Getting a good night’s sleep every night over time is just as important as regular exercise and a healthy diet. Research shows that poor sleep negatively affects your hormones, mood, and brain function. It can also cause weight gain and increase disease risk. Therefore, it is critical to get a good night’s sleep. Good sleep can help you eat less, improve brain function, and increase overall health and well-being.
Unfortunately, over the last few decades, both the quality and quantity of sleep has dropped. And as a result, many people routinely don’t sleep enough, and when they do sleep, the quality is poor. Therefore, it is an imperative to do what it takes to get a good night’s sleep every night. Consequently, let’s look at these 6 tips to help you get a good night’s sleep.
1. Don’t consume caffeine late in the day
Caffeine is consumed by 90% of the American population. It has numerous health benefits such as increasing energy levels, improving brain focus, helping you burn fat, improving physical performance, and lowering your risk of Type 2 Diabetes. But when consumed in the late afternoon or early evening, it stimulates your central nervous system and may stop you from relaxing at night. The results of a research study reported that consuming caffeine up to six hours before bed significantly worsened sleep quality.
2. Reduce electronic gadget usage just before bed
The blue light emitted from a mobile device, laptop, and computer screens make it harder to fall asleep at night. It does not matter whether you watch a movie, video clip, browse social media, or read an eBook; the cyan (a mixture of blue and green) light emitted by the device screen keeps you awake because it inhibits the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin.
Therefore, it is best to avoid looking at electronic screens for at least two hours before bedtime. However, if this isn’t possible, the best option is to purchase blue light glasses or special computer glasses designed to reduce the sleep-inhibiting effect of the blue light emitted from the device screen.
3. Take a melatonin supplement
Melatonin is a key sleep hormone that alerts your brain that it is time to relax and fall asleep. They are a prevalent sleep aid and are successfully used to treat insomnia. The results of a research study demonstrate that taking 2mg of melatonin before bed improved sleep quality, helped study participants fall asleep faster, and improved energy the next day.
4. Have a consistent bedtime
Your body’s circadian rhythm instinctively lines up with both sunrise and sunset. Because the circadian rhythm is constant, irregular sleep patterns can alter this rhythm, reducing your natural melatonin levels, making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Consequently, having a regular bedtime and wake-up time will improve your quality of sleep as the circadian rhythm adjusts to regular sleep habits.
5. Reduce long daytime naps
Short power naps are beneficial, improving memory, preventing stress, and boosting mood and creativity. On the other hand, long daytime naps can negatively affect your sleep. Sleeping in the daytime can confuse your internal clock, resulting in a struggle to fall asleep at night.
6. Increase the natural light exposure during the day
As described above, your body has a natural time-keeping clock, the circadian rhythm. It impacts your body, hormones, and brain, helping you stay awake and letting you know it is bedtime.
Exposure to natural sunlight or bright light during the day helps keep the circadian rhythm healthy and functioning optimally. Not only does this improve daytime energy, but it also improves the quality and quantity of nighttime sleep.
Final thoughts
Sleep plays an integral role in your health and well-being. Therefore, if you are interested in improving your quality of life, it is essential to make sleep a priority by following some of the steps highlighted above.
