Sleeping Tips for Health: How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Are you struggling to get a restful night’s sleep? Follow these simple sleeping tips to wake up feeling refreshed and energized. You deserve the best sleep possible – let’s start today!
Quick facts: Sleeping Tips For Health
Establish a Sleep Schedule
Having a consistent sleep schedule is one of the most important tips for getting a good night’s sleep. This means going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays. Establishing a regular pattern helps your body have a regular sleep-wake rhythm and can help you feel more energetic and alert during the day.
Let’s discuss a few more tips for sleeping well:
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
Establishing a sleep schedule is an important part of getting a good night’s sleep. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps your body get into a rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. It’s important to stick to this schedule on both weekdays and weekends, even if you had a late night the night before or are feeling exceptionally tired. With consistency, your body will learn what time it needs to be ready for restful sleep.
Creating a bedtime routine can also help you get into a sleep schedule. Doing the same calming activities (such as reading or taking a warm bath) before you head off to bed can signal your body that it’s time for rest. Additionally, avoid all screens (phones, tablets, computers) at least one hour before going to bed; their blue light can disrupt your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep.
With these tips, you’ll soon have established an effective sleep schedule that will leave you feeling well-rested and energized!
Avoid naps during the day
Napping during the day can be detrimental to getting a good night’s sleep. Naps tend to disrupt the body’s natural sleep cycle. If you feel sleepy during the day, it is best to try and stay awake or power through until it is time for your planned bedtime.
Taking too many naps during the day may be making it harder for you to fall asleep at night as your body won’t know when it is time to rest and when it is time to stay awake. Moreover, if you are taking naps during the day, try not to take one too late in the afternoon as this will make it harder for you to fall and stay asleep at night.
It is also important that you:
- Try and stick to a consistent nap schedule so your body knows when it can relax.
- Make sure that your naps are no longer than 30 minutes in order for them not to interfere with nighttime sleep patterns.
Create a Relaxing Bedroom Environment
Creating an ideal atmosphere in your bedroom is essential to ensure you can get a good night’s rest. A relaxing bedroom environment should be cool, calm, and inviting. Temperature, lighting, and noise levels play a huge role in creating a comfortable environment that will help you sleep.
Let’s take a look at the different ways to create a relaxing bedroom atmosphere:
Keep the bedroom temperature cool
Maintaining an optimal bedroom temperature is important for quality sleep. The best temperature to keep your room at is between 60-67°F (15-19°C). Extreme temperatures may interfere with your body’s ability to produce melatonin, which is needed for good sleep. Keeping your bedroom cool may also help promote a restful environment, as the temperature drop can mimic the natural circadian rhythm of melatonin release and promote deeper sleep.
You can help regulate the temperature in your bedroom by using fans, air conditioners, or window screens to keep the warm air out during summer months and heating blankets or baseboard heaters during winter months. Additionally, consider using heavier bedding or layers of blankets so you can adjust as necessary throughout the night.
Taking these steps will help you create a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere that you can enjoy every night.
Keep the bedroom dark and quiet
The bedroom environment is an important factor in getting a good night’s sleep. To create an atmosphere that will help you fall asleep and stay asleep, it is important to make sure your room is dark and quiet.
Many people find that darkening their space helps them to sleep better, as the darker the room, the more relaxed it will feel. If necessary, invest in blackout curtains or shades to reduce light coming from outside sources.
Additionally, creating a peaceful environment with little noise can maintain a comfortable sleeping temperature while also protecting privacy and peace of mind when falling asleep. To block out external noise, use earplugs or sound machines that play calming white noise or nature sounds like ocean waves.
It is also important to avoid electronics – including TVs and phones – in the bedroom as these can disrupt your sleeping routine.
By following these simple tips, you can create a relaxing bedroom environment conducive to a good night’s sleep.
Use comfortable bedding and pillows
Using comfortable bedding and pillows is key to creating a relaxing bedroom environment that fosters a good night’s sleep. The right bedding should be soft and comfortable and capable of regulating your body temperature. Pillows should also be comfortable, supportive, and tailored to the individual’s needs and sleeping preferences. A pillow with the wrong amount of support can lead to neck pain throughout the day and can reduce quality of sleep.
The fabric used for sheets should also be breathable to promote air circulation in order to reduce sweating during the night. Look for sheets that are soft, wrinkle-resistant, durable, and made from natural fibers such as organic cotton or bamboo if possible.
Wind Down Before Bed
Winding down before bed is an essential part of having a good night’s sleep. To wind down, try to find activities that relax you and don’t overstimulate your mind. This could include:
- Reading a book
- Listening to calming music
- Taking a warm bath
This can help you relax and transition into a peaceful sleep.
Avoid screens and bright lights before bed
In order to wind down before bed, it is essential to avoid exposure to screens and bright lights. This includes electronic devices like phones, tablets, televisions and computers as well as natural light sources like the sun. Screens and bright lights stimulate the release of hormones known as “wakefulness-promoting hormones” which can disrupt natural sleep cycles.
Exposure to blue light in particular has been linked to insomnia, difficulty falling asleep and overall poorer sleep quality. To help prepare for a good night’s rest, it is best practice to turn off any screens at least one hour before bedtime. Dimming the lights in the evening can also be helpful in cueing your body that it is time for sleep.
