10 Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep
By
Recent world
events have led many of us to struggle to relax and sleep deeply. If you are
fighting to fall asleep and struggling to wake up, you put your body and brain
at risk of serious health challenges. To protect your health, the ten tips
below can help. 1. Prioritize and Schedule
Your Sleeping Time
Why do people can have problems with sleeping? Access to electric lights,
constant news and readily available caffeine mean that many of us don't
prioritize sleep. While a young body can function well on limited sleep, your
aging body and brain need more structure. Set a schedule and be consistent, 7
days a week. If you're tired in the middle of the day, take a 20-minute nap. 2. Guard Your Sleeping Space
Why do we need to sleep and what does it bring to our health? Quality sleep can
protect your brain, your relationships and your extremities. Poor sleep puts
you at risk of diabetes, which can put your feet and toes at risk as you age due to sensation loss
and poor circulation. Avoid electronics in the bedroom. Never keep your phone
beside the bed. If you like to read to wind down physically, use a black screen
with white text. Keep the space cool, quiet and dark. 3. Get Your Hormones Checked
Out
Menopause and andropause can change the quality of your sleep. If hot flashes
are keeping a woman awake, try to get more exercise during the day. Breaking a
sweat can be very helpful to avoid this disruptive hormonal event. For men
struggling to sleep as they used to, consider getting your thyroid, pituitary
function and HGH levels checked to confirm any hormone loss is tied only to
aging. With detailed blood tests, you may find that HGH therapy cost is pretty affordable in US, but requires
prescription alos. It can help deficient people have more energy during the day
and better sleep at night. 4. Stop the Snooze
Your brain functions cyclically when you sleep. When you hit the snooze bar,
your intention may be to only sleep 10 more minutes, but your brain settles in
for an hour and a half sleeping cycle. Put your alarm across the room. If you
use your phone as an alarm clock, put the phone in the bathroom so you have to
get up to turn off the alarm. 5. Invest in Bedding
How does our body react when we sleep? Your core body temp has to drop for you
to fall into the deepest, healthiest level of sleep. A deeply comfortable bed,
a cool room, and 6. Get a Handle on Your
Thoughts
If you notice that your brain kicks into overdrive when you try to fall asleep,
chances are good that these thoughts are not healthy or comforting. Anxiety is
crippling. Nighttime anxiety can cause insomnia. Poor sleep can lead to damaged
relationships, poor performance at work, general crankiness and other miseries.
There are indications that poor sleep can even impact the benefits of your
cancer treatment should you need to undergo such treatment. If anxious thoughts
won't let you sleep, talk to your doctor. Consider therapy, meditation, and
prayer as you wait for your results. 7. Limit Your Naps
A short nap can take the edge off of sleepiness. Too many naps, however, can
cut into your quality of sleep in the night. Use an alarm clock when you lay
down to nap. If you feel yourself nodding off in the day, get up and move
around or set your alarm and move to the bed for a short nap. 8. Relax with Intention
As the day winds down, limit your exposure to stimulants. If you love to laugh
at late night television, consider recording these shows and watching those
programs in the morning or in the middle of the day when you get a bit drowsy.
Laughing is a joy, but it can also be a stimulant. Scary movies can also get
your blood pumping and your brain agitated, which will limit your ability to
fall asleep. Turn off televisions and other screens at least 30 minutes before
bed. Consider turning off electric lights to help your brain winds down until
the last light is the one beside your bed. 9. Set a Full-Stop Time for
Your Caffeine Intake
The dangers of bad quality sleep can be made worse with too much caffeine. If
you need morning caffeine, use it. If you find that you need afternoon
caffeine, set a shut-off time unless drowsiness is getting dangerous. A sleepy
person with too much caffeine in their system may be agitated and edgy, but
possibly not alert or safe enough to drive or operate machinery. Agitation
leads to poor decisions before it improves your reflexes. 10. Bathe with Care
Many like to relax with a hot bath before bed. However, a hot bath can elevate
your body temperature and put off that core temperature drop that is so
critical to quality deep sleep. If you want a bath, take it and put on your
pajamas, then stay out of bed until your skin cools a bit so you can snuggle in
and sleep.
temperature appropriate bedding can be the difference between quality sleep and
grogginess. If your sleeping partner needs a cooler room than you prefer, treat
yourself to a fleece blanket or pajamas that will hold the heat close to your
body.
Sleep is more than just health. It's a quality of life issue. Guard your
schedule and your sleeping space. Get into a routine before bed to help your
body and brain wind down before getting into bed.
