Having a good night’s sleep is as important as exercising your body regularly and having a healthy diet. For this, you need to make some changes to your sleeping habits and take care of a few things that can contribute to “sleep hygiene”.
According to research, poor sleep has adverse effects on your health and well-being. For instance, you might have an effect on your hormones, performance at the gym, and your brain functions. Apart from this, you might also gain weight and increase the risk of different diseases because of not getting proper sleep at night.
Luckily, there are different apps that you can use to get a sound sleep. You can download these apps using Charter Internet and improve your sleep cycle. To begin with, you can have a look at the following practices that can help you improve your sleep.
Increase Exposure to Sunlight during the Daytime
The human body has a natural time-keeping system called the circadian rhythm. Exposure to sunlight or bright light during the day keeps your circadian rhythm healthy and energizes you during the day. Also, you can improve your sleep quality and its duration at night if you have a healthy circadian rhythm.
People who suffer from insomnia can ensure exposure to bright light and reduce the time taken to sleep by around 83 percent. Different gadgets can help users experience artificial bright light using bulbs and other devices.
Try Not To Consume Caffeine Later in the Day
There are many benefits of consuming caffeine. It can help people enhance their energy, focus, and performance when it comes to sports and other activities. Consuming caffeine during the day can stimulate your nervous system, which prevents your body from relaxing naturally at night.
For this, you can refrain from consuming caffeine 6 hours before bedtime as it can stay activated in your blood for 6 to 8 hours. So, it is a good idea not to drink a large amount of coffee (or other caffeinated beverages) after 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Moreover, you can consume decaffeinated coffee, if you have a craving for coffee late in the afternoon or the evening.
Try To Be Consistent With Your Sleep and Wake Up Times
The circadian rhythm functions in a set loop and aligns itself with sunrise and sunset. If you have a consistent sleep and waking-up schedule, you can improve your sleep quality in the long run. Having irregular sleep patterns can alter your circadian rhythm and melatonin levels which signals your brain to sleep.
If you are struggling with your sleep routine, you can try to wake up and go to bed at similar times. This will help you see some positive results when it comes to your sleep quality.
Optimize Your Bedroom Environment
Adjusting to your bedroom’s environment is essential for a better lifestyle and getting a good night’s sleep. This includes optimizing your room for factors that can affect your sleep like noise, temperature, external lights, the arrangement of furniture in your room, etc.
Your bedroom should be a quiet, clean, and relaxing place. For this, make sure that the external noise from the traffic and other sources does not enter your room. These noises contribute to poor sleep cycles and affect adversely in the long run. It is a good idea to have less or no noise and dim lights in your room while you are sleeping. Doing so can improve your sleep quality to a greater extent.
Avoid Having Your Meals before Bedtime
Avoid eating anything later in the evening as this can negatively affect your sleep quality and release of melatonin and HGH. If you have a high-carb meal 4 hours before bedtime, you might fall asleep faster. Apart from this, it can allow your body to get ample time to digest your food and prevent indigestion or acid reflux.
Clear Your Mind Before Going to Bed
It is a good idea to have a pre-sleep routine to relax before bedtime. For this, you can adopt different relaxation techniques to improve your sleep quality and treat insomnia. These relaxation techniques include listening to relaxing music, taking a hot bath, meditating, practicing breathing exercises, and visualization.
Get a Comfortable Bed or Mattress for Your Room
Many people get better sleep in hotels. This is mainly because hotels/resorts invest a good amount of money on premium quality beds and mattresses for their customers. A good quality mattress or bed can relieve shoulder pain, back stiffness, and pain to a greater extent. However, a low-quality mattress can increase your chances of having these ailments and will disturb your sleep. So it is a good idea to upgrade or replace your bed/mattress every 5 to 8 years.
Conclusion
There are many ways that can help you improve your sleep. In the current age, you can use different apps and gadgets available online and have quality time relaxing/sleeping at home. This way, you can have a healthy lifestyle and an improved sleep routine.
