Sleep is essential for health and overall wellbeing. It presents an avenue to shut down and recharge so that you wake up energized and ready to handle what the day holds. Sleep is essential to optimum health, wellbeing, fighting stress, controlling weight, and improving the immune system.
However, not everyone can boast of getting a night of deep and relaxing sleep. Various issues like stress, worry, pain, anxiety all contribute to limiting many people’s ability to enjoy their sleep.
Poor sleep increases stress, reduces the ability of the immune system to fight disease, supports anxiety, and lowers productivity at work. This explains why you feel grumpy after a night that you struggled to fall asleep.
The good news is, you can adopt some sleep habits to make it possible to get healthy sleep at night. This article sheds light on seven such tips that help you get a restful and rejuvenating sleep at night:
Use CBD
CBD is a derivative of the hemp plant that can support sleep health. It is a good choice for sleep as it fights everything responsible for poor sleep like stress, pain, anxiety, etc. This makes it a natural, recommended supplement to boost sleep health.
It can also help regulate the natural sleep-wake cycle, according to research. Also, CBD can balance the mood and body. Many people have reported significant improvement in sleep patterns after using CBD oil in UK for sleep.
Have a Specific Time for Sleep
Every adult needs to endeavour to get nothing less than seven hours of sleep. If you go up to eight hours, that is terrific. However, as adults, you are good with eight hours of sleep.
Your sleep schedules have to do with going to bed and waking up at the same interval every day. The body has an internal clock that would have gotten accustomed to your sleep and wake-up period over the years.
If you don’t go to bed during the period your body expects you to, it might be challenging to fall asleep later. In the same way, sleeping excessively during the weekend might not be the best idea.
Reduce the Influx of Light
Melatonin is the hormone in charge of sleep that the body releases at bedtime. The hormone also controls the sleep-wake cycle of the body. It is produced in the dark, which explains why you naturally feel sleepy as the day sets. However, excessive light prevents the body from activating melatonin, preventing sleep.
You can support your body to produce melatonin by controlling your exposure to light when it’s time to sleep. However, this starts from getting enough sunlight during the day to keep you awake and alert.
However, at night, especially when it’s time to sleep, reduce exposure to light. Stay away from screens like mobile phones, laptops, etc. Dim the light if you must use such devices. Reduce the influx of light into your bedroom by using heavy curtains.
Have Sleep Rituals
Sleep rituals are a set of habits that you develop during bedtime to foster sleep. When you are consistent with such practices, the body will associate such practices with sleep. Some of such relaxing activities are:
- Reading: Research from Sleep Cycle reveals that 39% of people who read before bed enjoy a night of deep and relaxing sleep.
- Consider watching an episode of a relaxing movie like a situational comedy. However, limit the brightness of the device you use.
- Try and get along warm bath that relaxes the muscles before you sleep.
Exercise
Exercise as simple as brisk walking or jogging can condition you for a good night’s sleep. Various forms of exercise trigger the release of melatonin and other natural sleep hormones.
According to a study in a Sleep journal, various postmenopausal women who had almost three and half hours of exercise every day had less time falling asleep than women who didn’t exercise.
As long as you exercise during the early hours of the day and not towards the night, you can reap the sleep benefit of exercise. Besides, early morning exercise exposes you to sunlight, supporting the natural sleep cycle.
Reduce Long Daytime Night
Taking a nap during the day can help reduce stress and support your productivity. Be careful, however, not to overstretch it. Sleeping for more than 30 minutes in the afternoon can significantly limit your ability to fall asleep at night.
Chances are, you will be translated into a deep sleep state after about 30 minutes of sleep. This, without a doubt, will make sleeping hard at night. Think of it like consuming a massive dinner in the evening. Your Tommy will likely be packed, keeping you less hungry at night.
When you are awake and alert throughout the day, your body will get the drift that nighttime is scheduled for sleeping.
Reduce Stress
You have some deadlines you need to meet at work, and the obligation seems to be rising. The day’s stress and anxiety can pop up in your head when it’s time to wind down. Stress is never a good thing as it is a stimulus that triggers the fight or flight hormone. This will work against sleep.
As a result, learn some relaxation techniques that you can engage in before powering down. It can be yoga, meditation, deep breathing, etc. The idea is to relax and fall asleep quickly when you get on the bed.
Conclusion
Getting healthy sleep at night is possible if you develop the right tips and attitude to support your sleep. You need not spend the night tossing here and there before you sleep well at night.
These seven tips will go a long way to help you sleep well.
