In the modern day fewer people find the time to get a good night’s sleep. Even getting a full 6 hours of quality sleep would put you firmly in the minority. Always having a tiny computer in your pocket, that means anyone can get in touch with you at any time, as well as the fact that it is likely connected to your work email makes switching off close to impossible.
So as you strive for more effective rest here are six quick tips that will make a real difference.
1. Blocking out noise – First of all: don’t go to sleep with the TV on. You subconsciously absorb noise when sleeping and having a crime drama blaring while you sleep is not great for peaceful rest. On top of this put effort into blocking out any other real-world outside noise with sound proofing or white noise machines
2. Eat Earlier – You want to give your body time to digest. If you don’t your stomach will end up working overtime while you sleep and when you are catching your z’s you want to be working as little as possible. Have dinner 3-4 hours before you rest your head and that should be plenty of time to get your body right. Having a healthy dinner contributes to this – your body will be happy with you in the morning.
3. Keep a regular morning ritual – Setting up your whole day is very important in your first hour after waking. Creating a strict morning ritual can be essential for preparing your mind and body for proper sleep hours later on. Here is an example of five 15 minute tasks things that people commonly do every morning to set themselves off on the right foot.
Exercise – Push ups, stretching etc – this isn’t about getting fit it is about waking up the body
Meditation – Get your mind right from the first hour.
Music – If music speaks to you listening to same tunes can help shape your day
Reading – A few pages can be another great mental stimuli
Watching or Listening to same life affirming content.
4. Proactive – Sleeping better isn’t going to just happen magically. You need to invest time and effort. So many articles out there promise better sleep with tips that are reminiscent of get-rich-quick schemes. They want to sleep better but do not extra work. Sorry, but it is not going to happen. Don’t make plans that are going to eat into your slumber time and put more time into planning your day so that your sleep rituals are factored in.
5. Reduce Stress – According to some studies stress is the leading cause of sleepless nights and contributes to over six million sick days in the United States alone every year. If you attack stress you attack bad sleep and while there are some things you can’t account for cutting down on alcohol, caffeine, smoking and aggravating circumstances means your body is going to be under less physical stress on a day to day basis. Stress is something that feeds on itself so when you cut it out it can have a cumulative effect. There may be some deep seated issues you can’t address as easily so starting with the easier stuff is always best.
6. Invest in your Sleeping Space – You can’t expect to have quality sleep if your mattress, pillows and bedding is cheap. The costs of these items can seem prohibitive at first but you spend a third of your lif in bed so it is worth investing in.
You would be shocked to find the difference simply buying quality quilts can make to the quality of your sleep.
Changing your habits in life can not only help how much you are sleeping but it will also change the quality of your waking hours and help you reduce any health problems you are dealing with. Don’t blame other people for losing out on sleep, take responsibility of it yourself. It is the first step toward getting the most out of the life you live.
