10 Great Ways to Improve Sleep
Adults need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Without it you can wake up irritable, tired, memory problems, and headaches. Also you can fall asleep during the day, and have a lot of micro sleeps (when the body loses concentration for fractions of a second). The body needs rest to feel replenished and healthy. It is also important to have sleep to improve immune, brain functions, and to produce growth hormones.
Long-Term Lack of Sleep:
If you don’t get enough rest in the long term you can develop depression, irritability, stress, anxiety or obesity which are all serious illnesses. In some ones lifetime, up to 30% of our day is spent on sleep. It is essential to have enough quality sleep during the nights.
10 Strategies to Improve Sleep:
1. Taking a warm bath improves sleep. Your bodies temperature also influence the way you sleep. Take a warm bath few hours before bed so you can feel good. Then when you go to bed your temperature will slightly drop and induce sleep.
2. No medications for sleep, and that includes alcohol. Sleeping pills and alcohol can worsen some ones sleep patterns, and they can have sleep deprivation, headaches, and memory problems. Long-term use of medications can cause insomnia.
3. Try meditation to induce sleep. Yoga or meditation exercises can help relax the body. Relaxation can promote healthy sleep.
4. Buy a good quality bed mattress. The best mattresses have custom firm levels that really help someone fall asleep. The bed also has to be big enough so someone can move in bed at ease. If you share your bed with a partner, a large bed is a must. Second hand beds are the worst as they contain dust mites, and are worn out.
5. Working out earlier before bed. If you finish your workout 10 minutes before sleep, you’ll be awake half the night. After a workout you will feed very active and not be able to sleep. So finish your workouts a few hours before bedtime.
6. Paint your bedroom. When you can use different coloured paints to build a good atmosphere you can fall asleep faster. You can try to use your favourite colours so you can enjoy being in your bedroom.
7. Dim the bedroom lights. When you have bright glaring lights it can affect your mood. Lights stimulate your body in different ways so bright lights are bad for sleep. If you read, you can try a low light table lamp.
8. Free up space in your bedroom. If you room is cluttered it will make you feel confided by your items. Stuff like televisions, workout equipment, and large obstructing items can clutter your bedroom. So remove them to free up space.
9. No pets in your bedroom. Pets can keep you awake because they are constantly surrounding you. People with allergies can be affected by their pet, and they can have nausea, nasal congestion and snoring.
10. Avoid bad snacks prior to bedtime. Some people have a big craving for high calorie foods before they sleep. It is strange because this habit creates obesity, and sleep disorders. Eating bad snacks before bed will affect your sleep quality. Stick to fruits an hour before bedtime. Bananas and apples are great healthy snacks.
