Tips for Better Sleep
If you are tossing and turning every night and wake up in the morning feeling tired and exhausted, then consider yourself following these tips to make your sleep night better. Some of the tips for better sleep are:
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Follow a Sleep Schedule
An average person needs 7-8 hours of sleep and not more than that. Create a schedule as in when to go to bed. If you make it a habit to go to bed at the same time every day, you will see that after 7-8 hours, you will automatically wake up feeling fresh and well-rested. Be constant in maintaining your sleep cycle. If you are 20 minutes in bed and don't feel sleepy, leave the bed and engage in something peaceful, come back to back when you feel tired and sleepy.
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Do Not Eat Heavily During Bedtime
Avoid eating spicy food and heavy meals or drinking alcohol during bedtime as being stuffed can cause discomfort which will keep you awake the whole night. Alcohol might make you feel drowsy initially but it tends to create sleeplessness later in the night. Eat a heavy breakfast with fruits, nuts, and veggies but reduce your intake of food as bedtime approaches. Sugary food increases the spike in the blood sugar level and thus should be avoided during bedtime as it makes one hyperactive. Also, you start snacking on junk foods if you cannot sleep, which is unhealthy.
Include foods that contain tryptophan and serotonin, such as chicken, pumpkin seeds, turkey, and milk. These help promote sleep by releasing the melatonin hormone. Include probiotics in your diet as they help in balancing the gut microbiome and thus release hormones that induce sleep. Probiotics benefit our gut-brain axis which helps in promoting sleep and takes care of our overall health.
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Sleep in a Comfortable Environment
Make your bedroom a comfortable place to sleep in. Keep your bedroom cool and block out extra light after evening. Decorate your room with light or pastel colors, and keep lavender or any other flower of your choice by the side of your bed. Make your bed soft and comfortable to relax in and fall asleep quickly.
Try engaging yourself in some relaxing activities like listening to soft music or reading a book before going to bed.
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Avoid Sleeping in the Daytime
Try not to sleep in the afternoon or late in the morning. Do not take daytime naps if at all more than one hour. People who do late-night work shifts are forced to sleep during the day to replenish their sleeping debt.
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Do Exercises
Involve yourself in daily physical activities to activate your mental and physical health which helps in facilitating proper sleep. Some people do exercise 2-3 hours before bedtime. This may make it difficult to sleep but if it doesn't create a problem of sleep, exercise before bedtime is good. However, try to engage in physical activity throughout the day.
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Manage your Mental Health
Become stress-free before sleeping. List down what are the things that are hampering your mental health. Do a little meditation before going to bed. Never take your stress and anger to bed instead take time to resolve them and then go to bed.
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Avoid Using Electronics During Bedtime
Decrease your screen time gradually before going to bed. Switch off or put your gadgets on silence while sleeping. The screen light from devices makes you active rather than promoting sleep. Do not bring your phone and laptop to bed and keep yourself away from TV at least one hour before going to bed. The blue light from the screen of these electronics reduces the release of the melatonin hormone that promotes sleep.
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Avoid Having Caffeine Before Bedtime
Avoid having caffeinated drinks in the afternoon, evening, or night. Caffeinated beverages make you active and spike your blood sugar levels. The effect of caffeine stays in the body for a long time, it doesn't come down easily thus making it difficult to fall asleep.
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Don't Track Time
Do not keep looking at the clock if you are not sleepy. Wake up and do something that will make you fall asleep like reading a book, or take a warm bath rather than thinking about what time it is and tossing and turning in the bed. Do not stress yourself thinking about how much time is left to sleep.
Conclusion
Many factors such as workload, medical condition, or certain responsibilities can interfere with your sleep cycle which is unavoidable but one can also cultivate some healthy sleep habits and try to get a good sleep night. If you are facing sleepless nights continuously for a long time and you have left no stone unturned to follow the sleeping tips but you are unsuccessful, consult a professional or a psychologist who can diagnose your problem and prescribe treatment as per your need.
There are several sleep disorders which can be treated medically. Insomnia can be treated by cognitive behavioural therapy and medicine helps as well for some people. CPAP machine treats sleep apnea which helps in keeping the air passage open which facilitates people to breathe while sleeping. Your medical professional can recommend special mouthguards and lifestyle changes as per the severity of your sleep disorder.
If you are facing sleepless nights, consider visiting our online store Sova Health, and explore the wide range of products available to solve your concern. Through our wide range of probiotics, we have proved that probiotics benefit in promoting sleep besides benefitting other health issues. Check out our wellness blogs by our experts which contain rich solutions to your health issues. Through our blogs, empower yourself with the information on your concern and make a difference to your overall health.
