10 Tips For Better Sleep

Better sleep, means a better us .So, here are ten tips to improve your sleep quality.

 

1.         Reduce caffeine intake: Although caffeine helps keep us alert, it takes considerably long (8 hours) to wear off. For this reason, it would be advisable to have your cup of tea or coffee not later than the afternoon. This way, the effects of the caffeine will have worn out before bedtime.  Consider avoiding caffeine altogether if having trouble falling asleep.

 

2.         New Mattress: A new mattress is a great way to help you improve your sleep and this is especially the case if yours is over a decade old. Mattress warehouse has some great mattresses you should consider.

 

3.         Learn to manage stress: Stress can wreak havoc on your life and quality of sleep. Learning to manage stress, and trying to relax just before bedtime. De-stressing rituals such as taking a shower, listening to relaxing music, or reading a book/novel can help your mind relax well.  Meditation, aromatherapy, and light stretching can also help you sleep better.

 

4.         Take on regular exercise: Regular body exercise plays an enormous role in promoting good health and blood circulation.  While you need to put on exercise every day, proper timing and intensity are required to ensure it doesn’t interfere with your sleep patterns.  Experts recommend strenuous exercises in the morning hours and lighter ones towards bedtime. Taking strenuous exercises just before night time will only induce increased production of hormones that promote wakefulness, thus making it hard to fall asleep. Learning to exercise in the morning also helps contain insomnia, one of the reasons most people prefer jogging and going to the gym during the morning hours.

 

5.         Create a peaceful bedroom environment: The bedroom needs to be comfortable and quiet enough to encourage sleep. Even the slightest noises and disturbances from the TV, laptop, or purring of the cat can affect how well you sleep. Some of the recommended ways to create a sleep-friendly environment in the bedroom include investing in window curtains or blinds, air conditioner, an electric blanket, as well as earplugs.

 

You might also want to avoid using the overhead light when you have to wake up at night. Bedside lamps and small night-lights are recommended for they produce just enough illumination to enable you to see.  Ensure room temperatures in the bedroom are set to cool enough to promote sleep.  Experts recommend setting the temperature between 68- and 72-degrees Fahrenheit in the bedroom for undisrupted sleep.

 

6.         Eat right: Eating right plays a considerable role in how well you sleep. While you shouldn’t go to bed hungry, an over-full belly doesn’t health either. It would also be best to have a well-balanced meal for the best results. Focusing on foods that promote sleep such as pumpkin, halibut, tuna, avocados, artichokes, almonds, peaches, apricots, potatoes, bananas, and milk are rich in tryptophan. Tryptophan is a substance known to promote and even induce sleep.  Having a hearty meal of the foods mentioned earlier should help you sleep well. You might also want to avoid fluids after 8 p.m.

 

7.         Avoid nicotine before bed: Like caffeine, nicotine is a stimulant that can cause sleeplessness at night. That said, it is advisable to avoid smoking several hours before bedtime. Strive to avoid smoking to be able to fall asleep fast, and stay asleep for the rest of the night. You should also fight the urge to smoke when you wake up in the middle of the night, as this will only make falling asleep even harder.

 

8.         Avoid the afternoon nap: Many of us take the afternoon nap to re-energize or be able to push through the evening. If you have to, restrict the napping time to a maximum of 20 minutes. It would also be wise to avoid napping a few hours to bedtime as this will only interfere with your internal clock.

 

9.         Avoid watching TV and other activities in the bedroom: Electronic devices can be distracting and especially in the bedroom. Some of these devices emit blue light that affect the production of  sleep hormones. If possible, do not allow any electronic device to your bedroom.

 

10.       Avoid pets in the bed: Pets can awaken you while asleep. Consider kicking pets out of your bedroom do avoid disturbance.  If not, have the pets sleep in a separate bed, or on a fluffy mat away from your bed.