A good sleep is very important to our life. Like food, water and air, we cannot live without sleeping.
Nowadays, a lot of people are experiencing insomnia every night. It can be resulted from stress, anxiety, changes in your environment and work schedule, or from other factors in your life.
Insomnia may become the main reason of accidents, depression, worse memory, and other health problems. Therefore, a “solid” night’s sleep is very necessary.
In fact, there have been tons of research on the importance of sleep for health, how much sleep we need every day, as well as some possible methods to get a quality sleep get a quality sleep.
Check out the following 11 tips to get a better rest after a hard-working day:
1/ Get a comfortable mattress and pillow:
This sounds so simple, but it is very important to ensure a good rest. Have you ever felt sometimes that you sleep better in a hotel?
The answer is: perhaps the hotel has invested in a good quality bedding set. Remember, poor quality bedding can lead to lower back pain, and you should upgrade your bedding every 5 to 8 years.
2/ Use a red light:
According to experts, light from different kinds of electronic appliances such as your television, cellphone, laptop, etc. and the night light can suppress the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps to keep your sleep or wake cycle in sync.
Red light can be really good to your health and sleep. It can promote relaxation and a sense of calm energy, reduce anxiety and irritability, as well as helps you to get a deeper, more restful night’s sleep.
Therefore, if you need some light to go to the bathroom at night, you had better use the red light so that you could get up with a comfortable feeling the following morning.
3/ Do more exercises:
There is no exact best time of the day to do exercises, but you should finish your workout at least 3 hours before bedtime.
You can choose to do it in the early morning or whenever you are free, but perhaps it would be better to take some exercises early in the day. No matter how busy you are, spend some time on certain activities then you will see its benefits.
4/ Avoid the alcohol:
Many people may think that drinking alcohol can help us fall asleep more easily. However, alcohol will have us up and restless in a few hours, and we may wake up earlier than our normal starting time.
As a result, we become more tired because of sleepless nights and our working result will be affected seriously.
5/ Eliminate distractions:
Before going to sleep, you should stay away from the TV or your own computer, and your cellphone as well (put it out of sight).
If you are afraid of missing some important calls, you can keep your mobile phone in your room, but make sure to place it where you can’t see it.
We must remember this because the light from these objects may reduce the level of melatonin, a kind of very necessary hormone to our health. And if you need a little noise to sleep better, choose some soothing music or white sound.
6/ Tame your alarm clock:
A majority of people need the support of an alarm clock to get up early in the morning. However, in fact, you should discipline yourself to get up instead of using this object.
Therefore, you should try to change some of your bad habits to get a better biological clock. But if you still need the alarm clock, remember not to use the snooze button.
7/ Be consistent:
Our sleeping habit is usually not the same in every day of the week, especially on Saturday and Sunday. This is very harmful to yourself. You should work with your body’s rhythms, not against them.
It means that you must go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Maybe at first you’ll need an alarm clock to remind you about the time. But gradually you will be able to create your sleeping habit and don’t need it anymore.
8/ Identify your magic bullet:
“Magic bullet” here means something that helps you to sleep better.
For example, if there is a specific routine you can do before your bedtime to fall asleep easily such as a hot shower or bath, doing crossword puzzles, reading, progressive relaxation, etc., try to follow it every night.
However, remember not to do it on your bed. Your bed should only be a place to sleep, not to do other things.
9/ Rethink naps:
A brief nap in the middle of the day can be really helpful to your health. However, a short nap before dinner may reduce the sleepy feeling at the optimal time.
Therefore, try not to sleep at that time even when you feel sleepy.
10/ Don’t fight it:
If you wake up during the night and cannot fall asleep again, don’t be frustrated.
You can do other activities such as reading books, listening to soothing music, practice breathing and other meditations. Perhaps they can help you to get a deeper sleep.
11/ Spray a sleep-inducing scent:
Some smells can help to activate the alpha wave in the back of your brain, which creates relaxation and helps you sleep more deeply.
Mix a few drops of essential oil and water in a bottle and spray it around your room or just to your pillows. Possible suggestions include lavender, chamomile, and ylang-ylang smells.
So, above is several things you can do to get a better sleep every night. Of course, each person has their own methods, you can try to look for your own ways.
However, the abovementioned are the most basic and easiest ways to improve the quality of sleep. Try them out to see if there would be any difference!