Do some light stretching or yoga
Stretching and yoga can help relax the muscles, improve circulation, and promote feelings of calmness—all of which can lead to better sleep. Stretching in particular is especially important to not just helping you wind down before bed, but also helps reduce stress-related tightness in the body that can interfere with restful sleep.
Before getting into bed, try some simple stretches or a few gentle yoga poses designed for optimal relaxation. Examples include:
- Cat/Cow stretches where you alternate between arching your back and tucking it in
- Spinal twists to improve posture and release tightness from sitting
- Hip openers like extended mountain pose to alleviate tension in the hips
- Gentle neck circles for refreshing your neck muscles after a day of looking at screens.
Take a warm bath or shower
Taking a warm bath or shower is a great way to wind down before bed as it has both physical and psychological effects.
- Physically, it relaxes the muscles and helps your body achieve a comfortable temperature. This can also help people fall asleep easier.
- Psychologically, the warmth of the water is calming and soothing, allowing people to clear their mind of stressful thoughts and worries and focus on relaxation.
A warm bath or shower also provides added benefits if you add an essential oil like lavender, which can ease anxiety and help promote better sleep quality. Soaking in a warm bath or shower for 20-30 minutes before bed can be an excellent method to unwind from the day and prepare for an optimal night’s sleep.
Avoid Stimulants Before Bed
It’s important to have a good night’s sleep in order to get the rest and repair your body needs. One way to ensure that you get a restful sleep is to avoid stimulants before bed. Stimulants such as alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and even sugar can impact your quality of sleep.
Let’s look at how these stimulants can affect your sleep and what you can do to avoid them:
Avoid caffeine and alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol are two of the most common stimulants. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, cocoa products, and some medications. Alcohol is found in beer, wine, mixed drinks, and other alcoholic beverages.
Both drinking caffeine and alcohol can make it hard for you to get a good night’s sleep or stay asleep. They act as stimulants and interfere with your body’s natural process of winding down for sleep. This can disrupt your overall quality of life by decreasing the amount of deep sleep you receive each night. Additionally, using stimulants before bed can lead to:
- Feeling more fatigued during the day
- Difficulty concentrating during waking hours
Try to avoid them before bedtime in order to obtain a better night’s rest.
Avoid nicotine
Nicotine is a stimulant found in products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products. Nicotine affects the central nervous system and increases alertness, which can make it difficult to sleep.
People who need something to help them relax before bed should avoid nicotine completely. Puffing on an e-cigarette or chewing nicotine gum can still increase your heart rate and affect your ability to fall asleep. While medications that contain nicotine may be prescribed to help people quit smoking, these should not be used before going to bed either since they also contain stimulants.
Instead of relying on nicotine or other stimulants to help you relax before bed, opt for other sleep promoting activities like:
- Reading a book
- Taking a warm bath
Get Regular Exercise
Regular exercise can help you improve your quality of sleep. Exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety and can help regulate your circadian rhythm – your body’s internal clock – to improve your sleep-wake cycle. Research has shown that regular physical activity can increase your total sleep time, as well as the quality of your sleep.
Let’s take a look at how to get regular exercise for a better night’s sleep:
Get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day
Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and can help ensure a good night’s sleep. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can help you better fall asleep and stay asleep. A minimum of 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity is recommended to yield the health benefits associated with exercise, including improved sleep.
Exercises to try may include: walking, swimming, biking, running, weightlifting, yoga and Pilates. For those who like to stay indoors due to weather or time constraints, there are also many effective at-home workouts that can be done from the comfort of your home. Exercise is best done 2–3 hours before bedtime in order to avoid any late-night spikes in energy levels that could interfere with your sleep. Alternatively, it’s preferable to avoid strenuous exercises right before going to bed as these activities will increase alertness and body temperature making it harder for you to relax afterwards and fall asleep quickly.
Avoid exercising within 3 hours of bedtime
Exercise is a great way to stay physically and mentally healthy. However, when done too close to bedtime, it can interfere with sleep by raising body temperature and keeping the brain alert. It’s recommended that exercising should be avoided at least 3 hours before bedtime in order to allow your body temperature to drop and your mind to relax.
If for some reason you do end up exercising too close to bedtime, it may help to take a warm bath or shower in order to bring down your body temperature. Other strategies for improving sleep include avoiding screens for at least an hour before bed and creating a relaxing pre-bed routine such as reading or meditating.
Following these sleep tips can help ensure that you get the restful night’s sleep you need in order to stay healthy and energetic during the day:
- Avoid exercising at least 3 hours before bedtime.
- Take a warm bath or shower to bring down body temperature.
- Avoid screens for at least an hour before bed.
- Create a relaxing pre-bed routine such as reading or meditating.
FAQs about: Sleeping Tips For Health
Q: What is the best amount of sleep for health?
A: According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults should sleep 7-9 hours per night.
Q: How can I get better sleep?
A: Make sure to establish a consistent sleep schedule, follow a relaxing bedtime routine, limit daytime naps, and avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol close to bedtime.
Q: What should I do if I can’t sleep?
A: If you can’t sleep, try to get out of bed and do something relaxing such as reading a book or listening to music. Avoid looking at screens like phones and computers as it can stimulate your brain and make it harder to fall asleep.
