10 Tips on Getting a Better Nights Sleep
Posted by Michelle on Apr 09, 2020
10 Tips on Getting a Better Nights Sleep
We can all have a pretty hectic lifestyle, complete with work and family commitments. Sometimes this can leave you a bit frazzled at the end of the day, and all you want is a good sleep. Here are ten tips to help you feel rested and revived after a great night’s sleep.
Tip 1. Exercise daily
Studies have shown that long-term exercise regimens, even if low impact and low intensity, can help to relieve stress and contributes to better sleeping patterns in the long run.
Going to the gym or going for a run during the day is a great idea and you should aim to do it as much as possible. Try going for a walk in your local park or down by a river, it's very relaxing!
Tip 2. Cut The Caffeine
Cut caffeine completely, or if you can’t, don’t have any after 3pm. It may be impossible to survive without that morning coffee, but considering that caffeine stays in your system for up to 5 hours, try to confine your caffeine intake to the morning hours.
Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 5 hours. Caffeine is notorious for it's impact on your sleep as it increases the number of times you awake at night. This decreases the total amount of sleep time you get and interrupts the quality of your sleep
Tip 3. Eat Healthy Food at Regular Times
Larger meals early in the day will help provide you with the energy you need to get through the day, and smaller dinners will help you by giving your body less work to do at night, less energy when you should be winding down, and more impetus to have breakfast the next morning, as your body will actually crave the energy.
Tip 4. Embrace the Light!
In other words, try to get up when it’s light, and go to bed when it’s dark. It’s not that simple, obviously, as life makes other plans for you, but making light work for you will help. Get as much light as you can first thing in the morning by opening the curtains as soon as you get up, and start toning the artificial lights down a couple of hours before bed.
If you don't know already, there is a setting you can activate on your phone to reduce blue light, which is proven to be bad for your sleep. Simply go to your settings on your phone and find the display section and select the night light setting or something similar to that.
Tip 5. Only Use Your Bed For Bedtime Activities
There are only two that are acceptable. Sleep, and the other one… you know what I’m talking about. Don’t watch TV, read, or eat in bed. These things only encourage your body to think of bed as a place to be awake. While reading or watching TV can help relax you before bed, it's best to do it elsewhere.
Tip 6. Use Your Nose!
Find a scent that relaxes you and introduce that smell into your bedroom at bedtime. You can do this by using hand or face creams or balms, candles, or essential oils. Make sure that you use this relaxing scent only at bedtime, and your body will learn to associate it with your sleep cycle.
Tip 7. Embrace Technologies That Relax You
Embrace technologies that can help you to wind down. There are some fantastic technologies available that are specifically created to assist in your relaxation. Like I mentioned before, there are programs that change the lighting on your computer or phone to reduce blue light or match your surroundings brightness level. You can also get white noise/natural noise programs that can lull you into a relaxed state.
Tip 8. Drink!
Drink hot water with honey and lemon or a herbal tisane before bed and make sure it doesn’t contain caffeine! Try valerian or chamomile blends, as these herbs have been known to actively help with relaxation. Warm milk is also good for helping you to relax, and it’s delicious too!
Tip 9. Outlaw The Snooze Button
If you are a serial snoozer, this could be seriously impacting on your quality of rest. Essentially, you are waking yourself to a point of restlessness and staying there for a prolonged period. If you need an alarm to wake you, train yourself to get up as soon as the alarm goes off. It will help your body clock establish a routine, and will help your brain wake up more quickly.
Tip 10. Establish A Sleep Cycle
Try to get up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on the weekends. This can be painful, especially if you love sleeping in on the weekends, but in the long run, it will help to establish a much more stable sleep cycle that your body will learn to rely on. Having a reliable body clock increases the possibility of improved sleep. Try to get up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on the weekends.
And there you go!
10 tips to make sure you have the best sleep possible! If you have any other questions about getting a better nights sleep or have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! You can simply contact us via email or give us a call! You can get our details here.
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