These 7 Habits Can Help Promote Better Sleep at Night

The quality of our sleep affects our overall well-being. When we are sleep deprived or suffer from sleep disorders, our brains don’t function properly, we feel fatigued, and accordingly, we lose our focus and become less productive. There are several factors that contribute to our lack of sleep such as stress, hectic schedules, and certain medications. If this is an issue for you, these simple tips will help promote better sleep.

 

1. Set consistent sleep timing. Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day helps promote the quality of sleep. Being consistent with your sleep schedules will improve your body’s sleep-wake cycle.

 

2. Use your bedroom for sleep only. Some people turn their bedroom into a living room by watching TV and eating in bed. In doing such, your brain starts associating your bedroom with other activities rather than sleep which makes it hard for you to fall asleep quickly.

 

3. Limit your screen use before sleeping. Most of us scroll down our phones until we fall asleep. The blue light coming from devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops can affect your circadian rhythm making it harder for you to fall asleep as it blue light tricks your brain into thinking that it is still daytime. 

 

4. Create a relaxing environment in the bedroom. Make sure your room is clutter-free, clean, and not too bright in lighting. Also, adjust the room’s temperature and ventilation. Light up some scented candles or spray lavender on your bedding to help you feel relaxed.

 

5. Avoid eating heavy meals before sleeping. Eating large heavy meals before bedtime disrupts your hormones and leads to poor sleep. If you will eat a meal high in carbs make sure to eat it 4 hours before sleeping. You can drink chamomile tea before bedtime to help you sleep better.

 

6. Keep your naps short. Power naps are beneficial and can give you a good energy boost. However, make sure not to nap for more than 20 minutes and also avoid napping a few hours before bedtime.

 

7. Create a pre-bed routine. Set yourself in a relaxing mood. There are a lot of ways to do it, you can listen to soft music, read a light book, or enjoy a nice bubble bath. All these activities will help put you in a calmer state of mind and accordingly will help you enjoy deep sleep.