9 Simple Tips to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep

Does sleep affect your life?

If the answer is yes – it has a crucial impact on both mental and physical health, everyday activities, and communication.

Nowadays people deal with an overwhelming amount of pressure on a regular basis.

At Sleep Healthy Energy, we know that sufficient and satisfactory sleep is required to reduce stress and negative emotions from daily routines. Decent rest at night helps you both recover and boosts your mood. The better your sleep is, the greater the effects on your overall welfare are. Sleepless nights contribute to tension, anxiety, and worries.

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In other words, scarce sleep is no good for you and it’s trouble to cope with.

So, let’s have a look at some helpful suggestions on how to make bedtime complete and always pleasant.

1. Follow a Sleeping Routine

Inconsistent falling asleep and waking up at mornings messes with your circadian rhythm. This is an internal clock, which if out of whack, increases the risk of diseases and worsens your emotional state.

To set a sleeping schedule might look difficult or tedious but if you learn to go to bed and wake up at the same hours every day, your body will stick to a proper and healthy activity rhythm.

Consistency has a positive effect on your sleep. A steady routine makes sleep tight and calm each and every night.

2. Equip a Sleep-friendly Bedroom

To make your bedroom a place for a good rest, keep it cool, around 60 to 67°F (15 to 19°C) for most adults, according to Cleveland Clinic. Everyone loves it when it’s warm and snuggly but a cooler room stands for good sleep.

Also, have you heard of plants beneficial to sleep?

Evidence that houseplants improve sleep is limited. Still, if greenery makes your bedroom feel calmer, it may help you relax and sleep like a baby.

3. Reduce Light

We fall asleep thanks to the hormone melatonin, which our bodies produce when it’s dark. It regulates the internal clock and gives us the signal to fall asleep. Thus, you need darkness in the room before bedtime.

A good tip is to use thick noise-canceling curtains and turn off your lamps at least 30 minutes prior to going to bed. This way you will stop light from blocking melatonin production and thus disturbing your rest.

You should also switch off electronic devices one hour before going to bed to avoid blue light emission which bothers good rest, too. As an example, teens are common to experience problems with bedtime due to overspending time on the computer or in front of the TV.

4. Keep the Right Diet

Well, a known fact is that healthy food leads to healthy sleep. What exactly can one eat to improve sleep?

Choose fruits and vegetables, dairy, fish, whole grains, and low-fat proteins as the main foods in your menu. Avoid a diet low on fiber and rich in saturated fats. It lowers the amount of deep slow-wave sleep.

As a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t drink coffee or alcohol before falling asleep. Caffeine can cause insomnia and jitters, and its effects can last up to 8 hours. Alcohol disturbs sleep and can make sleep apnea symptoms worse.

Leave food aside at least one or two hours before going to bed.

If your stomach is busy while your body is supposed to rest, you are likely to experience irritation, discomfort, or frustration than satisfying sleep.

5. Exercise on a Regular Basis

Staying physically active is one of the habits the CDC recommends for better sleep. According to experts, just three cardio exercises done at home earlier in the evening can help the body and mind relax.

Avoid intense exercise in the hour before bed, though, because it can have the opposite effect. Leave time to unwind between exercise and sleep.

6. Get a Comfortable Bed

Healthy sleeping requires a comfortable body posture.

So, choose the right pillow!

A pillow too soft or too hard can be equally disturbing for different people. Depending on the prevalent sleeping position you have, you might need a different type of pillow. If you sleep on the side, like most people, you should have a pillow that supports your head, neck, and shoulder.

The matress or the bed, in general, should be also specific to you and your preferences.

Custom mattress makers such as Mattress Insider suggest gathering information and discussing your particular needs with a consultant before you choose.

7. Take a Warm Bath

A warm bath or shower before bed can help you relax, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists it among healthy sleep habits. As your body cools down afterward, falling asleep may feel easier.

8. Enjoy Peaceful Music

The right genre makes you carefree and helps you fall asleep in a natural way.

There is a great number of online music platforms, which help you to find and personalize your own playlist for free and it doesn`t take much time or effort. You are provided with the awesome opportunity to choose between the comforting sounds of raindrops, thunderstorms, ocean waves, and more.

9. Avoid Longlasting Naps

Despite the fact that most of us love the middle of the day naps, long or late ones will not work out well for sleep at night. If you nap, keep it to about 20 minutes and take it earlier in the afternoon.

Read Also: How to Create a Sleep Ritual that will Give You More Energy

Final Remarks

All these simple tips teach you how to fall asleep fast and easily and to stop tossing and turning in bed during nighttime. It’s how you get sufficient and complete sleep that has positive effects on your physical and mental health.

On that note, sometimes, you can’t control what’s keeping you up at night. Seek help from your health-care provider if you’re experiencing persistent sleepless nights and certain symptoms, such as loud snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep. These can be symptoms of sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder in which breathing stops again and again during the night.

Aside from making healthy lifestyle choices, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is a common treatment that works well for most people with obstructive sleep apnea, according to MedlinePlus. It involves the use of a sleep aid device such as CPAP machines to prevent apnea episodes and help the patient get quality sleep.

If you suspect that you have sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, consult your doctor immediately. Sleep is essential to your well-being, and anything, especially a sleep disorder, that gets in the way of your sleep should be treated seriously.

Sources

• About Sleep, CDC
• Healthy Sleep Habits, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• What's the Best Temperature for Sleep?, Cleveland Clinic
• Obstructive sleep apnea - adults, MedlinePlus