Sleep is an essential but often overlooked component of people’s overall health and well-being. Sleep is vital because it allows the body to restore and get ready for the next day.
Adequate rest may also aid in the prevention of excess weight gain, heart disease, worse immune system, and sickness. Getting proper sleep improves your daytime energy, productivity, emotional balance, and physical and mental health.
One of the most reliable solutions for better sleep is to set a constant sleep-wake cycle. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This habit helps to regulate your body’s internal clock and improves the quality of your sleep. Choose a bedtime when you are ordinarily exhausted to avoid tossing and turning. If you get enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without using an alarm clock. If you require an alarm clock, you may need to go to bed sooner. Try to keep up with this sleep regime during the weekends too!
Most people need a bedtime that allows at least 7-8 hours of sleep. Don’t go to bed unless you’re tired. Get out of bed if you haven’t fallen asleep after 20 minutes. Do something calm that doesn’t require a lot of light exposure. It is very critical not to use electronics.
Be wise about napping. Even if it is a fantastic way to catch up on lost sleep, it can worsen the problem if you have difficulties sleeping or staying asleep at night. Consider limiting your naps to power naps (from 15 to 30 minutes) in the early afternoon.
Take into consideration exposure to the light. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that is activated by light and aids in regulating your sleep-wake cycle. When it’s dark, your brain secretes more melatonin, making you more sleepy. On the contrary, less melatonin when it’s light makes you more alert. If your bedroom is always lit from outside, consider blackout curtains.
Many modern living features can disrupt your body’s production of melatonin and your circadian rhythm: screens, late work, or dinners, just to mention a few.
If possible, take a little walk during the day or go for lunch out. When having a home office, allow as much natural light as possible and find time to relax around dinner time.
Avoid using bright displays 1-2 hours before going to bed. The blue light emitted by your phone, tablet, computer, or television is particularly bothersome. You can reduce the impact by utilizing smaller-screen devices, lowering the brightness, or simply reading your favorite book instead.
Try not to go to bed hungry or stuffed. Avoid eating anything heavy or substantial within a couple of hours of going to bed. Your discomfort may keep you awake.
How about coffee? Try to drink your morning coffee outside in the daylight. And have the last cup hour after lunch – not later.
Nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol should all be used with caution. The stimulating effects take hours to wear off and can harm sleep quality.
And, while alcohol may make you feel drowsy, it might impair your sleep later in the night.
Prepare your body for a night’s sleep. Don’t exercise three hours before bedtime. But activities, such as gentle yoga or stretches aid in muscle relaxation. Vigorously exercising will have the opposite impact.
A warm bath will assist your body in reaching an appropriate temperature for slumber. Making “to-do” lists, a.k.a. “brain dump” for the following day, might help you organize your thoughts and cleanse your mind of any distractions.
Your everyday routines – what you eat and drink, the drugs you take, how you organize your days, and how you spend your evenings – can all have a significant impact on your sleep quality.
You can make the change easier by using a companion app. In Daylio, you can set your goal for sleep. Pick Better Sleep challenge and select the goal that might have the most significant impact or seems easy to integrate into your schedule.
Daylio also has a predefined Sleep group that contains activities that you can track each day.
Keeping a sleep diary may reveal lifestyle behaviors or daily activities that contribute to your inability to sleep. Mark in Daylio, how was your sleep, and how do you feel.
It's free so why don’t you give it a shot. Download and Start Using Daylio Today!
