing so to avoid breaking your sleep schedule.
One of the best things to come out of a regular and consistent sleep schedule is once your body has established a schedule, you will no longer be needing an alarm as your body automatically wakes up on its own.
Fix your bedroom environment
Some people believe in the power of setting the atmosphere for improved sleep. These include the room’s temperature, noise, external lights, and even furniture arrangement.
External noises, such as traffic or cars constantly passing by, can cause low sleep quality.
Optimize your bedroom environment by minimizing external noise, light, and other artificial lights. One general rule of thumb is to keep your bedroom quiet, relaxing, and clean.
One factor included here would also be your bed, mattress, and pillow.
You might wonder why you sleep better in hotels. The bed, the mattress, and the pillows might be the reason why.
New beddings can enhance sleep. So if you’ve been wanting to change for some time now, this is the sign to do so. Aside from that, poor-quality beddings can also increase lower back pain.
Relaxing bath before bed
One of the most popular ways to sleep better is taking bath or shower. In one study, a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime is said to improve sleep quality and help individuals to enjoy deeper sleep.
Refrain from eating late
Those night cravings might be the cause of you staring at your ceiling until sunrise. Late night meals have a negative effect on sleep quality and the natural release of HGH and melatonin.
However, this entirely depends on the quality and type of late-night meal. One study concludes that a high carb meal 4 hours before bed helps people to fall asleep faster while another study highlights that a low carb diet improves sleep, expressing that carbs aren’t always necessary.
