When you don’t get enough sleep the night before, your whole day doesn’t seem to go right.
Our society isn’t really constructed to support a healthy sleep schedule. With the overwhelming demands of work and the ever-present need to counteract that stress with not so healthy habits, the odds are stacked against us.
So how can we overcome this challenge of getting enough sleep to function at our best? Well, you can try these seven tips to start!
1. Control Your Light Exposure
The timing and type of lights you expose yourself to can greatly affect your internal clock, or circadian rhythm to help it know when to be productive and when to regenerate. This regeneration takes place while you are asleep.
During the day, it is important that you get plenty of bright, intense light, such as the rays of the sun. If you can’t get enough natural sunlight during the day, at least two hours, it would be good to invest in a bulb that mimics the sun.
When the sun goes down, many of us pop in front of the tv or scroll through our social feeds on our personal devices. This blue light can trick our internal clock into thinking that it’s still day time and make it hard for us to sleep.
You can block this confusion on your sleep schedule by turning off electronics two hours before you plan on going to bed.
2. Don’t Nap
Power naps being the exception, naps during the day can make nighttime sleeping more difficult.
Any nap that is longer than twenty minutes can really mess up your circadian rhythm. There’s that word again!
Have you ever taken a nap and felt worse after as if you got even sleepier? Try cutting these naps out and see if your sleep quality improves.
3. Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Did you know that you can actually train your brain to shut down at a certain time of day?
When you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends, your body will be set on an internal clock that will help you get a good night’s sleep without trying too hard.
Of course, this might be difficult at first and you may not be able to sleep at your specified time every night but don’t sleep in on those days. If you can stick with it, eventually you will find that your sleep pattern is set in stone.
4. Set Your Thermostat
Most people would consider noise to be the biggest sleep disruptor but according to one study, the temperature of your bedroom can actually have a bigger impact on the quality of your sleep.
The “sweet spot” for perfect sleeping temperature is seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, some people will enjoy a cooler temperature while others will want it warmer.
The point is to find the temperature that works best for you and set our thermostat to reach that temperature while you sleep.
5. Use CBD Oil
CBD oil has been proven to help reduce the releasing of the stress hormone, cortisol. This, along with its ability to relax the mind and reduce nightmares, CBD can help you not only fall asleep but stay asleep.
CBD has become a very popular supplement due to its many benefits but there are still plenty of people who aren’t quite sure what CBD actually is.
CBD is short for cannabidiol, a naturally occurring compound in the hemp flower. It does not contain THC and will not give you a high.
6. Get Your Exercise-Early
Physical exertion can make us tired. That’s not rocket science, but when you regularly get a good dose of exercise, you’re more likely to sleep well every night.
Not only will you be able to fall asleep faster but exercise can also help you stay asleep longer, according to one study.
One clincher is that you shouldn’t exercise too late in the day. Exercise releases stimulating hormones like adrenaline and epinephrine. With these hormones flowing through your veins, you won’t feel much like sleeping.
7. Supplement with Melatonin
Sleeping pills aren’t a popular remedy for sleeping problems because many people are afraid to become dependent on them. There is one sleeping aid, however, that isn’t habit-forming and can be very helpful.
Melatonin is a hormone that is normally released to tell your brain that it’s time for bed but sometimes our bodies don’t do a good enough job at producing this hormone.
You can help things along by taking a melatonin supplement to help tell your body to relax and go to sleep. It is recommended that you take 5mg or less about a half-hour before bedtime.
Conclusion
If you want to feel energized, think on your feet, and look your best, you gotta get your zzz’s. Try one or all of these top tips and see how your sleep improves.
Hopefully, you’ll notice a change for the better and wake up feeling refreshed every morning.