A good night’s sleep is extremely essential to a healthy existence. It is equally important as proper diet and regular exercise and goes a long way in boosting a person’s quality of life. An average adult is supposed to sleep for at least 7-8 hours continuously. Nevertheless, most people usually toss and turn in bed for the better part of the night attempting to catch some asleep. Deprivation of quality sleep can lead to obesity, stress, and depression in addition to making an individual feel constantly tired. The following are some critical steps that can aid a person in sleeping better.
Improved Bedroom Environment
Enhancing the bedroom setup and environment is the initial critical step towards achieving a better and quality sleep at night. The environment of this space should be welcoming and comfortable for sleeping. Its overall appearance including furniture choice and arrangements, sounds, temperature, and odors might affect how one sleeps. A clean bedroom and beddings will come in handy in triggering better sleep at night. Its, therefore, important to get rid of all the clutters and putting all the dirty clothes in a closed laundry basket to ensure that there is no sweat smell in the room. Optimizing the bedroom environment involves minimizing artificial light and noises while making sure that the room is clean and relaxed.
There are two purposes for the bedroom; sleep and coitus. One should refrain from watching TV in the bedroom or going to bed with a phone with the intentions to browse or play games late into the night. Such activities make a person unrelaxed and might ultimately deny them quality sleep. Also, it’s advisable to decorate the bedroom with relaxing colors to enhance a soothing effect in the area. Depending on one’s preferences and health conditions, setting a suitable temperature in the room is imperative. For instance, some people sleep better in colder temperatures whereas others prefer warm environments. However, the ideal temperature for the bedroom should range from 18-24°C.
Moreover, the bedroom should always have a nice smell to enhance the quality of sleep. To achieve this, one can buy a scented room freshener or use an essential oil diffuser. These appliances disperse aromatherapy vapors throughout the bedroom, and whether the user is looking to take a short nap or tuck in for the night, they are guaranteed to fall into a deep slumber.
Bed and Beddings
Money used for the purchase of a cozy, quality bed isn’t money wasted but rather invested. If one has been struggling with insomnia, it is the most important time they checked on their bed quality. Since, getting a good bed, mattress, and a pillow is a critical step towards achieving better sleep. For instance, a quality mattress ensures that a person doesn’t wake up with back and neck pains in addition to affording them a great night’s sleep. Having numerous and appropriate pillows will serve to add comfort while sleeping by keeping the head in line with the spine.
It’s also important to spread quality and comfortable sheets on the bed to make it appealing and nice to the touch. When buying bed sheets, one should consider the softness and thread count. The more the thread count and softness, the greater the warmth and comfort. Additionally, they should ensure that the bed sheets are frequently washed to make them fresh.
Daily Habits
Almost everything that a person does during the day impacts on their sleep at night. To begin with, an individual who’s aspiring to get better quality sleep should reduce their caffeine intake, especially in the afternoons. After drinking caffeine, the body responds after fifteen minutes, but the full effect is experienced after an hour. However, it might take four to six hours before the feeling disappears. Caffeine keeps the heart rate elevated and the body stimulated, hindering the user’s efforts to achieve quality sleep.
Dinner ought to be taken three or more hours before bedtime to give the body enough time to digest the food. Also, after the meal, one should sit upright to allow the food to settle down; lying on the couch can cause acid reflux. People also need to avoid taking heavy or fried meals at night; this the increases acid levels in the body, which might cause stomach pains. Having fewer carbohydrates and more nutrient ridden foods can guarantee a good night’s sleep. If one gets hungry before bedtime, they should consider eating almonds or walnuts, which go a long way in boosting healthy sleep patterns.
It’s also imperative to avoid taking alcohol at night; while this can increase the quantity of sleep, it a disastrous element for quality slumber. The body utilizes a lot of energy and water to digest alcoholic drinks thus they might ultimately cause dehydration. Consequently, sleep is interrupted and can keep a person awake irrespective of their being tired. Drinking alcohol before bed also reduces the production of melatonin, which causes disrupted sleep patterns. Also, while taking afternoon naps is good and relaxing, long siestas can adversely affect a person’s sleep at night.
Regular Exercises
Regular workouts can be a great step towards getting quality sleep, but one should not exercise close to bedtime. Exercise reduces stress, utilizes excess energy in the body, and help with combating the symptoms of insomnia in addition to weight management. Individuals who engage in regular workouts get better slumber and fight off sleep apnea better. For instance, yoga is an excellent exercise that increases blood circulation, calms the body, and can help in getting a better night sleep.
Pre-sleep Routine
Taking a warm bath before going to bed helps in relaxing the body and providing a favorable body temperature for sleeping. Going to bed early doesn’t necessarily guarantee a good and long night’s sleep. Organizing one’s thoughts before going to bed can help with relaxing the mind. Towards this end, a person can put on some soothing music to help them relax optimally.
Bottom Line
A good night’s sleep can help both children and adults with living a healthy life. Stress is among the biggest barriers preventing people from getting a quality night sleep. It could be from work, school, family or financial problems. The above ideas can be of help, but one should set a sleep routine that suits them best and stick to it as much as they can. Before going to bed, one can put down the things disturbing them on paper, including some ideas on how to solve them. Also, a person who’s having trouble sleeping should consider getting appropriate settings for their bedroom. This includes purifying their indoor air and cleaning up the area to create a welcoming room that encourages a peaceful night’s sleep.
