10 Sleep Improvement Tips

Sleep is one of the most important pillars of health along with nutrition and exercise. Unfortunately, many people cannot fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up fully rested. Poor sleep does not just make you sleepy, but it also affects mood, memory, focus, productivity, and even long-term health. The good news is that simple yet practical strategies can improve both quality and quantity of sleep. Here are ten tips for better sleep and waking refreshed.

 Stick With a Sleep Schedule 

You have an internal clock, called the circadian rhythm. The light exposure and the routine dictate your body's sleep and wake cycles. Ensure you go to bed and get up consistently on all days, even weekends: this puts your body to sleep naturally. When you go to sleep at irregular hours, for instance, your brain has trouble knowing when to release the sleep hormone melatonin. Establish a fixed sleep schedule, keep it as regular as possible, and you will improve sleep quality.

Develop a Soothing Nighttime Routine  

It's essential to take a while to relax your mind and body before sleeping. Resting immediately after work, engaging with social media, or watching TV while in bed keeps your mind active. Incorporating a slow routine helps your body know when it needs to go into rest mode. Simple actions like reading, gentle stretching, meditation, journaling, or listening to soft music will do the trick. Refrain from engaging in stimulating activities, such as video games or emails, as those will do the opposite.  

Restrict Screen Exposure Before Sleeping  

Screens have the capacity to produce blue light, which can hamper the body’s production of melatonin which is essential in the body at the time of sleep. Phones, laptops, and TV at odd hours can make the sleep-wake cycle lose rhythm. It is a widely accepted notion to refrain from screens at least an hour before sleeping. If it is unavoidable, wearing blue-light-locking glasses and turning on the “night mode” to screens will reduce blue light exposure.

Tweak your Sleep Surroundings

The overtone of your sleep environment matters a lot when it comes to how well you sleep. A dark, quiet, and a little on the colder side environment makes for the quality of sleep. In this, perhaps, blackout curtains, the use mattress and a pillow that adequately and suited to one’s body, earplugs and white noise machines, or anything that dampens and makes quiet noise, too, come for the record. A room that is kept on the colder side,  diminishing the thermometer to 18-20 Degrees Celsius, is also valuable.  

Monitor Your Diet and Caffeine Intake

Your meals have an impact on your sleep. Eating large portions close to bedtime can render one restless, due to discomfort and a plethora of heavy and debilitating meals. It would suffice to say, though, that caffeine is the more aggressor, among the two, as it is a different class. Caffeine is a stimulant, thus, and due to not being a diuretic, nor helping the body free moderate a body’s temperature, stays, or remains, in the bloodstream for hours as it does cycle sleep. When it comes to helping sleep, is it not a must that caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks, or any form of caffeine consumption, really) is introduced a minimum of six hours, before a sleeping pattern is to begin. It is a popular sight to see that alcohol may push you, initially, to a sleepy state, but does ruin deep sleep later in the night.

Get Regular Exercise

Taking a stroll or a jog may sound obvious, but exercise promotes more restful sleep. Physical activity lowers stress levels, helps manage hormone levels, and aids in the calibration of the biological clock. Regular exercisers fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. The timing of exercise can make a difference however; vigorous exercise done right before sleep may be overly arousing. Morning mid-day workouts are ideal. Gentle stretching or yoga may also be practiced prior to sleep to promote relaxation and sleep.

 Tame Anxiety and Stress

Stress and anxiety, especially the latter, is commonplace amongst a majority of the people and is a frequent cause of poor sleep. All the worries and anxiety bring a racing mind which makes relaxing quite difficult. The best techniques for stress management are meditation, mindfulness, and breathing which is of immense help. Writing with a pen and paper is unique and helps to clear the mind. Tension is best released when one practices progressive muscle relaxation. The help of one relaxation technique makes sleep more accessible.

Expose Yourself to Sunlight During the Day  

Improved focus and productivity and the stimulation during the day assist in the production of melatonin during the night which is necessary in aiding the circadian rhythm. Sunlight duration deficiency can be augmented through the use of a sun lamp. Daytime light exposure assists in easing circulation stagnation.  

Try to avoid long and late naps  

Absent of controlled napping, daytime naps can be disruptive to sleep during the night. Short naps can be restorative and boost alertness without excessive sleep inertia.

Limit Stimulants and Relax Before Bed

Other than caffeine, stimulants such as nicotine or some medications may disrupt sleep. It is advisable to avoid them in the hours before retiring to bed. Instead, do relaxing things such as having herbal tea, taking a warm bath, or doing light breathing exercises. These small routines can get your body ready for sound sleep and wake you up fresh in the morning.