Getting a good night’s sleep is important to allow your body to recharge and improve your cognitive functions. You can also boost your immune system when you get enough rest, which is important in the middle of a health crisis. Sleep also allows you to prevent weight gain and increase your productivity the next day.
Adults should have a minimum of seven hours of sleep every night. But the current situation affected the sleeping patterns of a lot of people. A lot of people experienced mental stress due to the anxiety caused by the pandemic. Here are some tips you can consider if you want to sleep better every night.
Complete Everything Long Before Bedtime
Worrying about the things you need to do makes it challenging to sleep at night. It’s not easy to sleep when you have a lot of things in your mind. To avoid this, you should finish everything you need to do for the day before bedtime.
These things can include work-related tasks or chores at home. You should make an effort to complete all of them by the end of the day. Aside from finishing everything before going to bed, you should also shut down the computer and turn off the television at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
You should also cover your phone since the blue light from the device affects your circadian rhythm. Your body will think it’s still daytime, which makes it challenging for you to sleep. So, you should turn them off or cover them if you want to get a good night’s sleep.
Get Out During the Day
Your circadian rhythm is a part of the internal clock of the body that controls the sleep-wake cycle. It tells your body when it needs to sleep and when it needs to wake up. To improve the quality of your sleep, you should go out during the daytime and expose yourself to sunlight.
When you do this, you have better sleep quality. It also improves the duration of your sleep and allows you to rest at night. Additionally, going out during the day makes it easier for you to fall asleep at night. If it’s not possible to go out and get your daily dose of sunlight, you can use a source of bright light to ensure your body will know what it’s time to sleep.
Relax in the Evening
Preparing your body for sleep also helps you get a good night’s rest. You can start a pre-sleep routine that allows you to relax. While a relaxing massage is the best pre-sleep routine, it is not practical. You have the option of listening to relaxing music or meditating. You need to find the best way for you to relax before bedtime.
Another option is taking a shower or relaxing bath to help you sleep better. Setting up an aboveground spa is also a good idea to help you relax at the end of the day. The spa should have an ergonomic design to give you maximum comfort when you wind down at the end of the day. Getting one that features a jet massage and soothing lighting also helps you.
Avoid Long Daytime Naps
Power naps allow you to remain productive throughout the day, especially if you are still young. But you have to limit the nap to around 30 minutes since taking long daytime naps can affect your sleeping patterns.
When you sleep during the day, it will become challenging for you to sleep at night. Even if you get to sleep, the long daytime naps will affect the quality of your sleep. So, you should avoid taking long naps while the sun is still up. But if you need to get some shuteye, you should do this before 4:00 PM and limit it to 30 minutes.
Avoid Caffeine Late in the Afternoon
Caffeine is a natural stimulant that keeps you alert for a couple of hours after you drink it. It enhances your focus and gives you a lot of energy. Caffeine also increases reaction time and performance in sports. Additionally, coffee also improves mental performance.
But caffeine also blocks adenosine, which is the substance in your body that promotes sleep. Blocking the substance prevents you from feeling sleepy at the end of the day. And when this happens, it will affect the quality of your sleep.
To avoid this situation, you should stop consuming caffeine around six to eight hours before going to sleep. If you crave coffee, you should drink decaffeinated coffee so you can have a restful sleep at night.
Sleeping offers many physical and mental health benefits for the body, which is essential when the pandemic is not yet over.