When it comes to sleeping, it isn’t only the quantity that matters, but also the quality. What most people don’t know is that whatever they do all day hinges their sleeping patterns. Don’t believe us, experiment with these simple remedies to see a significant change in your sleeping patterns. Not only do they guarantee a peaceful sleep, but also improved productivity, both physically and mentally all day long.
Create a sleeping environment:
Make sure to have a dark room when preparing to sleep. A sound slumber can be promoted if your room’s environment is dark, cool and quiet. Have dark colored curtains in the bedroom, or get help from an eye mask. Anything that blocks light will cue the brain it’s time to sleep.
Set a regular sleep schedule:
Always have a set sleeping and waking up time, even on the weekends. This allows the brain to automatically set your sleeping time, making it easier to get up every day, sometimes even without an alarm.
Go light on evening meals:
Late and heavy dinners lead to insomnia and indigestion. If you want to enjoy a peaceful sleep, ensure that your last meal of the day is the lightest and taken not later than 7 pm.
Cut down on caffeine:
The only reason one would intake caffeine, be it in the form of tea, cola or chocolate is to stay awake. Due to this very reason, it is best to cut down on caffeine if having trouble sleeping at night. If you must, have it at noon and not after 5 in the evening.
Exercise regularly:
It is best to incorporate some healthy physical activity in your daily routine, even if that involves 30 to 45 minutes of walking. Several studies revealed how regular exercise improved the overall quality of sleep in the group of participants. However, exercise before bedtime can also have a negative impact, which is why it is suggested to get some exercise at least 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.
Reset your body’s clock:
As awkward as it may sound, it is medically true that your body does react to the amount of light outside. To sleep better, it’s best if you wake up with the sun as it helps our bodies to internally reset our biological clocks every day. Furthermore, staying outdoors in the sun early morning will help you sleep better at night.
Sleep only when you are tired:
Yes, another helpful tip is to only lie down on bed when you feel like sleeping. Trying to convince yourself to sleep because it is past midnight will only lead to frustration if you don’t feel like it. Here’s what you can do - if you still can’t sleep after lying in bed for 15 minutes, just get up. Change rooms, pick up a book or listen to some music until you catch yourself yawning.
Change your pillow:
A rare scenario, but often times, the dust mites in our pillows stop us from enjoying a good night’s sleep. They can trigger allergic reactions that make sleeping in peace off-putting. This is one reason why many medical experts and physicians recommend using buckwheat hull pillows as they are all natural and organic, letting us sleep without the fear of dust mites.