Health

How to Improve Your Sleep Quality

The good news is that you can improve your quality of sleep at home without prescription medication or major changes in your day.

Published

on

Click to rate this post!
[Total: 1 Average: 5]

Did you know that humans used to sleep in “shifts” just a few centuries ago? These patterns, known as segmented or bimodal sleep, were the norm across the world. People had difficulty staying asleep, so they’d go to sleep after dusk, wake up a bit later, stay up for an hour or two, then go back to sleep until dawn.

Like our ancestors of yore, nearly 20% of adults struggle with sleeping. In fact, 50-70 million Americans have been diagnosed with a chronic sleep disorder.

What’s causing this societal shift back to our old ways? While it’s different for everyone, much of the evolution has to do with an increase in stress and pressure. When you can’t ‘shut your brain off,’ it’s hard to fall and stay in a restful slumber.

Advertisement

The good news is that you can improve your quality of sleep at home without prescription medication or major changes in your day. Follow these simple tips, and see if they help you get — and stay — in the Land of Nod!

1. Get Routine-Oriented

What’s your schedule look like? If you’re constantly on the go all day, your brain is on high alert for changes in your surroundings. The adrenaline it produces to keep you “safe” stays in your system for hours after you don’t need it anymore.

Find a way to include “calm down” time in your day at least an hour before you want to fall asleep. This shouldn’t include anything with electronics unless you have blue light blockers since that kind of lighting interferes with your natural sleep cycle.

Advertisement

Instead of screen time, consider other ways you can release the adrenaline and stress hormones of the day before bedtime. Read a book, write in your journal, listen to soothing music, play a card game with a loved one, or meditate. Try to avoid anything that gets you worked up and energized.

Schedule your bedtime and wake-up times consistently, and include no more than eight hours. Aim for seven hours. Anything more than that can make you more tired than rested. By sticking to a consistent cycle, you’re training your brain when to go to sleep and wake up, just as those segmented sleepers did.

2. Watch Your Diet

It’s not just what you put in your body that matters to your sleep cycle. It’s also when

Advertisement

If you love caffeine, chocolate, greasy food, and big meals, pay attention to the time before you indulge. Be sure that you have a few hours to work the stimulants out of your system and give your stomach time to digest the meal. Otherwise, the discomfort of the digestion process can interfere with your restful sleep. 

The same thing happens if you go to bed hungry, though, so enjoy a light meal a couple of hours before bedtime. 

Be mindful of any alcohol or nicotine intake, too. They both have stimulating properties, even though alcohol can help you fall asleep. Chances are, you’ll wake up after a bit and struggle to fall back into slumber.

Advertisement

3. Declutter Your Space

Is your room a place of peace and tranquility, or your preferred spot to display all your books, pictures, and favorite collections? 

If you’re using the bedroom to store your stuff, even if it looks great and you love it, it’s distracting you from getting quality sleep.

The way your brain processes stimuli isn’t conscious. You don’t look around your room and go, “Book, TV, dresser …” But your brain recognizes everything in its peripheral and front vision, all the sounds around you, and any other sensations. It does this while you’re sleeping, too. 

Advertisement

Give your mind a rest by keeping the clutter in your room to a minimum. You can still store your things in drawers and tuck them away as long as they’re out of sight. Limit any scents to light, relaxing aromas like lavender.

4. Reduce Discomfort and Worries Before Bed

Is there something consistently waking you up at night, such as a sore neck or back, or worries you can’t shut off? Instead of waiting until the middle of the night to deal with them, go ahead and find a way to address them before you lay down.

Maybe you’ve noticed regular morning headaches or neck and shoulder issues during the night. Coupled with other symptoms, like sore teeth and gums, this could be a sign that you’re clenching and grinding your jaw. Invest in a custom-made night guard and see if that helps improve your sleep and reduce discomfort.

Advertisement

If you know something is bothering you and is likely to cause you to toss and turn, take a few minutes and write it down. It might sound unbelievable, but experts say that getting those thoughts out of your brain and on paper makes your brain feel “heard,” and it will stop barraging you with those worries at inopportune times.

And if you know that a bed or pillow is simply not comfortable, replace it. Mattresses are expensive, but you can buy an inexpensive mattress topper and see if that helps.


Conclusion

Getting the right amount of sleep is a precarious combination of a lot of factors. What you eat, drink, listen to, watch, and do all play a role in your sleep quality! 

Advertisement

But while it may seem like you need a magic spell to make it happen, remember that our ancestors also struggled. They found a way to adjust their sleep cycles and still stay functional, and with these tips, you can, too!

Read More: Intraday Trading

Click to rate this post!
[Total: 1 Average: 5]
Advertisement

Trending

Exit mobile version