11 Tips for Better Sleep at Night
Sleep plays a most crucial role in your better health, daily functioning routine, emotional balance, and your weight and aging. Adults require seven to nine hours of sleep each night to feel well-refreshed and re-energized.
Here are simple tips for healthy sleep that will help you sleep better, boost your health, and be more energetic and productive during the day.
1. Sleep-wake Schedule
Circadian rhythm (natural sleep-wake cycle schedule) is one of the most important strategies for good night sleep. Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time each day (may alter sleep schedule time by an hour). It will help you feel much more refreshed and energized.
2. Increase Daylight Exposure
Daylight exposure helps keep your circadian rhythm healthy and regulates the Melatonin hormone (It is found naturally in the body, regulate sleep-wake cycles).
Anxiety and Insomnia symptoms could improve with daylight exposure. This study suggests that exposure to scheduled daylight in the morning will help in resetting your circadian rhythm.
People with sleeping disorders have low levels of melatonin. Melatonin supplements are popular sleep aid. Adding melatonin from supplements might help sleep faster and better.
3. Exercise Regularly
People who exercise regularly sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day. Regular exercise can help to relieve stress and can lead to a good night’s sleep.
A regular exercise routine can contribute to healthier, more restful sleep, also improves the symptoms of insomnia, and increases the amount of quantity and quality of sleep.
4. Don’t Eat Just Before Going To Bed
Eating big meals just before going to bed might cause acid reflux and indigestion, which can make it hard to fall asleep. In case if you’re not having any issues with acid reflux or indigestion, there’s no need to change your nighttime eating habits.
5. Avoid Drinking Too Many Fluids
Drinking water is one natural way to help detox the body and improve digestion, but drinking or intake of a lot of liquids just before sleeping time can interrupt your sleep cycle. So, minimize drinking water or any other fluids intake before sleeping hour to prevent waking up at night.
6. Avoid Consuming Alcohol, Caffeine, and Nicotine
Alcohol may seem to help you fall asleep initially, but overall it is more disruptive to sleep patterns resulting in poor sleep.
Caffeine stimulates your nervous system and may stop your body from naturally relaxing at night. Instead of caffeine, prefer to have warm milk before bed.
Nicotine is a stimulant. Nicotine disrupts sleep, and smoking can also raise the risk of developing sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea. Therefore, people who smoke tend to take a longer time to fall asleep.
7. Ditch The Blue Light
Using light-emitting electronic devices before bedtime may contribute to worsening sleep problems. Exposure to blue light wavelengths from these electronic devices may affect sleep by suppressing melatonin, and reducing melatonin can cause poor sleep.
8. Limit Daytime Naps
Daytime naps can increase performance, make you feel refreshed and more productive, but long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep also cause sleep inertia. So limit your napping time up to 30 minutes and avoid long daytime naps for better sleep.
9. Reduce Mental Stress for better sleep
Residual stress, worries, and anger from your day can make it very difficult to sleep well. Try these simple tips to manage your overall stress levels for better sleep.
- Take a hot or warm bath
- Listen to calming music.
- Try reading a book that makes you feel relaxed.
- Use a relaxation technique such as deep breathing or meditation.
10. Improve your sleep environment
Make sure your room is the perfect sleep environment. These factors include temperature, noise, lights. Few key points or tips to consider when creating the right sleep environment to improve your sleep.
- Keep your room dark, cool, and calm.
- Keep the lights dim and avoid bright screens before going to your bed.
- Get a comfortable bed, mattress, and pillow.
11. Try Breathing and Stretching Exercises
Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation and stretching exercises before bedtime. It can help to relax your muscles, body and mind balance, and relieve stress in the body.
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