Did you know that, on average, a person spends about a third of their life sleeping? When you look at it that way, it becomes ever clearer that we should be doing everything we possibly can to ensure that that sleep is achieved successfully, comfortably and healthily! The only way to feel properly rested and ready for a new day is to get good quality sleep during the night, and there are so many obstacles in 2021 that threaten to get in the way of that. From stress over the current state of the world to more personal things like eating habits and bad furniture, there is a long list of reasons why you might not be getting the perfect rest. Here are some of the best tips for how to get a better quality of sleep.
5 Simple Tips For Getting Better Quality Sleep
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Increase Your Exposure to Bright Light During the Day
Our bodies have a natural time-keeping clock in our systems which is known as the circadian rhythm. This rhythm affects everything from your brain to your body and your hormones, both helping you to stay awake and letting you know when it is time to get some sleep. Exposing yourself to natural sunlight or just bright lights during the day actually helps to keep your circadian rhythm on a healthy trajectory. Not only does it improve your energy in the daytime, but it also helps to improve the quality and length of the sleep that you get at night.
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Avoid Blue Lights in the Evening
Have you ever noticed that all of the social media apps on your smartphone have logos that are predominantly blue? There is a reason for this! The colour blue, especially in an electronic screen context, actually encourages us to stay awake and prevents those natural feelings of tiredness and sleep from sweeping over our bodies. Avoid blue lights in the evening to encourage better rest. This means putting down your phone, tablet, or laptop at least an hour before bedtime and also not watching TV in bed right before going to sleep.
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Stay Away From Caffeine in the Hours Before Bed
It goes without saying, but we should all be staying away from things like coffee and soda drinks in the hours before bedtime. The caffeine in these beverages will give a kick to your system and load you up with a heap of energy that you won’t be able to burn off in time to fall asleep naturally.
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Don’t Nap During the Day
Even if you are tired from poor sleep the night before, you must resist the temptation to nap during the day. This does not help your aforementioned circadian rhythm at all and will leave you more refreshed and awake than you want to be when ‘real’ bedtime comes around later in the evening. If you can push through and save up all those tired feelings for when your head hits the pillow, you will fall into a much deeper and more satisfying sleep than if you have chipped away in half-hour chunks over the course of the day. There are ways to power nap without upsetting your regular sleep, but these take practice.
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Invest in a Good Quality Mattress
You wouldn’t want to sit in an uncomfortable chair all day, so why should you lay on an uncomfortable mattress all night? In general, mattresses are an essential household item where it doesn’t help to try to be frugal. The best advice is to always buy the most expensive mattress that you can afford because the benefits that a sturdy construction can bring more than make up for the cost. Most people benefit from a firmer mattress to stay comfortable all night, but it’s always worth going to the store to test out each variety before making a big financial commitment. This mattress website is a great place to start when thinking about getting one of the best on the market right now.
Hopefully, if you implement these suggested tips, you will find that your sleep pattern and quality starts to improve. It’s worth keeping a sleep diary for the first month or so of actively trying to make changes because sometimes it is only when you look back over your data that you start to notice patterns. Good luck with finding a more restful solution!
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