Why Better Sleep is Important?
It’s the night before you have a huge exam? What do you do? Stay up all night studying every bit of information hoping that you’re going to ace the exam? Or are you going to get a good night’s rest so that you’re prepared to take the exam? Hopefully, you’re choosing to sleep.
Sleep is beneficial to your health. Don’t ever underestimate it. Without sleep, our daily lives would be chaotic. A good night’s rest energizes us for the next day. It is important for our physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Sleep helps reduce stress, improves memory, and puts you in a better mood.
Sleeping has proven to be the best medicine for when you are sick. People should get a total of 8 hours of sleep a night. Over time, it is easy to interrupt your sleep schedule as you grow older. Never forget how important sleep is.
If you’re trying to get a better night’s sleep and you continue to find yourself waking up every night, you have clicked on the right article. In this article, you will learn about the importance of sleep and 10 tips to have a better night’s rest.
The Dangers of Not Sleeping
If we stopped sleeping altogether, it affects our overall health. Lack of sleep makes you prone to serious medical conditions, even leading to death. There is no such thing as a life without sleep. We all need to sleep for our mental and physical health. Trust me, if nobody slept that everybody would be jumping down one another’s throats at the smallest comment.
During a good night’s rest, it’s the body’s time to restore its functions. Sleep deprivation is the main cause of some health conditions. These health conditions include:
- Health Conditions
- Obesity
- Heart Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Diabetes
- Memory Issues/
- The trouble with thinking/concentrating
- Poor Balance
- Weakened Immunity
Lack of sleep is a great risk to your health, so be wise and don’t skip out on a night of sleep. Because you are so tired during the day there have been cases where people fall asleep during the day and don’t know it. This is called microsleep. These short naps happen anywhere, including when you’re driving.
10 Tips to Have a Better Sleep at Night
1. No Noise, Keep it Quiet
It’s impossible to sleep in an environment with the TV blasting in the background, noisy neighbors, or your phone constantly making noises throughout the night. If you want to have a good night’s sleep, reduce the noise. Make the temperature 60-67 degrees. Eyeshades, earplugs, humidifiers, and fans are recommended if you are an easily distracted sleeper.
Sleep is the time where you need to get away from the drama. Being able to sleep in a quiet and relaxing space helps your ability to concentrate, and emotionally preparing you. Buy shades for the window. Sleeping in darkness is better than having any light crack in through the shades blinding your eyes.
Can I listen to Relaxing Music?
Yes. Listening to relaxing music, or even white noise helps you fall asleep. Preferably right before you go to sleep, instead of when you are lying in bed, listen to slow instrumental and classical music. Avoid any rock bands. That won’t settle your mind.
At least 45 minutes before bed, listen to slow music or white noise. White noises drown out any annoying sounds that may keep you awake at night.
2. Create a Routine
We know, the older you get, your whole schedule starts to get out of wack. That does not mean that you should push sleep aside to focus on something else. Create a healthy routine in which you go to bed at the same time and then wake up at the same time in the morning. The later and later you go to sleep is only going to make you more tired in the morning.
Once college starts, young adults have the power to make their own rules. Staying up all night is one of them. Instead of following along with the crowd, you should set up your own routine. That is the first step in your adult life. With the right amount of sleep, you’ll have your schedule in order instead of taking naps when you should be studying.
Do you use your bed for different activities besides sleeping? If you are someone who works from home, never use your bed to work. Create a space that is comfortable for you where you can focus. Sitting at a desk is better. Just remember to get up every once in a while and move around.
3. What is Your Environment Like?
Is your bed too lumpy? Are you living in a busy city? Do people in your apartment building make noise every night? How you sleep, is the way you sleep. Figure out what sleeping position works best for you. Avoid positions that will only make your neck hurt, which is common.
Our bedrooms are very important because they belong to us. We can decorate our rooms however way we want with posters, pictures of friends, or hooking a calendar to the wall to mark important schedule updates. Bedrooms are meant for sleeping.
