Introduction
Sleep is to humans what a charger is to a mobile phone.
If you’re not bursting with energy and excitement for the day, blame the poor sleep quality that deprived you of rest and rejuvenation.
We all deserve a good night’s sleep, but various factors and conditions can rob us of sound sleep, compromising its quality. This is why it’s important to consider and identify the factors affecting our sleep carefully.
Survey Question
How many hours of sleep do you typically get each night?
Effective Tips to Sleep Better
Finding effective ways to get some restful sleep?
Follow the steps, and you’ll find ways to have a deep sleep. To do this, you must start by understanding the process and taking suggestive measures to enhance the quality of your sleep.
- Understand the Importance of Sleep :
According to the National Sleep Foundation, an adult requires 7 to 9 hours of sound sleep to function optimally. Lack of sleep or compromising on the quality of sleep can have a serious impact on our physical and mental health. It can make us fall into the trap of health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. Therefore, it is important for us to understand that sleep is not just about providing rest to our mind and body. It’s about letting them recharge, repair, and restore. And when we are not able to sleep peacefully, it affects our overall health, reducing our operational capacity. We can reverse this scenario only when we understand how important it is for us to have a sound sleep at night and take steps that work in favor of having a sound sleep.
Survey Question
How often do you feel irritable and anxious when you are not able to sleep well at night?
- Set a Sleep Schedule :
Setting a specific sleep schedule is important. When we make it a point to sleep and wake up at a fixed time, we regulate our internal body clock—called circadian rhythm. It influences our sleep consistency, and we don’t have to work on our sleep-wake cycle. This way, we can ensure that we are maintaining consistent sleep timing and wake up feeling refreshed and relaxed for the day. A survey conducted by the Sleep Foundation has suggested that individuals who stick to consistent sleep time tend to enjoy greater sleep satisfaction than those with irregular sleep patterns.
👉 Pro Tip
Initially, you can try inducing sleep by listening to calming music or guided meditation. Once your body clock adjusts to a consistent sleep schedule, falling asleep will become effortless.
🎭 Activity
Try setting a consistent sleep and wake-up time and observe how you feel in terms of energy, mood, and overall well-being.
- Create a Sleep Environment :
Creating a sleep environment is important. Just as random thoughts can appear in our dreams without being consciously registered, many factors work on a subconscious level, influencing our moods and actions. When we focus on setting the right sleep environment, we ensure good quality sleep by instructing our subconscious mind to follow our intentions. This includes turning off the lights an hour before bed. You can also play soft music or use aroma oils that promote healthy sleep. To enjoy deep sleep, it’s important that you maintain total quiet, which you can achieve by using earplugs or a sound machine to cancel any noise coming from the outside.
👉 Pro Tip
Try taking a shower before you sleep. You’ll have a peaceful and sound sleep like never before.
Survey Question
How consciously have you attempted to create a restful environment for your sleep time
- Exercise is the Key :
Do you find it hard to fall asleep at night? Try exercising and exerting yourself throughout the day, and you’ll hit the hay in no time. Exercise positively impacts our mental health and helps release stress. When we remain stress-free, we are in the best mental frame to fall asleep as soon as we hit the bed. Other than this, exercise offers a bundle of health benefits and allows us to sleep deeper. Also, engaging in physical activity boosts your metabolism and facilitates the release of happy hormones. However, vigorous workouts before bedtime can have a totally opposite effect and can keep you awake. A study by the American Sleep Association has found that people who engage in 30 minutes of aerobic exercise are 55% more likely to report positive sleep quality compared to those who do not exercise at all.
🎭 Activity |
- Consume Light Meals Before Bedtime :
The type of food you consume before bed greatly impacts the quality of your sleep. If you lean towards spicy food, chances are you’ll experience discomfort and disturbed sleep at night. Instead, opt for light and easy-to-digest food options before bedtime, and you’ll notice a significant improvement in your sleep quality. According to experts’ recommendations, you should avoid consuming caffeine after 6 pm, as it can negatively impact your sleep and make it difficult for you to fall asleep.
