5 Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep

Feeling drowsy during the day, or having trouble focusing on certain tasks because you just weren’t able to get enough sleep during the night? You probably are hoping to rectify this issue with sleep medicine or by forcing yourself to go to bed at a different time. However, those solutions are sometimes temporary. In order to really change your sleeping habits, you have to change other habits in order to make it work for you. While not every method is effective for every person, here are five different ways you can help improve your sleeping habits just by a simple change.

Exercise During the Day or Before Bed

Whether it’s a light or rigorous workout, exercises can leave the body feeling tired. It causes a huge build up of energy that needs to come down. Exercising before sleep gives you the benefit of staying hydrated, and being able to decompress in the hour leading up to your sleep. If you just don’t have enough time before bed to exercise, make sure that you get it during the day, and keep an active goal of doing it frequently. The more frequent the routine, the more it will be built within your lifestyle and your body will have to catch up in energy by receiving more sleep.

Limit Caffeine

Caffeine can have its benefits in productivity, but if you use it too frequently to stay awake, you will cause you to get into a cycle. The cycle could be as simple as “I need to drink coffee to stay awake, and now the coffee is keeping me awake when I need to sleep.” Start off by switching to decaf coffee or tea before bed. Some teas even come with night time aids that are perfect for you to be able to become more drowsy. You could cut out caffeine altogether, but it could take some time for you to adjust so we recommend you start by switching to decaf first.

Turn Off Your Electronics

Before Bed Similar to caffeine, electronics have an addicting ability to keep us awake. They have an effect on your eyes that make you feel a bit more discomfort than you would want. In order to change this habit, first start by lowering the brightness on your devices. If you use them in later hours, you can help your eyes by doing this trick, or selecting a feature that is specifically designed for eye comfort. Next, you’ll want to stop using your device at least an hour or two before bed time. If you still are awake and need a distraction, switch to a book or a journal in order to provide yourself some entertainment. It is also generally a good idea to limit light exposure, so try to choose dim lighting as your surroundings or use a lamp.

Meditate

Having a deep breathing meditation before bedtime can do wonders for your mental health. It allows you to relax, and get into a state of comfort right before bedtime. What’s important here is to find a meditation style that works for you. We would recommend a simple meditation that takes your breathing into account. It should also take into account your surroundings. Try to make it as peaceful and calm as possible focusing on only your breath, what you can feel, and what you can see around you or in your mind. When you have one that works, continue to get into a routine for it so that you can incorporate it into your sleep practices.

Avoid Naps During the Day

Naps are helpful every now and then in order to wind down, or relax during a stressful period of time. However, napping on a daily basis can stagnate sleep improvement. Simply put, you should cut down on naps to only a necessary basis or on days off from responsibilities. It may seem like naps help you catch up on sleep, but it actually throws your sleep cycle off balance. But what if you take naps for extra stress relief? In this case, try to make your sleep experience more comforting with calming music, soft pillows, and weighted blankets.

In conclusion, fixing your sleep schedule varies from person to person depending on what they need. Whether it’s their sleep schedule getting thrown off, or too much of an addictive things, the simple way to changing your sleep habits is by changing other habits around you.