Your mattress is everything. A good mattress should support your back muscles. Instead of tossing and turning night after night trying to find a comfortable sleeping position, look into seeking out a new mattress. The average lifespan of a mattress is 7 to 10 years. Once you notice that your mattress becomes saggy in the middle, it makes it uncomfortable for your back beginning issues to the alignment of the spine.
4. The Importance of Exercising
It is very important to get exercise every day. Exercising is one proven way to help you sleep better at night. But, not right before bed. You will fall asleep faster at night because exercising makes you tired.
Go for a walk, a run, swim laps in the pool or head out to the gym during the day. Vigorous or light exercise will do the trick just fine.
5. Avoid Taking Naps During the Day
Can’t fall asleep at night because you took a long nap during the day? The reason that you are losing important hours of sleep at night is that you are taking too many naps during the day when you should be sleeping at night. Going to bed late proves to make you tired the next day which causes you to take a break and sleep for a couple of hours on the couch. Avoid naps altogether and go to bed earlier. The results of a good night’s sleep make everything better.
6. Watch Your Consumption of Caffeine
Caffeine is consumed day after day by Americans who trying to keep themselves awake. In the morning. The sugar from caffeine ends giving us more energy than we needed. Instead of consuming a cup of coffee at night, instead, avoid it altogether.
7. Eating and Drinking Habits
Eating before bed is not recommended. One should eat a few hours before going to bed to let everything digest. Create A diet that is balanced in terms of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals. It’s important to stay healthy in order to get better sleep. To go sleep faster at night, you should avoid eating heavy and spicy dishes or foods that are high in sugar.
Going to the bathroom at night is the #1 reason why you don’t get enough sleep at night. Before you think that you should avoid drinking water, don’t do that. Keeping yourself hydrated is very important. Just don’t drink water or any other liquids a couple of hours before retiring to bed.
Use alcohol very cautiously. Some alcohol consumers reflect that while it made them feel tired at night, they ended up awakening at night. Alcohol stops you from falling asleep, hindering your sleep cycle.
If you really must consume a beverage before going to bed have a little water or try some chamomile tea. Chamomile tea contains tranquilizing antioxidants that get rid of all your anxious worries to help you sleep.
What Should I Eat Before Bed?
Although eating before bed is not recommended, here are some foods that you can enjoy as a snack for your rumbling stomach.
Bananas: Bananas are a healthy snack. The magnesium from bananas relaxes your muscles while the melatonin helps you sleep.
Almonds: Almonds steady the rhythm of your heart. They are a healthy snack, and almonds reduce nerve and muscle function.
Honey: Have you ever wondered why Winnie the Pooh consumes honey before he goes to bed? Honey contains a stimulant that helps the brain wind down from our busy day.
Oats: Oats raise blood sugar. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to help you get a night of better sleep.
Turkey: Ever wonder why you’re so tired after that delectable Thanksgiving dinner? Turkey contains tryptophan. It’s a powerful stimulant to make you sleep. Not only that, but turkey contains protein.
What Should I Avoid Eating Before Bed?
Chocolate: That chocolate hot fudge sundae looks heavenly, doesn’t it? Avoid it. Yes, chocolate is only going to keep you awake at night because of all that delectable sugar. Many people like to have dessert before going to bed, but you shouldn’t consume a sugary chocolate dessert seconds before you are trying to fall asleep.
Cheese: If there is any food that you should avoid at night, make it cheese. Yes, cheese is good on anything like crackers, a grilled cheese sandwich, or a slice of pizza. Cheese actually contains an amino acid in which makes it harder to fall asleep. It’ll only make you more alert.
Fatty Foods: Friday’s are the start of the weekend. Weekends are for relaxation and fun. You should still watch out for the foods you consume on the weekend, preferably fatty foods. The result of fatty foods causes heartburn. It is difficult to sleep at night due to pain. Avoid eating fatty foods.
Anything Spicy: Ever challenge your friend to spicy food contest late at night. The results of that spicy food are only going to keep you awake. A certain ingredient from spicy foods, for example, peppers, messes with the temperature of your body thus making it difficult to fall asleep.
8. Meditate in the Evening
Right when you get home from work, take the evening to relax. Does the ceiling act as a movie screen at night replaying all your thoughts? Clear your mind before heading to bed. Take care of yourself. A little self-care goes a long way. Treat yourself.
