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Having trouble falling and staying asleep is not only frustrating but it can also adversely affect your physical and mental health. Here are some tips which might help you sleep better and feel more energetic and productive the next day.
Develop a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Going to bed and getting up at roughly the sale times each day could go a long way in improving your sleep. Your body has its regulatory system called the circadian rhythm which cues it to feel alert during the day but sleepy at night. Developing a consistent sleep schedule tunes your body to feel drowsy at the same time every day thus helping you sleep naturally.
Make sure to have at least 7-8 hours earmarked only for sleeping. Initially, it might help to have a 9-10 hour window for sleeping to make up for the time body takes to adjust to the new schedule.
Get Comfortable
We spend almost 1/3 rd of our lives on our beds and mattresses but we don’t consider this in our budgets and expenditures. Having comfortable mattresses and pillows can exponentially improve the quality of your sleep and eventually the quality of your life. An old, too hard, or too soft mattress or a bed that’s too small or creaky makes it very difficult to get a restful sleep.
In addition, your bedroom should be a peaceful space for sleeping. Lighting, noise, and temperature should be controlled so that your bedroom environment helps you to fall and stay asleep.
Reduce Exposure to Blue Light
Exposure to bright lights during the day is beneficial but at night it can have the opposite effect. Blue light, which electronic devices like smart-phones and computers emit in huge amounts, does just that. Exposure to this blue light in the evening tricks the brain in thinking that it’s still day time and reduces the sleep-regulating hormones like melatonin making it difficult to sleep.
This effect can be avoided by wearing glasses that block blue light or by using various mobile and PC applications that hinder these rays from entering the eyes. Turning on these applications at least 2-3 hours before sleep can reduce this adverse exposure and help the mind relax before lying down.
Exercise During the Day
Regular, moderate exercises such as early-morning walking and swimming can help relieve tension and stress and induce better sleep during the night. Try to avoid vigorous work-outs and running too close to bedtime as it may keep you awake and hinder natural sleep.
Do Not Overindulge
Too much food or alcohol, especially late at the night can disrupt sleeping patterns. These tend to help sleep initially but will disrupt you late at night. Also, cut down the use of caffeine in tea, coffee, colas and energy drinks in the evening as these substances interfere in sleeping patterns and preclude deep sleep.
Instead, you can drink a soothing drink like warm milk or chamomile tea which have been shown to promote sleep and relaxation.
Avoid Smoking
Nicotine is a stimulant and an excitant. People who smoke cigarettes and other tobacco products tend to take longer to fall asleep, wake up more frequently, and often experience disturbed sleep.
Relax Before Lying Down
Many people have a pre-sleep routine to help them relax. Gentle yoga and a hot shower can help you wind down before sleeping. Quiet songs and hushing tunes also help to reduce the stress build-up while soft reading before bed could also be a good activity to relax your body and mind and prepare you for sleeping.
People who tend to worry a lot about the present or the upcoming day might also use proven breathing techniques - easily available on the internet - to help them get through the initial minutes of lying down.
Do Not Look at Your Clock
It is absolutely normal to wake up in the middle of the night. However, the inability to fall back can ruin the snooze completely. Many people who wake up at night have a propensity to check their clocks and phones and obsess about the fact that they have little time left to sleep or that they cannot fall back to sleep again.
This behavior may cause anxiety about sleeplessness and even prompt the body to develop a routine where one may find waking up at the same time every day. If possible, remove the room’s clock before lying down and avoid seeing the alarm-clocks and mobile phones after rousing at night.
Write Away With Your Worries
If you tend to think a lot lr worry about things after lying down then it will help immensely if you take out sometime before sleep and write it all down. Even for the people who don't agonize but still find their brain more active during the night, noting down their positive thoughts and ideas can help relaxing the mind as well as give a head start for the following day.
Visualize Happy Things
Instead of lying in bed and contemplating negative scenarios and situations, it is better to think about things that make you happy. Imagining the dream settings where you would like to sleep, people you want to be with, and dreaming about positive things can relax the mind significantly. Peaceful and jovial thoughts take your mind away from negative and stressful worrying that keeps you up at night.
Finally, if your lack of sleep is persistent and it’s affecting your daily life then it might be because of some underlying health condition which are also very common and are nothing to be ashamed about. In this case, it is very important to take advice from a professional.
You should avoid using chemicals and medications arbitrarily and instead book an appointment with a suitable General Practitioner who can advise you and provide you with the help you might need.
Written by - Rudransh Khurana
Edited by - Arnav Mehra
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