Are you tired of twisting and turning on your bed all night and not being able to sleep? Sometimes factors like pressure from work, stress from school, personal responsibilities, physical condition, and even sudden illness can interfere with your sleep immensely. With all these factors in mind, it should not come as a surprise that quality sleep has become elusive for so many people. Some of these factors may be out of control and there is nothing you can do about them. However, there are things that you can do to help you improve the situation.
Have a sleep schedule and adhere to it
The widely recommended hours for sleep by health experts are seven to eight hours. You should set aside at most eight hours of your time for your sleep. Make sure that you have a consistent time that you go to bed and try as much as possible not to stray away from that for more than one hour. Being consistent helps your body reinforce its sleep-wake cycle. If you cannot sleep within 20 minutes of you getting in bed, try to leave your bedroom and do an activity like reading or listen to music. Then go back to bed when you are exhausted.
Watch what you eat and drink
Make sure that you do not go to bed on an empty stomach or a stuffed stomach. Avoid having a heavy meal just before you go to bed because you might get uncomfortable and that discomfort might persist and keep you up. Consider eating more magnesium-rich food to get quality sleep. Also, don’t go to bed hungry because hunger pangs will keep your brain mentally alert which will cause you not to get enough deep sleep at night. You should be cautious of the amount of nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol you consume before going to bed. Nicotine and caffeine have stimulating effects that may take time to wear off thus keeping you awake. Alcohol may make you feel sleepy but it can disrupt your sleep later through an urge to vomit or have a headache from a hangover.
Have a restful environment
Ensure that the room you sleep in has an ideal setting for sleeping. This means that the room should be cool, quiet, and dark. The beddings should be comfortable. Your bed sheets and blankets should be fresh and clean. Make sure that you are using a mattress that has decent mattress reviews your mattress should be firm if you are a stomach sleeper and soft if you are a side sleeper. You should avoid using light-emitting screens just before sleep time. To enhance your sleep, you can use room darkening shades to shield your eyes from the light, earplugs to dim out any noise that may disrupt your sleep, a fan to help lower the temperatures if you live in a hot place or a room heater if you live in a cold place.
Avoid taking daytime naps
Sleeping for more than 30 minutes can affect your sleep at night. If you have to take a nap you should also avoid doing so close to bedtime. Taking a nap for more than 30 minutes or close to bedtime will affect your sleep at night because of diminished sleep drive. If you stay awake for a long period, the desire for sleep increases because of increased adenosine level. But if you take a nap during the day, adenosine and other neurotransmitters that cause sleepiness clear off leaving you unable to sleep at night.
Also Read: Top 5 Subtle Signs You are Suffering from Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea
Do some physical activities in the day
Having regular workouts during the day can help you sleep better. You should however avoid intense workouts close to bedtime. Exercising increases the amount of slow-wave sleep you get. This refers to a deep sleep where your body and brain have an opportunity to strengthen. Working out can also stabilize your mood and decompress your mind which is important for natural transitioning to sleep.
Manage your worries
Try to settle your concerns before going to bed. You can write down what’s on your mind and try to set it aside for the next day. You can try to meditate to help your mind be at ease or try and implement some stress management tips such as getting organized and delegating tasks.
Also Read: 9 Things to Help You Sleep at Night
Conclusion
Quality sleep is paramount if you want to have a productive day tomorrow. If some of these tips don’t improve your sleep you should consider seeking medical advice.
