We can never stress the importance of a good night sleep enough. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you fall asleep, safe and sound, at night.
Stay away from caffeine
Because caffeine can remain high in your blood for up to 8 hours, try to avoid drinking caffeine late in the day. Even though caffeine has it benefits, it stimulates your nervous system and drinking it later during the day can make it hard for your body to naturally relax at night.
Avoid eating heavy meals before bed
Eating heavy or greasy meals can cause indigestion, discomfort, or heartburn, which can make it hard to fall asleep.
Help your biological clock
Circadian rhythm is the body’s natural sleep-wake-cycle, or simply its biological clock. By increasing bright light exposure (preferably sunlight) during the day and avoiding it at night, you help your body maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. Getting exposed to bright light at night tricks the body into thinking it’s still daytime, which makes it harder for you to fall asleep.
Avoid electronics before bed
Electronics and screens emit blue light which is activating to the brain. This also brings us back to the fact that bright light at night confuses our biological clocks.
Set a sleep schedule
Sleeping and waking up at the same time everyday helps regulate your biological clock, which improves the quality of sleep and makes falling asleep and waking up easier. It is best if you stick to it during the weekends as well.
Try to eliminate irregular or long naps during the day
Sleeping for long hours during the day or taking irregular naps can confuse your natural clock.
Make sure your mattress and pillow are comfortable and supportive
It is very important that your bed is inviting. If your mattress or pillows have exceeded their life expectancy or are uncomfortable, it will be harder for you to want to go to bed in the first place and to fall asleep when you do.
Stay active during the day
People who exercise regularly sleep better at night and feel less sleepy during the day. Regular exercise can help you to enjoy a better quality of sleep. Even the lightest exercise can improve sleep quality, but the general rule is: the more vigorous the exercise, the more powerful the sleep. Be careful not to exercise too close to your bedtime.
Watch what you eat
Eating lots of sugar and refined carbohydrates during the day can trigger wakefulness at night and result in shallower, lower quality sleep.
Use your bed only for sleep
Using your bed for sleeping only and nothing else forms the mental association between your bed and sleeping. This makes it easier for you to sleep once you’re in bed.
Speak to your doctor
It is important to rule out any sleeping disorders. If nothing seems to work for you, you might want to speak to your doctor about it.
