Based on research, most adults do not get sufficient sleep. In the US, data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that about 30% of adults slept for less than 6 hours in 2013. Failing to get sufficient sleep can cause you to feel tired and fuzzy headed throughout the day. It is also known to reduce productivity because your energy levels reduce and you are not able to think with clarity. Even so, there are several healthy things you can do to ensure you sleep better and longer:
- Reduce your caffeine intake
If you love having caffeine in your system and you experience challenges getting enough sleep, its time you reduced your intake or did away with it all together. If eliminating caffeine completely is difficult for you then consider keeping off the beverage at least 4 to 6 hours before you go to bed. This is because if you take caffeine at 7 pm, 50% of it will still be in your system at 11 pm. Though you will not notice a remarkable improvement in your sleep within 24 hours, you are likely to begin seeing a difference in a few days following your change of caffeine intake.
- Limit or reduce your alcohol intake
This is often controversial as some people claim that alcohol helps them sleep better. However, alcohol can alter your sleep pattern and affect the quality of sleep you have at night. This is because when the amount of alcohol in your body reduces hours later, you get up and feel agitated. This makes it hard for you to sleep well in the hours that follow. To avoid this kind of interruption, you are better off avoiding any alcohol drink.
- Avoid heavy meals
Eating a heavy meal before going to bed can affect your sleep and even your health. To sleep better, take a light meal if you have to, before going to bed. Also, try as much as possible to feed on foods that can cause you stomach problems. Such include fatty, spicy and fried foods.
- Have a routine
Help your body develop a sleeping pattern by having a routine that you follow throughout the week. Though it might be tough at the initial stages, push yourself to get out of bed earlier irrespective of what time you slept the day before and force yourself to get to bed promptly the following night. Doing this will enable you reset your sleeping routine.
- Create a bedtime ritual
In addition to establishing a sleeping routine with consistent wake-up and sleep times, go a step further and establish a soothing ritual that you will be performing at bedtime. Bedtime rituals help in settling your brain so it gets into sleep mode, just as it works for babies. Schedule a relaxing time that lasts between 30 minutes to one hour before you go to bed. This rest duration is not standard for everyone, some people might work with just fifteen minutes. Bedtime rituals vary from one person to another. Some people prefer to meditate then take chamomile tea or cbd oil brands products. For others, taking a warm bath with calming music works well. Determine what soothes you and develop a ritual around that so you sleep better.
- Engage in exercises
Include exercise in your day to day routine to relieve yourself of things like depression and anxiety that interfere with sleep. By exercising, you strengthen your circadian rhythms and activate extended slow-wave sleep period, which is basically the most restorative and deepest phase of sleep. Studies show that people who engage in regular exercise get experience better sleep quality even when they do not sleep longer than those who do not exercise. Even with the exercise, avoid napping during the day as this can affect your sleeping cycle and perpetuate your sleeping problems. If you must nap, make it really brief and set an alarm to get you up in just about ten to twenty minutes.
- Quiet and cool your bedroom
If you are living in a noisy area or live with other people who might not be going to bed the same time as you, you need to find a way of making your sleep area quiet so you can sleep better. A white noise machine may help mask ambient noses as well as sudden slamming of doors that could affect your sleep. There are other devices available that are designed to help reduce noises that you may purchase for as low as $25 or use an air purifier or a fan. Also, find a way of keeping your room cool so you sleep well. Research shows that the best temperature for quality sleep is about 66 degrees.
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