Sometimes, sleep seems like a distant memory. Whether you are dealing with workplace stress, running a household, or are suffering from insomnia – thousands of people across the world struggle to fall asleep each night. Although this may seem like a minor issue, to begin with, prolonged lack of sleep can have a negative impact on your health – both physical and mental.
Studies have shown that to function properly, the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Without this, you will quickly feel irritable, lethargic, and unable to get through your day. Therefore, it is important that you do everything you can to get enough sleep. Here’s how!
1. Avoid caffeinated beverages in the evening, this includes teas, coffees, and fizzy drinks like Cola. They act as a stimulant, meaning they will give you a boost of energy – which is not something you need before heading to bed.
2. Exercise in the evening. Not only is daily exercise essential to help you look and feel great, but it can also be a useful tool in helping you fall asleep. Immediately after exercise, your body will be warm and full of energy. However, shortly after this, during the cool-down period, you will begin to feel tired. Therefore, exercising in the evening can help you burn away any energy, leaving you sleepy and ready for bed.
3. Ensure your room is a comfortable, welcoming place. Although the color of your paint may not seem to affect your sleep cycle, you’d be surprised about how much your surroundings can impact your ability to relax and unwind. Therefore, you should ensure you create a relaxing bedroom space for yourself.
4. Buy quality products. Comforters, bedding and pillows can be expensive, but as you will be using them every day, it is worth spending a little bit more money to ensure the products you receive are of high quality. For example, imagine being able to have hotel-quality luxuries in your own room! This can be achieved by shopping with SheetMarket, who can source materials directly from hotels, such as the luxurious Venetial Hotel comforter. Once you buy quality bedding, you won’t be able to look back – or get out of bed in the morning.
5. Turn off your phone at least an hour before bed. Not only does this stop you spending hours scrolling through social media, but it also helps you get into the right mindset for sleep. No matter what you think you need to check your phone for, it can wait until morning. Furthermore, phones and television emit large amounts of blue light, which has an effect on your body’s production of sleep-inducing hormones.
6. If you struggle with drifting off into sleep, you should try listening to an audiobook, or a guided meditation tape – both of which mean you can let go of any tension you are carrying in your body and clear your mind. Even better, audiobooks can transport you to an entirely new world, and could even inspire some creative dreams in the process.
