We all know how important it is to get a good nights sleep and wake up feeling rested and ready for the day ahead. However, getting a good nights sleep is much easier said than done. There are some factors that are out of your control when it comes to getting your rest in. But, there are some things that are within your control that you can be doing to help you get a better sleep at night.
Having a routine by going to bed and waking up at the same
time every day reinforces your sleep-wake cycle. This ensures your body clock
understands when it's supposed to be going to sleep and when it's supposed to
be waking up.
If you aren't falling asleep straight away, it's ok to get
up and go and do something that relaxes you. Then go back to bed when you start
feeling tired again. Repeat this as many times as you need until you
successfully fall asleep. It's important to always aim to get at least 7 hours
of sleep each night.
Staying hydrated throughout the day and evening can also
help you to get a better nights sleep. In addition to this, making sure you're
not starving or overly full when you go to bed can help you get a more restful
sleep. Avoid heavy or large meals two hours before bed time.
Certain beverages such as coffee and alcoholic drinks can
disrupt your quality of sleep through the night making it harder to get a full
7 hours. Try to avoid these drinks from about 2pm onwards.
Physical activity is also a great way to promote a better
nights sleep. Exercising regularly throughout the week ensures you're using up
your energy reserves and making sure you're tired by the time you are ready to
go to bed.
However, it is important to remember not to exercise too
closely to the time that you would normally go to bed. This is because it can
take time for your body to switch from feeling energized to feeling tired after
exercising.
With mobile phones and screens so easily accessible to us,
it's common to be staring at a screen right before going to bed. In order to
get a better nights sleep, try to avoid your phone, screens or other bright
lights if possible.
Give yourself about an hour or so away from things that may
impact your ability to get a good nights sleep. Try doing some yoga, reading a
book or anything else that you find calming and relaxing before jumping into
bed.
As we mentioned previously, doing things that you find to be
relaxing and calming before bed can help to promote a better nights sleep. This
is because it puts your mind and body in a calm state before you even start
trying to sleep.
It's important to make sure your environment is set up to
promote a better nights sleep. Making sure your room is cool, dark and quiet is
the best set up for sleep. This can be done by using block out blinds or an eye
mask, earplugs if necessary as well as a fan or air-conditioning.
The discomfort of a full stomach or an empty one at bedtime
can disrupt your sleep. You know your body better than anyone else, so make
sure not to fill yourself up too close to when you would like to go to sleep.
Alternatively, if you are starving, make sure to have a small snack before
bedtime.
There are a few foods and drinks that also help to promote a better sleep. Chamomile tea has been known to improve sleep quality as well as foods such as fatty fish, almonds and turkey.
This article is loosely based off of Mayo Clinic's 'Sleep Tips: 6 steps to better sleep.' You can read the full article here.