Sleep is undoubtedly one of the many things people consider as a “luxury” in life. After all, when one becomes an adult, being able to freely sleep as one wishes can’t exactly be accomplished without risking being late or absent for work. As such, chances of actual proper sleep are considered “miracles” by a lot of people. However, sometimes there really are instances when opportunities to sleep come by but aren’t maximized – and the result is yet another round of sleep that wasn’t as relaxing as one wishes. However, did you know there are actually the best ways to help get a better night sleep for better health?
The Reality Of Sleep Disorders: Not As Uncommon As You Think
If you think you have a sleeping disorder, or if you’ve been diagnosed with a sleeping disorder, you’re not exactly alone. In fact, in the United States alone, there are 50- to 70-million adults that report to having a sleeping disorder – such as snoring, insomnia, unintentionally falling asleep in the day, drowsy driving, or even obstructive sleep apnea. 37- to 40-percent of individuals 20 to 59 years of age also report having short sleep, with 35.3-percent of adults reporting even less than seven (7) hours of sleep in a typical day.
Smarter Sleeping: Getting Better Night Sleep
Sleep is perhaps one of the most important things one could do to relax, recharge, and prepare for another day ahead. Jokes about adults and sleep aside, getting a relaxing sleep is essential to be able to perform – especially at work, at school, or basically at any activity everyday. Things such as good pillows reviewed by sensei reviews, a proper pre-sleep routine, or even some healthy activities can help make sleeping a more relaxing experience for you. Here are the best ways to help get a better night sleep for better health:
Take note, try to synchronize with your natural sleeping-waking cycle: The body’s circadian rhythm or natural sleep-wake cycle is perhaps one of the most important and efficient strategies of getting a good night sleep. If you do your best to keep a regular schedule of sleeping and waking, you’re more likely going to feel much more energized and refreshed compared to if you just sleep the same number of hours in different times.
- Try your best to get up and go to sleep at the same time each day, even on weekends. This allows your body to have its internal clock “adjusted” to further optimize the kind of sleep quality you’ll be getting. You’ll notice this once you start waking up at your supposed time of waking even without the aid of your alarm clock. If you still find yourself in need of an alarm clock, you may need an earlier sleeping time.
- Try not to sleep in over the weekend as you’re likely to get “jet lag” and not wake up when you’re supposed to. Try to get a daytime nap instead, so you won’t have to disturb your natural “rhythm.” However, if you feel as though napping can make your schedule worse, try to schedule these naps to 15 to 20-minute spurts instead.
Control your light exposure to condition your body to sleep: When you get exposed to less light, your body releases a hormone called melatonin. The more melatonin you have in the body, the more sleepy you get. It also produces less melatonin with more light, making you much more alert. Likewise, you can “manipulate” your body into wanting to sleep by trying to manipulate your exposure to light.
- Try as much as possible to get yourself exposed to bright sunlight or the light indoors during the morning and daylight. If possible, have coffee outside or eat your breakfast near a sunny spot – as this can help you wake up much better. If you have your workspace close to natural light, the better as sunlight can get you energized.
- Likewise, avoid bright light a few hours before sleeping. Your television, computer, tablet, or phone light – especially the screen – can be extremely disruptive and detrimental to your sleep. If you know you’re about to sleep, keep everything dark.
Try to maintain a regular exercise routine: If you have plans on working out, it might be best to start early as it can actually help you get better sleep. Not only can exercise help improve sleep apnea and insomnia symptoms, exercise actually helps you spend more time in deep sleep – and therefore increase your sleep quality.
- Try to find ways to rigorously exercise, as this gets you the best sleep benefits. Even then, just light exercise like walking can even get you improved sleep.
- Build an exercise habit that you’ll be able to do consistently, as it’s only through consistent exposure to a routine can your body start fully adjusting to a much better sleeping period.
Try to maintain a good diet: Likewise, just like how regular exercise can help improve sleep, so does a healthy diet. Your eating habits during the daytime can greatly influence how you sleep, especially in the hours before you sleep.
- Don’t drink too much caffeine and nicotine, as they’re known to cause sleep problems even after 10 to 12 hours of drinking it. So time your kimbo coffee and smoking wisely (and be responsible with the latter!)
- Don’t eat big meals at night. If you can make dinnertime happen during the evening, the better.
- Don’t drink too much liquids during the night, as these can cause frequent sleep interruptions because of having to visit the bathroom.
Clear your head and wind down: Perhaps one of the most important aspects of getting good sleep is to actually condition your mind that you’re about to sleep. Residual anger, worry, and stress can make it extremely difficult for you to get the kind of sleep you need.
- Try to count sheep if you feel as though chronic worrying or anxiety is starting to interrupt your sleep cycle. If you feel as though stress at school, with family, or with work is making you neglect sleep, perhaps you should try managing your stress first before tackling your sleep. A better outlook on stress and finding better ways to manage it can then lead you to find ways to manage your sleep.
- Try to slow down on your tasks during the night before you sleep. Set aside specific times for tasks such as e-mails, checking phones and social media. Don’t let your mind be accustomed to find fresh stimulation, as you may end up not being able to sleep at all.
- Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation in order to condition your body to sleep. The latter is done by first tensing your muscles and then relaxing them slowly, working from your toes up to your head.
The Takeaway: Smarter Sleeping Starts With Proper Habits
Some statistics state that people generally start needing less sleep by the time they start maturing and growing into adults – but regardless of your age, sleep, especially proper sleep, appears to have long-lasting benefits that can affect your overall performance in your daily activities. Given how much these are important in terms of not just your livelihood but also things such as self-image and personal development, paying attention to how you sleep and making ways to improve it is a way of self-care you should prioritize. As as we all know the famous saying Early to sleep early to rise really works much better even you can also take it as early to rise helps you to early to sleep so i world suggest you to gift yourself a good alarm clock here is very nice list of Best Alarm Clock For Heavy Sleepers Hopefully the above tips were able to give you a gist of what the best ways to help get a better night sleep are for better health.
Zoe Nielson
Zoe has always had an eye for detail. Currently writing for Sensei Reviews, she doesn’t want any consumer left in the dark about a product or industry. When Zoe isn’t writing meticulous and informational reviews for the people, she enjoys spending time with friends and reading.