- Avoid Blue Lights
First things first, you’ll want to try to avoid any blue light exposure before hitting the sack. Any electronic with a screen affixed is likely to emit blue light. What’s the problem with blue light? Unfortunately, it simulates daylight. Because of this, it tricks your brain into thinking it’s daytime when it’s nighttime. This can make it more difficult to sleep by decreasing melatonin production.
- Don’t Overeat
When you want to improve your sleep, it’s best to avoid overeating at night. You don’t want to fall asleep on too full of a stomach because it’ll not only make it more difficult to do so, but it’ll also likely result in acid reflux. Instead, try to eat a light meal before going to bed.
- Avoid Drinking Water Too Close To Bed
Hydration is important and you don’t want to avoid drinking water. However, you should curb your water intake the sooner it gets to bedtime. Why should you stop drinking water? Well, you don’t want to disrupt your sleep by having to get up to pee several times per night. This can decrease the quality of your sleep because you won’t be able to cycle through your sleep stages properly.
- Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol
It should go without saying that you should avoid any caffeine intake before bed. However, you want to start reducing or eliminating your caffeine intake as many as 6 hours before you go to sleep. Try to keep your caffeine intake in the early morning. This can give you the kickstart you need without disrupting your sleep. It’s best to avoid alcohol before bed too. While it’s a depressant, it can limit the quality of your sleep because it’s going to disrupt how your body cycles through your sleep stages. Keep in mind, that some things may contain caffeine that you don’t know about including chocolate.
- Avoid Nicotine
It’s important to avoid any stimulants before you sleep. This includes nicotine which is one of the more powerful stimulants. Not only is nicotine highly addictive and bad for you, but it can lead to problems with your sleep. It’s been linked to insomnia, sleep apnea, and more. It’s best to avoid it altogether.
- Stay Consistent
You want to try to remain consistent as much as possible. It’s best to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. The more consistent you are with your routine, the better the chances you can achieve optimal sleep. You want to try to keep things consistent even when you are on the weekends and when you are on vacation. The more consistent you can keep things, the more aligned your body’s internal clock will be. You want your body to eventually start waking you up without an alarm. That’s how aligned you want things to get. Don’t attempt to “make up” your sleep during the weekends. The average adult needs around 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep per night.
- Get Up
Don’t lay around in your bed and hope that you fall asleep. Instead, you’ll want to get up when you don’t feel tired enough to go to sleep. Only get back in bed when you feel tired enough. When you spend time tossing and turning in bed, you only make things worse. You’ll get into a cycle of checking the clock and being anxious about when you have to wake up.
- Get Active
The more active you are throughout the day, the easier it’s going to be to sleep at night. Your daytime routine is equally as important as your bedtime routine. Try to get more active throughout the day. Incorporate more brisk walking and other exercises in your daily life and you’ll notice an improvement in your sleep.
- Skip The Nap
It’s best to avoid napping altogether. You don’t want to take long naps throughout the day. If you are going to nap, keep things brief. Try to keep your naps under 30 minutes to avoid having them negatively impact your nighttime sleep.
- Get Comfortable
When you retire to bed ensure that your bedroom is conducive to sleep. It should be tidy, dark and comfortable. A mattress that hasn’t been replaced for a while could be preventing you from getting a restful night’s sleep. Simba’s new eco-friendly mattress could be the answer to your sleep problems. A supportive mattress will go a long way to helping you get a great night’s sleep every night.