Take a warm bath in the evening and fill the tub with suds to help calm your mind. Body temperature is important when it comes to sleeping at night. Arguably, it’s easier to sleep in a warmer climate, than it is to sleep when it is freezing cold. Take a hot shower to lower your temperature and help you sleep. Sleep patterns are triggered by lower core temperatures.
It’s irritating when you cannot fall asleep when you go to bed early for that important event in the morning. If you’re still awake after twenty minutes, don’t fret. Most people toss and turn to try and get comfortable. This only disrupts our sleep schedule further. Instead, get up, do something relaxing, and breathe.
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A Relaxation Technique to Try
One considerate technique of relaxation therapy is called progressive muscle relaxation. It is often suggested to those struggling with issues ranging from anger management to insomnia. Yet, progressive muscle relaxation is used by anyone who prefers to count sheep to sleep. All you have to do is tense your muscles, then relax individual muscles starting from your feet to your head. Each part of the body should be given attention for 30 seconds and released.
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Getting Rid of Stress
One of the most common reasons why we cannot sleep is due to stress. Most people do yoga right before bed, reducing stress. According to studies, 55% say that they sleep better after doing a relaxing yoga routine. Yoga helps control breathing patterns and releases any tension in your body. Furthermore, yoga is one of the best forms of meditation to connect with your thoughts. Meditation is a practice of mindfulness that helps improve sleep, in addition to decreasing blood pressure, alleviating pain, reducing anxiety and depression.
9. Will Medication Help?
Some people avoid medication, worried about the side-effects. Talking to your doctor about your sleep cycle helps the matter. If your sleep habits are the cause of another underlying reason regarding mental or physical health, it’s time you got in touch with a professional to help. We should never try to solve our problems alone.
Aromatherapy:
Try out aromatherapy. Small is a big part of trying to sleep. Aromatherapy has been shown to be a potent way to induce sleep. The scent of certain essential oils, including lavender and damask rose, can effectively help those who have trouble falling asleep.
What You Should Know About taking Sleep Medications:
A lot of over-the-counter sleep aids contain antihistamines. Tolerance to the sedative effects of antihistamines can develop fast. In other words the longer you take medication to help you sleep the less likely the medication will make you sleep.
Before taking any medication, research the side effects before you take it. Always talk with your doctor before deciding that you are going to take something to help you sleep. Don’t just take it because you want a better night’s sleep.
List of Medications to Take:
- Diphenhydramine
- Doxylamine Succinate
- Melatonin
- Valerian
Pain Disrupts the Sleep Cycle:
Is pain a reason that you’re staring up at the ceiling rather than sleeping? Pain is never fun. The reason why nobody can sleep due to pain is that people spend too much time in light sleep, thinking about the pain. It affects the positions in which you sleep in and because of lack of sleep you are more sensitive to pain. Although your first idea is to relieve yourself with pain medication, it actually disrupts you from sleep. Talk to your doctor about resources for pain.
10. Limit Use of Screen Time
Don’t ever take your phone with you to bed. Buy an alarm clock. Staring at a phone screen before bed is not good for you. Let’s be real. Any type of social media includes drama. You’re never going to sleep if you spy an article that makes you angry.
Instead, leave that phone out in the kitchen to charge for the night, and sit in bed with a good book. Depending on our jobs, we’re using technology all day. How about a break from technology for the evening? Don’t take the telephone to bed to avoid any wrong numbers or scam calls waking up at night.
Keep a sleep diary on hand. Writing about your troubles is the ultimate resource because you are connecting with your thoughts. Instead of switching on the television or the radio, write or read.
REFERENCES https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/healthy-sleep-tips https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-better https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/pain-and-sleep#:~:text=Pain%20at%20night%20disrupts%20sleep%20architecture.&text=But%20if%20pain%20wakes%20you,may%20increase%20sensitivity%20to%20pain. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/in-depth/sleeping-pills/art-20043959 https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/how-to-get-good-nights-sleep-food-before-bed-what-to-eat-a7559961.html