👉 Pro Tip
Try sleep-inducing gummies to have a deep sleep. The natural and herbal supplements allow you to ease your mind and sleep better.
Survey Question
What do you prefer to eat before your bedtime?
- Lower Your Stress Levels:
Reducing your stress levels is imperative for improving your sleep quality. Whenever you are stressed about something, it is important you deal with it beforehand. Trying to get quality sleep when thoughts are racing in your mind is next to impossible. A restless mind will only make you feel anxious and resist sleep. All you need to do is work towards reducing your stress levels so that you can sleep peacefully.
👉 Note
If you are suffering from serious sleeping disorders, it’s better to consult a doctor and get the medication to cure the condition.
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- Avoid Using Digital Devices Before Bedtime
A study by Harvard Medical School found that exposure to blue light in the evening can delay the release of melatonin by about 90 minutes, leading to sleep disturbances.If you are committed to improving your sleep quality, start with a basic digital detox where you refrain from using any digital devices 30 minutes before sleeping. The blue light emitted from our smartphones is said to interfere with our sleep-inducing hormone—melatonin—and adversely affect our sleep. This is where we need to make a conscious effort and work towards improving our sleep quality while saying no to digital devices almost an hour before we hit the bed.
🎭 Activity |
- Avoid Naps in Daytime :
Are you fond of having naps during the daytime? If the answer is yes, you might be compromising the quality of your night’s sleep. Reducing daytime naps can have a significant impact on your sleep.Physical exertion and tiredness allow us to have a sound sleep, and when we take naps and sleep breaks during the daytime, we hurt the chances of having a deep sleep at night. For us to enjoy deep sleep, it is important that we indulge in physical hard work during the day and hit the bed with the intention of getting rid of our physical and mental exhaustion.
🎭 Activity |
Quick Ways to Get a Good Night Sleep
#1: Practice Yoga Poses that Promote Sleep
Try for yourself and you’ll know how effective of a technique it is to improve the quality of your sleep. Practicing relaxing yoga poses releases the mind and body tension and allows you to sleep better. All you need is lie on your bed and perform simple stretches like childpose, butterfly pose, side stretches, seated forward bend, cat-cow pose, happy baby pose and so on.
SHOP ON AMAZON#2: Chant Prayers and Meditative Mantras
One of the most powerful ways to increase your manifestation power and improve sleep quality is to slip into slumber while chanting prayers and meditative mantras. When we do this, we are aligning ourselves to the highest frequency possible and bringing calm and peace to our minds. This way, we are indulging in mental detox—having a positive impact on our overall health.
#3: Consider the Use of Herbal and Nutritional Sleep Supplements
We can also rely on herbal and nutritional supplements that help induce quality sleep. Supplements are a great way to consume beneficial herbs that provide calm and relaxation to our minds. Supplements that contain melatonin, valerian root, chamomile, and magnesium help promote sleep in a natural way. You can include it in your night routine and see a noticeable difference in the quality of your sleep.
#4: Choose a Comfortable Sleep Mattress
Choose a mattress that gives you a blend of comfort and support. The mattress that you sleep on is a great determinant of how well you sleep. If you pick a hard mattress, it will cause you discomfort—giving you pain in the body. On the contrary, choosing a super soft mattress can cause spinal issues. This is why choosing a mattress with memory foam is a must if you wish to have a good night’s sleep.
Final Thoughts
Good sleep is crucial for maintaining physical and mental health. When we change our ways and try to improve our sleep quality, we invest in our overall health and well-being.
Taking small initiatives like setting a sleep schedule, indulging in physical activity, reducing your stress levels, and creating a proper sleep environment takes us a long way toward maintaining a healthy body and sound mind.
As the Dalai Lama wisely said, “Sleep is the best meditation.” By prioritizing restful sleep, we nourish our body and soul, equipping ourselves to face each day with clarity, energy, and resilience.
Sources
- American Physical Therapy Association: How To Get Better Sleep
- Government of Western Australia: A Better Night’s Sleep
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences: Your Guide To Healthy Sleep
How does consistent sleep timing influence our circadian rhythm and overall sleep quality?
