10 Tips for Better Sleep
Sound and steady sleep is essential for healthy functioning. However, over a third of adults do not get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, and an environment that is not conducive to sleep doesn’t help. Creating a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere is essential to maximizing your comfort and achieving sleep satisfaction.
These 10 tips will help you build the bedroom of your dreams and leave you counting down the hours until it’s time to hit the sheets.
1. Cool Down
Cool bedroom temperatures make for the most comfortable sleep. If the air in your room is too hot, it could interfere with your body’s natural nightly temperature dip and make you more restless through the night. Keep the temperature around 65 degrees.
2. Maximize Mattress & Pillow Comfort
Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive to avoid feeling stiff or achy. It doesn’t matter whether you like your pillows soft and fluffy or firm and supportive, be sure to replace pillows that have lost their shape.
3. Limit Light
Artificial light after dark sends stimulating wake-up messages to the brain, suppressing the production of the sleep-inducing hormone–making it more difficult to fall and stay asleep. Limit lamp light or use low-wattage, incandescent lamps as you prepare for bed.
4. Tuck Technology In For the Night
Our world revolves around technology, and unfortunately so do many people’s bedtime rituals. Keep electronics out of the bedroom or turn them off at least an hour before bed. Research shows that light from electronics disrupts sleep, as it sends alerting signals to the brain and delays the release of melatonin.
5. Declutter to Defeat Restlessness
A messy, cluttered room is likely to increase anxiety and restlessness, and consequently disrupt sleep. Create a clean space that promotes relaxation and peace by organizing your room and keeping it clean.
6. Design for Comfort
Arrange your furniture in a way that feels natural and visually pleasing to you. Choose wall colors that elicit a warm, calm aura. When decorating, choose artwork and decor that relaxes and soothes you.
7. Nix Night Noise
“Peak” sounds, like the slamming of a door or the honking of a horn, are likely to wake you up and interrupt your sleep cycle. White noise offers a solution to night noise by reducing the effect of sudden peak sounds. A sound conditioner, fan, or air purifier can be used to create a soothing auditory backdrop throughout the night.
8. Fresh Sheets for Better Sleep
Wash your sheets and pillowcases once a week with a fresh-scented detergent. Clean and pleasant-smelling sleep surfaces will make your bedroom more inviting.
9. Limit Food & Drink Before Bed
Never go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Avoid eating fried, fatty or spicy foods before bed as they often upset the stomach and are likely to disrupt sound sleep. Avoid alcohol several hours before bed too. Most importantly, stay away from caffeine after 2 p.m.
10. Don’t Exercise Before Bed
Though exercise during the day promotes a better night’s sleep, exercising in the three hours before you hit the sheets will keep you up for hours. Try to schedule your workouts earlier in the day for better sleep.
