4 Simple Ways to Get Better Sleep This Year
If you are seriously concerned about your physical fitness as well as your overall health and wellbeing, the quality of your sleep should be at the top of your list of priorities. Getting enough sleep is necessary in order to achieve any other health-related goal in your life. If you do not get enough sleep, you will not only be unable to achieve the goals of losing weight, controlling your cravings, improving the results of your workouts, achieving mental focus and physical agility, reducing depression or anxiety, and improving your cardiovascular health, but you will also fail to achieve many other goals as well. According to Harvard Medicine, a major contributor to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity, as well as a worsening cardiovascular function and immune response, is a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation is a contributor to many of your worst habits, including eating excessive amounts of snacks and engaging in binge eating. If getting enough sleep is difficult for you, here are four things you can do to increase the quality of sleep you get in the new year.
- Get on a sleep routine
On the weekends or their days off, many people look forward to catching up on their sleep. In point of fact, the majority of health professionals recommend that you do not go too much from your typical sleeping schedule, even on the weekends. When we were younger, our mothers had the sage understanding that maintaining a consistent sleep schedule was critical to our growth and development. Becoming an adult comes with real-world barriers to maintaining a regular sleep pattern, but that does not imply that we should not seek to construct one, especially as our bodies age. In fact, this is increasingly important as our bodies get older. The digestion, hormone production, and metabolic processes, amongst others, all follow a set pattern in our bodies. Our bodies need to go through several different phases of biochemical processing in order to keep us upright. In order for our bodies to be able to process the energy required for regular functioning, our bodies desire predictability. When we interfere with our body’s natural sleep cycle, we impair its capacity to function normally, which results in long-term damage to the body and can be harmful to its health. You should make an effort to avoid taking extended naps during the day, as these can also disrupt the regular sleep cycle of the body. If you do not currently have a regular sleep pattern, there are numerous resources available to you that will assist you in establishing one and successfully acclimating your body to this routine. The website Sleep.org recommends keeping a regular schedule for both the time you go to bed and the time you wake up. If maintaining a healthy sleep pattern is something that is new to you, you should try to gradually adjust your body by shifting your bedtime in increments of 15 minutes over the course of a week or two until you reach the bedtime that you want to maintain.
- Check your sleep surroundings
A lot of individuals go to sleep in front of the television, after using their phones or computers, or while watching television. These procedures are strongly discouraged by medical professionals whenever it is possible. Your setting ought to be one that encourages restful sleep and good health. Think about the things that keep you from getting a good night’s sleep, such as screens, noise, light, or a mattress that isn’t supportive enough. Note anything that keeps you awake during the night, such as a noisy fan, a defective HVAC system, or poor air quality, and make a mental note of it. The temperature in your sleeping environment should ideally range from 60 to 67 degrees, and your bedroom should be designed with the purpose of encouraging a healthy sleep. It is not a good idea to place electronic devices like a computer or television in the bedroom. Before going to bed, it is important to put all electronic devices into silent mode and switch off their screens. In addition to that, think about your bed. Because sleep is so important to overall health, it is imperative that you purchase a high-quality mattress and pillow, as well as sheets, comforters, and blankets that are suitable for the current season. This will allow you to maintain a temperature that is comfortable for your body throughout the night. Place your bed in a location where it will be shielded from light and noise that would otherwise be a nuisance.
- Think about the routines you do every day.
In order for your body to be ready for sleep, particularly if you have trouble dozing off, you need to prepare it. If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, you should examine the behaviors you engage in during the day to see if you can improve how your body gets ready for bedtime. Think very carefully about the foods you eat. After a particular time of the day, it is highly recommended that you abstain from consuming any stimulants, such as cigarettes or coffee. You shouldn’t just focus on the quantity of food you’re consuming, but also the type of food and the time of day that you consume it. For instance, if you eat a meal that is particularly heavy or hot late in the evening, it may hinder your ability to go asleep. Think about doing some exercise in the middle of the day to help relieve some of the stress and tension that has built up in your body. Consider participating in other types of relaxation activities as well, such as yoga or meditation, which are known to aid in the reduction of tension and stress in both the body and the mind. During the day, you should make an effort to expose as much of your body as possible to different sources of natural light. In the event that this is difficult to achieve, particularly during the wintertime in certain geographic locations, there are many natural light lamps that can be purchased and used during the daytime to assist your body’s circadian rhythms and natural sleep cycle. If this is something that you are interested in, you can find more information about natural light lamps here.
- Establish a pattern for your evening activities.
You probably have a certain time that you like to get into bed, but you should also make sure that you leave enough time in your nightly routine to get ready for bed. In general, a bedtime ritual can last anywhere between thirty and sixty minutes, depending on the individual. You will want to get rid of any auditory and visual stimulation in your area, such as turning off the television, turning down the lights, and completing any nightly routines or activities that you normally do. Think about beginning a soothing routine before night, such as reading, meditating, taking a warm bath or shower, or engaging in some other form of self-care. As was mentioned before, finding a balance between job, life, and physical activity might be difficult, but it is doable if you dedicate yourself to managing your life in a conscientious manner. You shouldn’t put your investment in your body in jeopardy in the same way that you wouldn’t put your investment in your home in jeopardy. Your body is the home of your spirit. Make sure you schedule enough time in your schedule to get enough sleep, as this is the health habit that is the most precious and valuable.