Tips to Improve Sleep Quality
Getting quality sleep is essential to our health and overall wellbeing. However, it is an area that many people struggle with. We have so much going on in our lives that are brains are always going and it can be difficult to turn it off. I have put together some tips for you to try to improve your sleep quality. I encourage you to experiment and see what ones work best for you.
Tip to improve sleep quality #1 - Create a soothing nighttime routine
The goal is to create a nighttime routine that will help you relax. A few examples of this could be:
A warm bath with your favorite scented soap
Meditating to quiet your brain and bring you a sense of peace
Getting one of those massage mats or foot massagers and giving yourself a massage
The key is to schedule these activities into your calendar so you make sure you allow yourself enough time to complete them before you go to bed. The more you do this it will become a habit and you won’t have to think about it as much.
Tip to improve sleep quality #2 - Technology-free bedroom
I know this one hurts! It is very hard to disconnect ourselves from our electronics. This includes computers, video games, TV and cell phones. I would suggest starting off with removing these one at a time and giving yourself time to adjust before removing the next one. The reason we want to remove these is that they emit blue light.
You may have heard of blue light but not know exactly what it is. Sunlight is actually the biggest source of blue light, but artificial sources come from our electronics. When we are exposed to blue light before bedtime it can disrupt our sleep patterns because our bodies are thinking it is daytime. Interruption in our circadian rhythm can play a role in a number of health problems that we want to avoid such as cancers and cognitive dysfunctions. Ideally, we want to turn off all electronics an hour or two before we go to bed.
Tip to improve sleep quality #3 - Avoid a full stomach
Don’t eat for at least two to three hours before going to bed. You want to give your body enough time to fully digest your food before you fall asleep. This will help you avoid issues such as indigestion, heartburn, and acid reflux that all disrupt your sleep. We also tend to make less healthy food choices later at night and can find ourselves mindlessly eating in front of the television. By shutting down our eating at a certain time we not only improve our sleep but our waistline as well!
Tip to improve sleep quality #4 - Watch out for stimulants
Sometimes something as simple as what we ate or drank during the day can affect our sleep hours later. We want to try and avoid the following stimulants in the late afternoon and evening:
Caffeinated beverages
Chocolate
Nicotine
Alcohol
Although alcohol can initially make you feel sleepy, it actually interrupts sleep. I’m sure we have all experienced a bad night sleep after having a couple of drinks.
Tip to improve sleep quality #5- Move the clock so you can’t see it
If you wake up in the middle of the night sometimes our first instinct can be to check the clock to see how many hours we have left before the alarm goes off. However, you should actually refrain from doing this. Checking the time can make you feel anxious and make it harder to go back to sleep.
Conclusion on improving sleep quality
It is no secret how important sleep quality is to our mood, health and overall wellbeing. The more we are aware of what helps and hurts our sleep the more we are able to make better choices not only at night but throughout our day. Try some of these tips and see what ones work best for you and if you are looking to tips on how to feel better FAST check out my FREE guide here!