8 Ways You Could Be Getting A Better Sleep

Sleep is intrinsic to holistic health. Not only does bad sleep affect your body, but it can also have a big impact on your mental state and mood. If you don’t want to go through life grumpy, irritable and forgetful, then you’re going to want to start working on your sleep habits. Take a look at these great tips below that can lead to a more restful nightly sleep.

Mattress Type

Your mattress type is so crucial to how well you sleep that even WebMD has an article featuring how to choose your ideal mattress. Different people have different needs when it comes to support. Some enjoy a soft, cushy bed. Others need a solid, firm mattress to be able to rest without pain or discomfort. Test out different mattress types to see which works for you.

Room Temperature

The temperature of your room has a lot to do with the quality of your sleep. If a room is too cold, you’ll have difficulty falling asleep in the first place. If it’s too hot, not only can you have trouble getting to bed, but your sleep can be interrupted frequently through the night. It’s said that hot weather can increase a person’s chance of experiencing nightmares, sleep paralysis or night terrors, leading to anxiety and unrest during the day.

Exercise

What you do during the day can influence how your night goes, and exercising daily is one great way to tire your body out enough to get a great sleep. You don’t even need to be hitting the gym every day to reap the evening benefits of working out. Even going on daily walks or runs can be enough to let you sleep well that night.

Watch What You Consume

Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are all things that should be avoided before bedtime. Stimulants, in general, will keep you awake through the night. Drinking excessive liquids of any sort may disrupt your sleep as well, as you could end up needing to use the restroom several times through what should be an uninterrupted sleep. This is almost as bad for you as going to bed extremely late and running on just a few hours of rest time.

Schedules

It’s a tip not many people like to hear, but it can still do your body a lot of good. You should stick to a regimented sleeping schedule regardless of what day of the week it is. Yes, that means not sleeping in on the weekends, or at least limiting yourself to only a small amount of sleep-in time as a little treat. Keeping a strict schedule will allow your body to understand when it’s time to sleep, and go to sleep without trouble.

Darken Your Room

Light exposure can affect your ability to rest properly. Your body needs darkness in order to release the right chemicals, and falling asleep with the lights on or in a very bright room – even if it’s just natural lighting – can cause your sleep to be fitful. You may wake up feeling like you haven’t slept at all if your room is too bright. Try out some blackout curtains, or buy an eye mask to sleep with and see what a difference it makes!

Pillows

Like the mattress, your pillow has a lot to do with your overall sleeping comfort. Test for firmness to see if you do better with soft ones or with harder ones. They make form-fitting pillows these days with memory foam as well, which conform to the shape of your head and neck for extra support.

Avoid Screens

Almost all screens have a blue-lit backdrop that simulates the sun. Because of this, looking at screens can trick your brain into thinking that it’s actually daytime, waking your body back up again. All screens tend to fall into this category including tablets, phones, laptops, and televisions. That means try not to surf the net, watch TV, or scroll through your phone anywhere from 1 to 2 hours before you sleep.

A good sleep is crucial to your ability to function during the day. Be kind to your body and try some of these tips out. You might be surprised at what a big difference just a few little changes can make to your overall restfulness.