What Is Sleep Hygiene?

If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re experiencing inadequate sleep hygiene. While the causes of inadequate sleep may seem straightforward, there are many side effects of poor sleep habits. Inadequate sleep habits may result in low energy levels, poor decision-making skills, headaches, and poor memory. The following tips may help you get enough sleep each night. But first, let’s understand what sleep hygiene is. Sleep hygiene refers to your bedtime rituals and environment.

A cool bedroom at around 65 degrees Fahrenheit is recommended. If you have a shift job, eye masks and earplugs can help you sleep. Noise-canceling devices and fans can also help you sleep. Lavender can be used as a sleep-inducing herb to help induce a relaxed state. 

Five Ways To Ensure A Better Night’s Rest

Nancy Foldvary-Shaefer, MD, offers her top five tips to get a better night’s sleep. Among these are meditation, caffeine, alcohol, and late-night television. Those who suffer from insomnia may want to consider adopting some of these habits. You may even be surprised to learn that the most important time for sleep is two hours before bedtime. You can also avoid caffeine, alcohol, and late-night television. Also, consuming a banana each night before sleep also helps people with insomnia.

Meditation

If you’ve ever been unable to sleep, then meditation might be the perfect solution for you. It prepares your body for sleep by lowering stress hormones like cortisol and slowing down your heart rate. In addition, it helps you achieve theta brainwaves, which correspond to the same state as when you are falling asleep. By the time you’re ready to retire to your bedroom, you’ll have a much better night’s rest.

Avoiding late-night TV

Experts suggest that people avoid watching late-night television to get a better night’s sleep. Although TV shows may make us fall asleep, the quality of sleep will suffer if we watch them for long periods. Studies have shown that watching television during the night can disrupt hormones, dreams, and overall health. Keeping these factors in mind, many experts suggest that you avoid late-night television and opt for audiobooks.

Exercise

Studies show that exercise improves sleep. If done in the afternoon, moderate exercise can help you get a better night’s sleep. It will also allow your circulatory system to relax and prepare for sleep. However, avoid exercising within three hours of bedtime. If you work out in the morning, you will not have a hard time sleeping at night. You will wake up refreshed. Exercise in the evening, on the other hand, can disrupt your sleep.

Making your bedroom a place of comfort

A bedroom plays a vital role in getting a good night’s sleep. It is a place you go to relax and unwind, so you want it to be welcoming and comfortable. Dark, cozy bedrooms are the best, but you may want to experiment with brighter rooms, too. You can add soothing art, a candle, or even a noise machine to your room. These sensory experiences will help you focus on the present and help you sleep better.

Avoiding daytime worries

A better night’s sleep depends on a few key factors. Stress makes it difficult to relax and fall asleep. Managing stress during the day can help you sleep better at night. Develop a relaxing bedtime ritual that will prepare your mind for sleep. Deep breathing exercises are one effective way to relax before bed. Try to avoid worrying about what’s happening the next day. Dimming lights and listening to relaxing music will help you relax.

Effective Ways To Fall Asleep More Quickly

If you are one of the millions of people who struggle to fall asleep at night, there are a few ways you can try to make the process a bit easier. Getting up a few minutes earlier and preparing for bedtime are both effective ways to help yourself sleep better. During the day, the temperature in your room can be a factor in how quickly you fall asleep at night. To help you stay comfortable and restful, you should keep your bedroom temperature between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Changing your bedding to suit the season can also help you sleep better.

Try Breathing Exercise

You can also try a breathing exercise to get into a deeper sleep. During the day, a warm bath is an excellent way to unwind. By relaxing your muscles, you will feel more relaxed and fall asleep faster. By repeating this exercise several times throughout the day, you’ll soon find yourself falling asleep in no time. A few minutes in the bath can help you fall asleep quickly, too! By using a breathing exercise, you’ll be able to experience deeper sleep faster.

Stop Checking The Time

Another effective way to fall asleep faster is to stop checking the time. Continually looking at the clock before bed can cause you to feel anxious, which makes it harder to fall asleep. Try to avoid staring at the clock, especially before noon. Likewise, you should avoid caffeine before going to bed, as it can make it harder to shut down your nervous system and fall asleep faster. Insomnia can also be a result of stress, so try to avoid caffeine before noon.

Practice Autogenic Training

Another effective way to fall asleep quicker is to practice autogenic training. This method involves visualizing a happy place to fall asleep. This is also beneficial for reducing circular thinking. Writing things down in a journal will help you tame those bouncing thoughts and make them linear. It’s also great for clearing your mind of worries about tomorrow’s to-dos and workload. And finally, try journaling to process your emotions healthily. 

Practicing these tips regularly can ensure that you are not bound to consume any sort of melatonin supplements to get proper sleep. Also, you can get guaranteed faster sleep than consuming supplements. You can research, “for how long does melatonin last and can examine the result for yourself. 

The Bottom Line

Good sleep hygiene can be improved by training the body to develop better sleeping habits. This can be done by ensuring that you’re relaxed before bedtime, putting away your mobile phone, and journaling before going to sleep. You can also try changing your sleeping habits, such as eating less and getting up earlier than usual. Ideally, you’ll wake up about an hour earlier than normal, so your body isn’t thrown off by social jetlag.