On average, a person spends a third of his life sleeping. We relax, energize, and prepare to meet the new day with renewed vigor at night. But for this, you need to sleep well. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to sleep properly at night. More than 70 million Americans suffer from sleeping problems; this number is huge. Thus, it requires immediate attention.
How To Improve Your Night’s Sleep?
Here are some effective tips that will help you improve your night’s sleep:
1. Manage Your Sleep Time During Day
If your circadian rhythm makes you feel most awake between 7 and 9 a.m., but after 11 a.m., your energy levels begin to decline, you need to sleep during the day. It is better to rest during the day to keep yourself alert throughout the day. However, it is important to manage the sleep time during the day. Get some sleep (if possible) between 13:00 and 15:00.
2. Avoid Alcohol Consumption
Those who suffer from alcohol addiction tend to have disrupted night’s sleep. As a result, frequent night awakenings become a part of their lives. Without proper rest, the health of the whole body deteriorates with time. Thus, you need to quit alcoholism to improve your health condition. You can take assistance from a quality rehab center located near your place.
However, if you cannot pay for rehab, do not worry because there are other ways to finance your treatment. For example, several state-funded fee rehab centers are available at different locations. Contact them and get all information you need to get the treatment started.
3. Don’t Forget About Exercise
2.5 hours of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of more vigorous activity per week will help you fall asleep faster and better. Just don’t exercise right before bed. Exercise will make you hot and sweaty, and you will need extra time to calm down before going to bed. Thus, it is advised to exercise during the day or in the evening and not at the nighttime.
4. Avoid Bright Screens A Few Hours Before Bed
Studies revealed that blue light from device screens prevents us from falling asleep because it stops melatonin production. Unfortunately, this means that TVs, computers, and smartphones are the cause of poor sleep.
So if you have to work late, turn down the brightness of your phone or computer screen to minimize the negative effects of blue light. However, if you can postpone this work till morning, do it for your own health’s sake.
5. Turn On Neutral Sounds Before Bed To Reduce Background Noise
Even when you sleep, your brain is involuntarily listening for sounds that can signal danger. Studies have shown that white noise or natural sounds (such as waves crashing against rocks or falling raindrops) can drown out annoying sounds from noisy night owls, passing cars, or passing planes. Besides, such an atmosphere will also help you sleep better at night.
6. Regulate Your Body Temperature
According to scientists, the temperature should be just above 18 ° C, and the humidity should be about 65%. This is an ideal room condition for healthy sleep. Take care of your body as the circulation of blood is responsible for regulating body temperature.
In case of poor circulation, your body will get cold, making it difficult to fall asleep. A simple solution to this problem is to wear warm socks that will keep your feet warm. Conversely, a duvet that is too warm can also cause poor sleep. Therefore, if you are hot, do not cover your feet with it. With your feet, you can regulate your body temperature.
7. Take A Bath Shortly Before Bed
Numerous studies showed that taking a bath before bed improves the quality of sleep. And although the exact reasons for this positive effect are not yet known, we can assume that the bath and the period after the water procedure mimic the process of changing body temperature before bedtime.
A warm bath artificially raises your body temperature, and when you’re done, the temperature plummets and sends a signal to your brain that you’re ready for bed. Studies show that you will get better sleep at night by eating a small portion (less than 200 calories) of carbohydrate-rich foods.
8. Fill Your Bedroom With Lavender Scent
Wall Street magazine published an experiment conducted by the Glasgow Research Society in 2008 with 12 participants. Volunteers sprayed bed linen with lavender oil, which made it easier for them to fall asleep.
A 2012 Japanese study showed similar results. Try it yourself using a diffuser, lavender pillows, or oil. But beware: The US National Institutes of Health recommend that pregnant women should avoid using lavender.
9. Get Up If You Are Unable To Fall Asleep
Do something that can distract you. But in any case, do not grab a smartphone or laptop. Many people prefer to read, but it’s better to do something that makes your body move so that you want to sleep more quickly. Don’t worry about losing most of the time you might have spent sleeping. Remember, getting up in the middle of the night was once commonplace.
Previously, people’s sleep was divided into “first” and “second” stages, each of which lasted about 4 hours and was interrupted for an hour. They used the time between these two periods for a variety of activities, including reading, smoking, prayer, conversation, and sometimes visiting neighbors.
10. Write Down Your Problems On A Piece Of Paper
If you can’t sleep because you’re worried about problems at work or in your personal life, transfer them to a piece of paper. In a study published in the journal Behavioral Sleep Medicine, researchers divided volunteers into two groups.
Participants in both groups wrote out on a separate sheet three problems that bothered them. But only people in one group who wrote out possible solutions felt more relaxed and peaceful before going to bed and fell asleep better.
We mentioned a list of healthy tips that will help you sleep better at night. You can follow them and notice positive changes in your life yourself.
