You aren’t the only one who wakes up feeling like they didn’t get enough sleep, one out of every three Americans has trouble sleeping but you can try to do something about it.
Long and natural sleep is possible. You can start by making a few changes to your sleep habits and environment.
Watch What You Eat
Avoid certain foods before you go to sleep better. Some foods are stimulants, and those can keep you up longer than you need to be. Avoid things like coffee or soda or maybe even chocolate. These foods will make you feel active, making it hard to sleep well.
If you plan to consume these foods, do so in the morning or early afternoon.
Be Wise About Lighting
The internal clock of the human body relies on the sun on. It tells your body when it’s time to wake up and shut down. People’s dependence on artificial light has been interrupting the natural flow of things, and it could be messing with you. Having lights on at night makes it hard for the body to produce enough melatonin to give you a goodnight’s sleep.
It’s not just about turning off lights.
If you plan to use electronics at night, be sure to block the blue light from devices with blue-light-blocking apps or glasses.
Making Your Bedroom Comfortable
If you’re dealing with neck, back, or any other type of discomfort after laying down for a while, you won’t be able to sleep. You may wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself not being able to fall asleep some nights. You’ll wake up groggy and fall asleep in the middle of the day at inopportune times.
You need to make your bedroom as comfortable as possible. Sometimes, this means investing in a good mattress, or it could mean something as simple as finding the right pillow.
Finding the right pillow takes time. You have to do the work and research until you find one that’s going to support your head and keep your neck straight. It’s not just about support. The right pillow will be breathable so that you stay cool and dry while you sleep. The perfect pillow varies from person to person, so take your time.
Dedicate the same care to all other components of your bedroom to ensure it nurtures a good night’s sleep.
Keep Your Sleep Consistent
The body is quite temperamental. If you don’t sleep at a consistent time, your internal clock will get confused. You have to choose a time to sleep and stick with it. No one is saying that you can’t have an emergency. Those can happen at any time, but try to stick to your schedule.
Once you establish the schedule, your body should have an easier time predicting when it needs to shut down.
That, and all the other things you’re doing like turning off lights should help you sleep throughout the night.
Noise Must be Controlled
Noise can disturb your sleep. You need to take action and make sure you control it. If some people you live with are too loud, ask them to keep the noise down. If possible, install noise-canceling panels throughout your bedroom. A double-pane window would be a good idea to reduce outdoor noise.
Granted, sometimes, you can’t eliminate all noise, and if that’s the case, consider using a white noise machine to help drown out other noises.
You could also just wear noise-canceling earplugs. This is especially true for those who are quite sensitive to noise.
Learn to Exercise More Regularly
When you wake up and give your body nourishment, it gets going. It’s like you revved your engine, and now your body is ready to do something. If you don’t and just sit in front of your television or phone, all that energy is going to build up. Your body won’t feel ready to sleep when the night finally falls.
This is the reason you need to exercise a little more regularly or take on a physical activity every day, like a little work in the house or around your yard.
Your body needs a way to use up all that energy it’s providing.
If you don’t normally exercise, it’ll take a moment before you get used to it, but stick with it for the sake of your sleep.
Try to Quieten Down Your Mind
Every so often, the reason you can’t sleep is that your mind is too active. Maybe you’re trying to fall asleep but you’re worried about rent or some bill you don’t have the cash for. Maybe one of your friends is in trouble, or maybe someone in your family is upsetting you. Stress is normal. It’s something everyone has to deal with, but you can’t bring that with you to bed.
It’ll make your night restless, but you can change this.
One thing you can do is meditate before going to bed. This should help put you in the mood to sleep. Sleep is an important function. It lifts your mood and promotes long and healthy life. It even helps your body repair itself, so taking all the steps possible to sleep well makes sense.
