Tips to get better sleep

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures for anything. – An Irish proverb

So true!!!

In my last blog post, we understood the importance of sleep for our body and mind, and how negatively a deprived sleep impacts us.

There are two major factors which will help you sleep better

• Get tired
• Make your mind and body calm and relaxed

To make this happen you must take care of a few matters.

Here are 10 tips to get better sleep. These are very easy to try and will help you in a significant way.

These are very easy to try and will help you in a significant way.

 

Get exposed to sunlight during the day

Light maintains the biological clock of your brain and body. If you would have observed, people who work in fields or construction sites do not generally have sleep problems. While people who work in corporates and offices, have it more. The reason is exposure to sunlight. Sunlight not only provides the necessary Vitamin K but also tires the eyes by its brightness.

Ensure that your windows get the morning sun rays. It will help you get up early and consequently feel sleepy on time as well.

If you work indoors, try to spend at least an hour in the sun, either watering your plants, doing some household chores, or just taking a brisk walk. Your brain will become more alert, and you will feel energetic. This will keep you active throughout the day and make you feel tired and sleepy at night.

Some experts suggest being exposed to bright artificial light if it is not possible to go out to the brightness of the sun. But I would still say, try to be outside in the sun for some time. No artificial light can replace the sun.

 

Engage yourself in some physical work

Regular physical activity helps improving sleep. It keeps you energetic and active throughout the day. As a result, you feel tired and sleepy at night.

On the other hand, excessive or heavy physical activity negatively affects sleep as it makes you restless.

 

Reduce using electronic devices before sleep

Electronic devices emit blue light, which creates an illusion of daylight. This makes you feel more awake and energetic, depriving you of sleep. The content that you engage with from the devices makes you more engrossed. This urges you to keep continuing to watch them longer.

Hence, the more you keep yourself away from these devices during your sleep time, the less your sleep will be impacted.

 

Avoid alcohol or caffeine

If you have realized, we drink caffeine to feel more energetic and less sleepy after getting up in the morning. We also drink caffeine during the day to be more focused on our work, and to avoid sleep. For the same reason, we should avoid caffeine intake during the evenings and at night. It will make us feel more energetic and deprive us of sleep. So, it is good to avoid the intake of caffeine during late evenings and nights.

Alcohol impacts our hormones negatively. It also causes snoring (sleep apnea) and irregular sleep pattern. So, it’s better to avoid the intake of alcohol.

 

Avoid eating high-fat food late in the evening

Eating high-fat food late in the evening stresses your digestive system. This will lead to disruptions in your sleep.

Having food with cauliflower or cabbage also makes you feel full very fast. These take a longer time to digest.

On the other hand, having white rice at dinner makes you feel sleepy. Though rice has its limitations, it is a good option for dinner, if you want to have a good sleep.

I will give you an insight into the food you should avoid making you sleep better, in my upcoming blog.

 

Make your bedroom cozy

Now that we know what we should avoid doing, let us move our attention to what we should do and take care of.

It is very important to take a relook at the place where you sleep. It is in your bedroom.

Is it quiet enough?

Is the lighting soothing?

Do you feel relaxed when you go into your bedroom?

Here are a few things to take care of:

• If you stay in a busy area, try soundproofing your bedroom, or make your bedroom away from the noisy direction.
• Do not have bright light, have soft lighting. The only bright light should be the sunlight in the morning.
• Ensure your bedroom gets enough sunlight during the day so that its disinfected.
• Have soothing wall colors, preferably lighter shades of blue, pink, beige, and white. These are soothing colors that make you feel calm.
• The same condition applies to bedroom linen. They should be light and soothing.
• The bed linen should be of skin-friendly fabric, like cotton. Avoid synthetic fabric.
•  Your bedroom should be well-ventilated, and temperature controlled.

Take care of these few things and see how much your sleep improves.

 

Take a hot shower or a foot massage

If you are feeling too tired and restless or feeling stressed out, your sleep gets negatively impacted. A shower in lukewarm water proves to be a big help in such cases.

When you sleep, your body temperature drops a bit and rises again when you wake up.

If you take a hot shower an hour before you sleep, your body cools down, which creates the illusion of sleep. This helps in the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.

Point to note, do not take a bath in very hot or cold water. This will energize you and deprive you of your sleep.

In case you are not able to take a shower, immerse your feet in warm water. This will also help you.

 

Sleep in proper position and a good mattress 

Do you have enough space to lie and stretch on your bed?

If not, your mattress and bed size is not proper. Be sure to have enough space to lie, turn both sides, and stretch when you sleep. Your bed or mattress may be the best, but if it does not fit you, then it is of no use.

Here is some mattress education for you.

Do you feel uncomfortable or have pain in any body part like your neck, or head, when you wake up?

Then your sleep position is not appropriate. Sleeping on one side is the best position for a night of uninterrupted sleep. But the preference should be your comfort. You will be in your subconscious state and not entirely aware of your sleep posture. Still, you can consciously try to be in a proper position when you lie down to sleep. This is a gradual process and will take some time to change if required.

Understand more about sleep positions.

 

Calm yourself

The first step to calm yourself is to move away from thoughts that stress you.

How do you do that?

Indulge yourself in activities that make you happy and calm. It may be playing with your kids, being with your spouse or family, reading a book, listening to music, or indulging in a hobby.

I have talked about this in more detail in my blog post on how spending time in hobbies helps is to sleep better.

 

Consume pro-sleepy food and drinks

There are several food items and beverages, which help you to sleep.

Essentially, dairy products and cherries help you to sleep uninterrupted. Turmeric acts as an anti-inflammatory when added to any of the beverages before sleep. Similarly, almonds, walnuts, and white rice enhance your sleep.

I have given more insight into this in my blog on food and drinks that help us to sleep.

 

Still, if you continue to have problems sleeping at night, consult your doctor. They will suggest the necessary tests and guide you with some supplements and other curing procedure.

Before going to sleep every night, pray to god, forgive everyone, and sleep with a clean heart.

Hope these tips to get better sleep, help you and improve your lifestyle.

Good night 🙂

Rest deeply, Sleep peacefully, Dream sweetly