Last Updated on 30/05/2024 by Liz @ HealthTenfold
How to Sleep Better at Night
Getting a good night of sleep is responsible for maintaining your physical and mental health. When you don’t sleep well at night, you’ll probably move through the day in a grumpy mood, feeling tired before you even work, and this consequently affects your productivity and how you relate with people. That’s why it’s important that you learn how to sleep better at night and get the most out of your waking hours.
Human beings are supposed to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night for optimum health but unfortunately, a regrettable number of people don’t get that much sleep. A third of the population in the United States gets less than 7 hours of sleep! No wonder lifestyle chronic illnesses like mood disorders, cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases have become so rampant! In this article, we will explore why you might be sleeping poorly at night and what you can do to get better sleep.
What Causes Sleep Problems
There are several reasons why you might not be getting enough sleep at night. These include:
Stress and Anxiety
It’s hard to sleep when you have a lot on your mind. It might be work, family, or relationship-related stress that might be causing you sleepless nights. Your body responds to stress by keeping the brain hyper-aroused and active. The lack of sleep may then cause you more stress so it becomes a vicious cycle of insomnia.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental condition that develops from experiencing traumatic events also contributes to insomnia. The patient has nightmares of the events reoccurring and it troubles their sleep and they are often forced to stay awake to avoid the nightmares.
Irregular Sleep Patterns
The body is naturally adapted to follow a regular sleeping schedule. You should be asleep when it gets dark and awake when it’s day time but not everyone follows this routine. Some people work night shifts while others stay up most of the night entertaining themselves and extend their sleeping hours well past sunrise. These activities along with jet lag disrupt the normal sleeping schedule and cause a shift in the body’s circadian rhythm. When this shift occurs, falling asleep becomes difficult. When you do finally catch sleep, the sleep is restless so you wake up still feeling tired.
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Sickness or Pain
It’s hard to sleep through pain or the discomfort caused by an illness. All you can concentrate on is the pain or how uncomfortable you are. Even when you fall asleep, pain may wake you up.
Conditions like diabetes type II cause you to wake up because of the frequent need to urinate or quench your thirst. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes people to be startled awake frequently when breathing abruptly stops. Allergies and respiratory conditions that make it difficult for you to breathe through your nose properly also greatly disrupt sleep.
Unhealthy Lifestyle
Some things that you do or the food that you eat could be affecting the quality of your sleep at night. They include:
- Sleeping in the morning in an effort to recover sleep lost by sleeping late. This throws off your sleep schedule and confuses the body so you take time to fall asleep.
- Staying active in the evening or at night by watching TV, gaming, working late, or using your phone. Your brain doesn’t have enough time to wind down before you go to bed.
- Taking naps later in the day which throws off your sleeping schedule.
- Taking caffeine in the afternoon or evening stimulates your brain so sleeping becomes difficult.
- Drinking alcohol makes you sleepy because it’s a sedative so it interferes with your body clock especially if you drink during the day.
- Spicy and heavy meals task the digestive system so eating them before you sleep disturbs your sleep.
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What to Avoid Doing to Sleep Better
You should avoid the following practices that deprive you of sleep:
Blue Light Exposure
Digital devices like smartphones emit blue light which when used at night, make the brain think it’s daytime so it remains active. Avoid using these devices once darkness sets in or use a filter to block the blue light.
Taking Caffeine
A cup of coffee may keep you active during the day and improve your performance but avoid it from at least 6 hours before you sleep. If you have to take it, drink decaffeinated coffee.
Eating Heavily at Night
Eating a lot of food at night disturbs your sleep so eat a light meal before you sleep. Also, don’t eat and sleep immediately. Give your digestive system time to clear the food you’ve eaten.
Long Naps
Having power naps to recharge your energy during the day is recommended but long naps negatively affect your sleep at night.
Drinks at Night
Drinking a lot of fluids before bed will make you wake up frequently to urinate and so interrupt your sleep.
Exercising at Night
Exercising stimulates your body so doing it 1-2 hours before bed will keep you awake.
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How to Sleep Better at Night
Establish a Regular Sleeping Schedule
Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day so that your body gets a nice sleeping rhythm. When your body gets used to it, you won’t even need an alarm to wake you up. You will naturally wake up after a night of quality and restful sleep.
Increase Blue Light Exposure during the Day
Make sure you get enough blue light from the sun during the day. Go outside in the morning and bask in the sun and also ensure the room you’re in lets in enough natural light. Blue light from the sun keeps you alert during the day and keeps your circadian rhythm healthy and well-timed.
Exercising during the Day
Staying active during the day improves your chances of better sleep at night. The more you exercise, the deeper and better your sleep quality. Establish an exercise routine and stick to it because sleep improves gradually after regular and consistent exercise.
Wind Down and Manage Stress Levels
Taking time to wind down before you sleep reduces stress that could cause you to lose sleep. You can wind down by listening to soft music, dimming your lights, breathing deeply, taking a relaxing bath, or listening to recorded calming nature sounds. A relaxed mind is less prone to worrying and stressing over issues so you fall asleep without any trouble.
Create a Favorable Sleeping Environment
A room that’s quiet, dark, and cool helps your body to get into a sleepy state. You can eliminate noise using earplugs, a fan, or a sound device. Keep your light off or dim to prevent your brain from being stimulated by blue light. Make sure your room has proper ventilation or a fan to keep the room cool and ideal for inducing sleep. A comfortable mattress and pillows also go a long way in making you comfortable so that sleep comes easily.
Pleasant Aromas
Diffuse pleasant smells from essential oils like lavender in your bedroom. They help in soothing inducing you to sleep.
Keep a Sleep Diary
This is a journal where you document how you’re sleeping every day and factors that might be helping or disrupting your sleep. It’ll help you eliminate the habits that are depriving you of sleep and also determining whether new routines are helping you to sleep better.
Sleep Aid Formula
Sleep Aid Formula is the best natural solution to how to sleep better at night. It’s made of safe homeopathic ingredients so you can forget about sleeping pills that have harmful side effects and often cause you to be addicted.
You only need to massage one or two drops on your temples or back of the neck before bed and it will relax you to help you sleep.
Most recommended:
SLEEP AID FORMULA
Manufactured by Natural Healing Oils.
Check the great reviews. Only pure oils, no additives.
Order yours today and say goodbye to nights of tossing and turning and dreary, sleep-laden days!
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