Whether you suffer from insomnia or just spend the whole night tossing and turning a lack of sleep can cause irritability, a lack of concentration and can hamper your day’s enjoyment and productivity. However, it is something that happens to the majority of us at some point in our lives whether that be for a specific reason or no reason whatsoever.
Have a read of our post below to find out some of our go-to tips to get a better nights rest.
1. Have a consistent sleep schedule
Going to sleep at a consistent time and having a wind-down routine can assist you in sleeping better. This means going to bed at the same time every day and waking up at the same time. Sleeping in on the weekend might sound great, but as soon as you change your sleep routine, it’s hard to get it back and waking up on Monday will just seem twice as hard once again.
2. Enjoy some exercise during the day
Wearing yourself out during the day before going to bed can have a positive impact on your night’s sleep. When you exert more energy throughout the day, your body enters a recuperative process during sleep. Try and find some exercise that you enjoy and incorporating that into your daily routine.
3. Limit your screen time before bed
We have all heard it before but limiting your screen time before going to sleep can help you fall asleep a lot easier. Using your phone, or any screen can stimulate your brain and make it harder for your brain to wind down. Blue light from your phone or TV’s, computer screens or any other electrical devices could suppress melatonin levels and delay sleepiness. An hour before bedtime try and put all electronic devices away and spend the time winding down. This also counts for waking up during the night. If you do happen to wake up in the middle of the night don’t reach for your phone as this will only make it harder to get back to sleep. Instead, try a breathing exercise and relax your muscles. If, after 20 minutes or so you still can’t get back to sleep then get out of bed and move into a different room. This will relax your brain and take that pressure off falling back to sleep.
4. Make sure you’re sleeping on the right pillow for your sleep position
Pillows play an important role in how well you sleep. If you aren’t sleeping on the right pillow for your sleep position, your neck, back, shoulders, head, and spine isn’t being supported properly. If this happens then you may wake up during the night because you’re uncomfortable or wake up the next morning not feeling rested.
5. Use your bedroom only for sleep
Using your bedroom for anything other than sleep and activities associated with sleep. We all know how easy it is in the morning to stay in bed and work or watch TV in bed. If you do, do these things in your bed then this will make your brain go into work mode or not be able to switch off properly because of what it associates with your bed. So, keep it to sleep and other urrr activities which should be done in the bedroom.
6. Limit your nap time
No matter how tired you may feel try and limit your naps to 20 minutes or less during the day. This comes back to being tired at bedtime. If you feel knackered from the previous day then it will make falling asleep so much easier. However, if you decide to have a 1-hour nap at 5 pm after work that will make falling asleep 5hrs later so much harder. So, however, tempting it may be, try and stay awake for the whole day!