Trouble Sleeping? Try These Simple Tips on How to Improve Your Sleep

Are you having trouble getting enough sleep or waking up rested? It may be reassuring to know that you are not alone in this, and sleep deprivation or other sleeping issues are unfortunately quite common in this day and age. More specifically, 32.6% of working adults have stated they don’t get more than six hours of sleep per night, which is not enough for a person to wake up rested. Moreover, 70% of U.S. adult citizens have reported that they don’t get sufficient sleep at least once a month. 

With people rushing to get things done all the time and dealing with everyday stress related to both professional and personal life, it is understandable that tiredness catches up to them. It is a known fact that stress, anxiety, and overcrowding yourself with work all contribute to developing sleeping problems. Therefore, to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, it may be necessary to make more than one change in your life. Essentially, it is recommended that you look at the aspects that affect your sleep and overall well-being and adopt healthier habits and make them part of your lifestyle.

Because poor sleep can be incredibly disruptive and heavily affect your life and health, it is necessary to change this. Depending on your lifestyle and preferences, what works for another individual, may not work for you. And this is perfectly fine. For this reason, we have compiled a list of simple, proven to be effective tips to improve your sleep. They are as follows: 

Create A Sleep Schedule and Try Sticking to It

It isn’t uncommon to postpone going to bed when it seems like you have a multitude of things to do and not enough hours during the day to cross all items on your to-do list. However, it is crucial to understand that getting enough sleep and waking up with your batteries recharged is more important than cramming as many things as possible during your day and compromising your sleep and rest times. 

Sleep experts and specialists emphasize the importance of creating a consistent sleep and wake-up schedule and state that sticking to this as much as possible will improve the quality of your life. You will be better prepared to tackle the next day’s challenges because you allow your body and mind to get the rest it needs. 

Create An Ideal Restful Environment

It may seem straightforward and unnecessary to mention, but many people overlook how essential it is to create an ideal and restful environment in your bedroom. If you bring work or your laptop or phone to the bedroom and consume more stressful information before going to sleep, chances are you won’t be able to get the rest necessary to wake up refreshed. 

Therefore, it is crucial to create a comfortable and restful atmosphere. You can easily do this by buying high-quality soft sheets and sleepwear like bamboo pajamas and loungewear with enjoyable materials that feel soft and pleasant on the skin. This combination will allow you to feel comfortable in an instant. What’s more, you should avoid leaving any lights on during the night.

Daytime And Long Naps Should Be Avoided

Even though you may feel better taking a nap during the day, it can heavily disrupt your sleep pattern during the night. This is especially the case for naps that are longer than two hours. According to a research study into how naps can affect nighttime sleep, individuals who took frequent or long naps during the week dealt with low sleep quality during the night.

Hence, even if you feel tired and feel that a daytime nap will help you, this will actually do more harm than good, given that you will probably deal with a poor night’s sleep or lack thereof. For this reason, you should avoid napping during the day as much as possible. 

Practice Digital Detox Before Bed

Scrolling through social media and reading news or work-related information is a common activity before bed. However, try to diminish the type spent online when preparing for sleep. Doing this will prove to be beneficial, as you don’t feed your mind and soul with information that could harm you. Whether you look on social media and see people being on vacation and feeling frustrated that you aren’t, or you read the news that causes you stress and anxiety, these things contribute to the quality of your sleep – and, in fact, your entire life. Therefore, you should practice as much digital detox as possible, especially before going to bed and getting ready to sleep. Instead, read a book or try practicing mindfulness and meditating. These alternatives are much better ways to prepare for a good night’s sleep and can be effective in calming you.

Adopt A More Balanced Diet

It may be surprising to hear, but what and how you eat can severely affect your sleep quality. Eating heavy meals or drinking caffeine beverages, especially too close to your bedtime, can cause you to sleep poorly or not be able to sleep at all. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt a more balanced diet and be very careful about what you eat when. 

This doesn’t mean forcing yourself to follow restrictive diets – some of these can actually do more harm than good – but you can create a diet that is beneficial for you and meets your preferences. An important aspect to consider is that digesting food can take around three hours or more. So, what you need to do is allow your body enough time for digestion.

Try Exercising More During the Week

Another science-backed method to improve your sleep is to exercise more frequently. Doing this will contribute positively to your mental and physical health as well. According to a research study, exercise can help you fall asleep better and faster, almost cutting in half the amount of time you need to fall asleep. Not to mention that regular exercise and physical activity have many more health benefits, including combating health conditions, controlling weight, and improving the overall mood. 

If it seems challenging for you to find the time to exercise or to find the type of physical activity you enjoy, it is recommended you take it step by step. Don’t plan on staying four hours in the gym. Instead, set yourself a more realistic goal. This way, you will feel more comfortable including exercise in your life.