It is very important to have a good night’s sleep to be healthy and maintain fitness. Improper sleep may lead to negative thoughts, weight gain, and also affect our hormones. Recent recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society say that you should get at least seven hours of sleep per night. So, in this article, we will discuss the simple tips to improve your sleep.
7 simple tips to improve your sleep
Make you Environment Sleep Friendly
First, try to make your environment sleep-friendly. This means keep your room dark at night. And, eliminate all possible sources of noise inside or outside the bedroom. The right temperature is also important to improve your sleep. Generally, a colder environment is more favorable. So, about 18 degrees Celsius which is 65 Fahrenheit is apt.
Avoid Screen Time
Try not to watch TV or play on your phone before going to bed. These devices produce a certain light which reduces the melatonin produced by our bodies naturally. It is a hormone that makes us more sleepy, so, we need more of it to help us go to sleep. Also, invest in some thick curtains to avoid light coming into your room.
Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine
In the evenings, one needs to avoid having big meals and alcohol. Also, avoid caffeine and smoking. This is because all of these stimulate our nervous system and prevent us from falling asleep naturally. We shouldn’t eat heavy meals before going to bed at night because it might cause heartburn, and this may also lead to improper sleep. Nicotine is a stimulant. So smoking (that’s a bad habit anyway) before going to sleep at night will increase your heart rate which in turn will increase your brain’s activity. This, in turn, is going to make it difficult for you to fall asleep. Similarly, caffeine acts in the same way.
Exercise Daily
Make sure to exercise every day. This can improve your sleep magically! The logic is that you get tired at night due to the exercise and this enables you to go to sleep faster. But, don’t exercise about two to three hours before going to bed as this won’t help. Regular exercise three or four times a week, perhaps in the afternoon or in the morning is generally beneficial to sleep.
Relax and Clear Your Mind
Some tips to improve your sleep will also include relaxation and clearing the mind of all the thoughts. If you make a routine of practising relaxation daily before bedtime, it will make you feel better and remove negative thoughts. This will eventually help you sleep better at night. Always try to gradually clear your mind from the evening by diminishing all the odd thoughts that may stand in the way of you having a proper night’s sleep.
Proper ways to achieve relaxation could be to have a bath before bed, listening to your favorite music, reading books and meditation. This will also make you feel better and confident. So, do not forget this to improve your sleep.
Choose a Perfect Mattress
Have you ever wondered why you had such a good sleep at a hotel? The answer could be because of the mattress. Mattresses are essential to make one feel comfortable and cosy in bed and this is indispensable to enable you to sleep better. Now, the question is “how to select a mattress that is perfect for you?” Always remember in this regard that mattresses must be of such a quality that it speaks more than words. Almost all back pain problems arise due to improper mattresses so the selection of mattresses is of utmost importance. This also is among the simple tips to improve sleep. Poor bedding leads to improper and disturbed sleep and so, a mattress upgrade might be necessary.
Avoid Long Naps in Day Time
Many people have the habit of taking short naps in the day time, and I know this could be necessary to boost your body’s energy and relax your mind. But taking too many long and frequent naps daily may lead to improper and disturbed sleep in the night time. Sleeping for a short duration in the day time for almost about 30 minutes is good for the body and your brain but the same with long duration may hamper your health and sleep routine at night. So, avoid the same and adopt these simple tips to improve sleep.
Final Words
So these were 7 simple tips to improve your sleep. All of these have been proved beneficial and effective by numerous studies. Lastly, you should understand the importance of having proper night’s sleep and that will motivate you to inculcate the healthy habits mentioned above. Therefore, don’t forget to have about 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily to maintain your healthy lifestyle and be at the peak of your health!
Have a Good Night!