The average human spends roughly 1/3rd of their life sleeping. Knowing that you are going to spend this ridiculous amount of your time not even spent awake, you might want to consider how to make it better. Better sleep does equal a better life, after all.
Improving the quantity and quality of your sleep will help you feel better rested, recover easier, and be able to enjoy the other 2/3rds of your life knowing you are helping take care of your body well.
These 7 ways to effectively improve your sleep will help you feel healthier and happier.
1. Limit Light Pollution
Light pollution is a big problem for those struggling to get a better night’s sleep. Making sure your room is as dark as possible is a must, and it can be difficult if you live in a city or there are a lot of lights around. Remember to keep your door closed and find dark enough or thick enough curtains that can block out any light to help you stay asleep.
2. Stay Off Your Phone Before Bed
Phone use before bed is bad for your sleep habits. Using your phone before sleep has been linked to problems regarding longer times to actually fall asleep. Any screen time you have should be limited until 15 minutes before you actually lay down to rest. The blue light can cause headaches and restlessness, and even the warmer settings still impact how easy you can fall asleep. It is tempting, but turn off your phone and put it away before you sleep.
3. Sleep With Music/White Noise
Not everyone likes the sound of music or noise to help ease them into sleep, but it is effective. Listening to soothing meditative music, white noise, or other calming ambient sounds can allow you to drift off into a nice slumber and allow you to fully enjoy your night. From phone apps, music streaming, and even dedicated white noise or ambient sound machines, you can always find something to help you fall asleep better.
4. Improve Your Sleeping Environment
The quality of your sleeping environment is crucial to the quality of your sleep. Old mattresses, uncomfortable pillows, and low-quality blankets make it hard to feel like your sleep is as good as it should be. There are many pillows, blankets, and bed reviews from the experts that will help make your sleep environment better. Softer pillows, like memory foam, a new mattress that is not dirty or dusty, and a new bed frame could do the trick. Every little thing adds up to the whole ecosystem (so to speak) of where you sleep, so prioritize your comfort and quality of sleep products to make it better.
5. Improve Your Diet
Your diet impacts nearly everything in your life. This goes double for your sleeping patterns and quality. Eating before bed is okay, and the myth that you should not eat after 6-8 pm is foolish, what matters is what you eat. Fruits or vegetables, a handful of nuts, something light like yogurt, all fine options in moderation. Eating greasy fast food, chips, or things high in fats and carbohydrates can leave you feeling sluggish. Improve your overall diet and your sleep will improve as well.
6. Exercise/Stretch Before Bed
A good stretch or exercise session before bed might be exactly what you need to drift off into your dreams and wake up rejuvenated. Exercise will naturally leave you tired or sore, which is good when you shower and hit the pillow soon after. You will naturally feel tired and want to rest so your body can recover, and exercise promotes the production of dopamine, serotonin, and certain hormones which help for a deeper, more comfortable sleep.
7. Fix Your Schedule
Lastly, all of these tips are useless if you do not have a set sleep schedule. Too many people make the mistake of just choosing when to go to bed and wake up. The body has a natural clock and rhythm which needs to be regulated. This means having a set schedule for sleep. Most people need around 6 to 8 hours of sleep, some a little less, some a little more, but what is important is that you try not to deviate from this schedule too often and throw yourself out of sync.
Sleeping better is a good way to improve your entire life. Being able to wake up rested, on time, and start your day with the most energy possible will help you feel more focused, improve your mental health, improve your physical health, and appreciate the quality of your sleep.
