How to Get Better Sleep

Are you having trouble getting a good night's sleep? Do you want to know what's causing your poor sleep and how you can fix it?

Learning how to get better sleep is more than about staying comfortable. It’s crucial for maintaining your health too!

Well don't worry, we've compiled a few essential things you need to change and improve in your life to get the better sleep that you want.

Stick to Your Body's Natural Sleep Cycle

Taking control and fixing your sleep schedule is one of the best ways to get better sleep. If you stick with your natural sleep cycle, you'll be feeling more energized and refreshed. You'll need to set a proper sleep cycle and sleep at the same times every day.

Your body will start optimizing your internal clock if it recognizes that you sleep and wake up at the same time. It will improve the quality of your sleep if you sleep at times when you're most tired. If you've got the right amount of sleep, your body should wake up naturally as well.

As much as you can, try and avoid sleeping in, even on the weekends. If your sleep schedules during the weekdays are different from that of your weekends, it will disturb your natural sleep cycle.

If you need to catch up on lost sleep, napping is better than snoozing your alarm. Try and limit them to around 15 to 20 minutes, or you might start having trouble sleeping at night. If you get sleepy throughout the day, try and get yourself doing something active.

This is especially so after dinner if you start feeling drowsy or tired. If you sleep too early and give in, you'll find yourself waking up later in the night. Do your best to stay in sync with your body's natural sleep cycle.

Control Light Exposure Throughout the Day

Your circadian rhythm or your body clock is what helps regulate your sleep schedule. Getting exposure to natural and bright light during the day helps keep that circadian rhythm healthy. When you wake up, you'll want to get as much light as possible.

Whether it's opening up your curtains or staying outside for your morning coffee. Not only does the light tell your body that its time to wake up, but it also helps you feel more energized as well.

Try and extend this to your other activities during the day like taking breaks or exercising outside instead of indoors. If you do have to stay indoors, try and keep all your curtains and blinds open to let in light.

When it comes time to sleep, this is when you'll want to avoid bright lights. Try not to stick to screens 1-2 hours before you sleep, whether it's watching TV before bed or reading a backlit ebook on a bright tablet.

If you do use your device, use one with smaller screens like your phone and make sure it's on a low brightness level. When it's time for you to sleep, make sure that you're room is dark by closing the curtains or wearing a sleep mask. If you do need a bit of light, think about installing small night lights in the corner of your room.

Eat and Drink Right

Caffeine can stay in your body for up to 10 hours. Therefore, try and limit your caffeine intake, especially in the afternoons.

You'll also want to avoid eating big meals right before you sleep, especially anything spicy or acidic. If you're someone who enjoys midnight snacks, it's time to kick the habit. Getting up in the middle of the night to eat will not only mess with your sleep schedule but keep you awake when you go back to bed.

Some snack before bed can help others promote their sleep. If you're one of these people, just make sure that the snack you're eating isn't sugary or full of refined carbs. Stick to light foods like fruits or yogurt.

Make sure that if you're drinking a lot of drinks in the afternoon, that you take a regular bathroom break before bed. The last thing you'd want is to wake up at night because you need to go.

Evaluate Your Room

A key part of getting a good night's sleep is by improving your sleeping environment. Make sure you're sleeping on something comfortable, like a soft mattress and light bed covers. Experiment with the firmness of your pillows and find which one supports you best.

Your room should also be properly ventilated and at a cool temperature. Anything too cold or too hot will interfere with your sleep and might cause you to wake up randomly at night.

If you can, try and keep your surroundings quiet and free from any kind of outside noise. If you have noisy neighbors or live next to somewhere with a lot of traffic, you can try earplugs or masking the sound with a white noise machine.

Relax and Wind Down

Going to bed while you're full of stress won't make for a comfortable sleep. You'll want to get rid of any anger, stress, anxiety, or worry you have from your day before you go to sleep.

Find something that you find relaxing and include it in a bedtime routine. Start reading a good book, take a relaxing bath and skincare routine, or try listening to soft music.

Whatever it is, make sure it helps you clear your head and remove anything negative. Do what you can to unwind to ensure that you don't get poor sleep quality.

Check here if you want more tips on how to be mindful of your mental and emotional health.

Now You Know How to Get Better Sleep

There are a lot of factors that affect the quality of your sleep, not only before bedtime but during the day too.

We hope that reading this article gave you a better idea of how to get better sleep as well as what causes poor sleep. Make sure that you change your habits for the better and use this guide to help you.

Do you feel like you need medical assistance to get some sleep? If you do and you want to save money doing so, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us right here and let us help!