5 Tips on Getting the Most Out of Your Night’s Sleep
Having a good night’s sleep has tremendous benefits in our lives from aiding our physical health and fitness journey by keeping us energised, to being more productive during our day jobs by sharpening attention and nurturing our memory span. It’s truly amazing what a satisfying rest at night can do.
But what happens when you’re still tossing and turning in the early mornings unable to fall asleep? There could be a lot of reasons behind your inadequate sleep routine because our bodies and minds are all structured so uniquely. But there are a few tips and tricks we’d like to share on common sleep problems that are great to know if you’re looking to improve the overall quality of your sleep:
Keep it Cool.
When we’re sleeping, we naturally gravitate towards warmth and heat, like cocooning ourselves in multiple of blankets. Interestingly enough, sleeping in a room with a cooler temperature is proven to provide better quality of sleep. Research from the University of South Australia found that sleeping in a cold room will result in a better quality sleep. This is because the human body requires us to drop in temperature in order to initiate sleep! If you’re having trouble dozing off tonight, try turning down the heat in your bedroom.
Try Using a Humidifier.
You’re just about to dive into a slumber and… oh great, it’s your partner’s snoring sounds again! Snoring is caused due to your tongue falling back creating a narrow passageway in your throat when you breathe in. While a common solution is using ear plugs, it can be uncomfortable and irritable while you sleep. Try using a Humidifier because it produces cool air to lubricate the nasal and throat helping to solve the dry mouth issue which is linked to snoring. So next time, you don’t have to race your snoring partner to sleep!
Wind Down with a Bedtime Ritual.
Right when your head hits the pillow, a million thoughts run through your mind. Maybe thinking about your day, or planning for tomorrow. Maybe planning out that email you forgot to send out. Does this ever happen to you? To help with transitioning your body and mind to sleep mode try crafting together your own nighttime ritual to learn how to slowly turn off your brain before sleeping. For instance, doing your nighttime yoga stretches, getting into bed the same time every night, or reading a chapter of your book before dozing off. You can think of it as setting an internal clock where your body and mind recognizes the daily routine you set for yourself to get familiar with when it’s sleep time!
Turn Off the Electronics before Hitting the Hay.
In today’s day and age, it’s likely that most of us are scrolling through our phones taking a look through our Instagram feeds, or maybe it’s finishing up that Breaking Bad episode on Netflix on our laptops before bedtime. Keeping your devices by your nightstand might not seem like a huge deal but research has shown that it could be what’s causing your lack of sleep. Electronic devices emit a blue light which restrains the production of melatonin (the hormone that controls your sleep/wake cycle). The reduction of melatonin makes it harder for you to fall asleep conditioning your brain to stay awake unconsciously and also makes it harder for your mind and body to stay asleep. You can still check up on your Instagram notifications before bed - just remember to give yourself a 30 minutes electronic-free time slot before actually sleeping!
Learning all about your Pillow.
If you are someone that suffers from Chronic Pain, it can be quite difficult to sleep like a baby. Besides having the right bed equipment to help you out, such as a suitable mattress - learning about your pillow can surprisingly position your body strategically to help get a better night’s rest.
Back sleepers: Your pillow needs to support the curvature of your neck. As a visual - think about positioning your neck similar to when you’re standing tall with good posture, head up and shoulders back.
Side sleepers: Use a thicker pillow then ‘back sleepers’ with your head positioned straight in the middle between your shoulders.
Stomach Sleepers: Is best to be avoid if you suffer from chronic pain. Try using a slim pillow or no pillow at all.
Sources:
http://w3.unisa.edu.au/unisanews/2004/June/insomnia.asp
https://www.bustle.com/articles/147238-6-reasons-you-should-always-try-to-sleep-in-a-cold-room
https://www.spine-health.com/blog/5-little-known-tips-sleeping-chronic-pain
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jordan-pritikin/how-to-stop-snoring_b_3690939.html
