Healthy sleep patterns are one of the main keys to living a healthy life. With a good night’s rest behind you, you’ll face each day and the challenges that come with it with a level head and a strong mental attitude.
A proper sleeping routine will also allow your body to recover properly, give your immune system a boost, help you cope with stress and anxiety, and reduce your risk of many serious illnesses.
Get Better Sleep Today
Getting a good night’s sleep is all about setting yourself up for success. You need to cultivate habits that will ensure you can fall asleep easily and get the right kind of shut-eye.
These 5 habits will get you sleeping the way nature intended.
1. Create A Routine And Stick To It Every Day
We’re creatures of habit. Our brains and our bodies like to know that at the same time every day, we’ll be doing a specific activity. You can train your body to go to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time if you stick to your routine. It’s actually better to keep waking up early on the weekends rather than sleep in and change your routine. Having those extra few hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings can make it even harder to get up on Monday.
2. Keep Your Bedroom For Relaxation Your bedroom should be a place for relaxation and calmness. Stick to calming colors and cozy furnishings.
Try to limit the amount of tech you have in the bedroom and find ways to hide the lights of the items you have in the room. That red light from the TV and the noise of your computer fan can easily prevent proper relaxation.
It’s also best to not work in your bedroom, especially just before bedtime.
3. Do Your Cardio Workouts Earlier In The Day
High-intensity workouts may tire you out physically, but they actually send the wrong message to your brain.
Cardio exercise releases hormones into your body that stimulate your brain and make you feel more awake. Going for a run or doing a HIIT class in the evening can prevent you from falling asleep easily. It’s much better to do these exercises in the first half of the day.
4. Eat The Right Kind Of Dinner
The food you eat can also play a big part in your sleep routine. You should never eat a big meal just before bedtime, but you need to ensure that you get enough food so that you aren’t hungry during the night.
Look for healthy fats and carbohydrates in the hours before you go to bed. You should also avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime.
5. Start Reducing Light Before Sleep
Our bodies start to naturally release the sleep hormone melatonin as the sun goes down to prepare us for bed. However, the unnatural lights we have in our homes can trick our brains into thinking it’s still daytime.
In the hour before you want to go to sleep, start dimming the lights around you and turning off your TV, computer and phones.
Sweet dreams!
Written by Ellen Klein, Editor of Sleep Junkie