Tips for getting a better night’s sleep

As a grown adult it is recommended that you get at least 8 hours of solid sleep every single night. Making sure that you get enough sleep each night is very important for your health and wellbeing. Therefore, you must make sure that the sleep that you are getting every night is of a high-quality. If you struggle to get a good quality sleep every night, here are some great tips for getting a better night’s sleep that you should definitely follow.

Create a sleep routine

Unfortunately improving the quality of your sleep can take some time, therefore a great place to start is by creating a sleep route. This involves going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day until it becomes a routine. When you begin to go to bed at the same time each night, your body will get used to this and you will start to feel tired around the same time each night. Your body has its own biological clock, meaning if you go to sleep and wake up at similar times every day your body will know when it is time for you to wake up. Your body’s biological clock will allow you to create an effective sleep routine, resulting in you having a better quality of sleep each night. Having an effective sleep routine can also greatly improve sleep hygiene. It is important that you learn more about improving sleep hygiene in order to create an effective sleep routine. 

Reduce your blue light intake

Another way that you can improve sleep hygiene and get a better night’s sleep is by reducing the amount of blue light that you are exposed to before you go to bed. Blue light refers to the light that comes from electronic devices, such as your mobile phone, laptop, or even your television. Being exposed to too much of this light can be damaging to our eyes and it can also trick your brain into thinking that it is daytime. This means that you will not be tired enough to go to sleep at night. Reducing the amount of blue light that you are exposed to before you go to sleep is a great way to improve your sleep hygiene and the quality of sleep that you get every night. So, in order to do this, you should turn off your phone or laptop at least an hour or two before you go to bed, to prevent you from being exposed to the blue light. 

Avoid taking a nap

Another great way to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep every night is to avoid taking a nap during the day. As tempting as it may be sometimes to take a nap, napping during the day can have a huge impact on the quality of sleep that you get that night. Having as little as a 20-minute nap during the day can greatly boost your energy levels and prevent you from feeling tired or lethargic throughout the day, but unfortunately taking naps can reduce the quality of sleep that you have at night. If you often take naps during the day, it is highly likely that you won’t feel tired when you go to bed at night. Therefore, by avoiding napping during the day it will ensure that you are tired enough to go to bed at night, meaning you will get a solid night’s sleep.

Reduce your caffeine intake

As well as avoiding taking a nap throughout the day, you should also try to reduce the amount of caffeine that you are having during the day. Although caffeine is a great way of boosting your energy levels throughout the day, having too much caffeine throughout the day can highly impact the quality of the sleep that you have that night. Research has shown that consuming caffeine up to 6 hours before you go to bed can significantly worsen the quality of sleep that you get. Therefore, if you are someone who enjoys drinking coffee or tea throughout the day, make sure that you don’t consume any after 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon. By doing this, you are giving the caffeine that you have consumed throughout the day enough time to leave your system. Alternatively, you could try having caffeine free drinks throughout the day, which will guarantee you get a better night’s sleep that night. 

Create a comfortable sleeping environment

One of the most impactful things that you can do in order to improve the quality of your sleep is to create a comfortable sleeping environment. The environment that you sleep in can greatly impact the quantity and quality of sleep that you get. If your bedroom or wherever you typically go to sleep, is full of loud noises or bright lights, you will more than likely have a poor night’s sleep. The noise and light in your bedroom must be calming and relaxing in order for you to have a high-quality sleep every night. A great tip in creating a comfortable and relaxing environment is to use softer lighting, such as candles or a lamp, that won’t be as harsh on your eyes. Another great way to fall asleep easier is to make sure there are no loud noises in your bedroom. Therefore, you should remove anything from your sleeping environment that will make noise and prevent you from sleeping throughout the night. As well as removing any harsh lighting or loud noises from your bedroom, to create a comfortable sleeping environment you should reduce the temperate in your room. Many studies have shown that your body needs to drop in temperature in order for you to sleep more comfortably throughout the night. 

Exercise more often

It is commonly known that exercise can have a great effect on our physical and mental health, but it is also great for improving your quality of sleep. Getting regular exercise can improve the quality of your sleep in a number of different ways. Firstly, exercise is great for relieving your stress and anxiety levels. When you feel anxious or stressed out, you may find it difficult to sleep at night, therefore you should exercise to reduce these levels before you go to sleep at night. A great form of exercise that you should try in order to relieve your stress and anxiety levels is either yoga or Pilates. The second way that exercise can improve the quality of your sleep is that exercise tires your body out. When you are active and participate in exercise your body will become tired at the end of the day. This means that it will be ready for bed and ensures that you will sleep solidly throughout the night. Although exercise is great for helping you to sleep at night, be careful not to push yourself to exhaustions whenever you exercise. 

As you can see there are a number of different things that you can do in order to improve the quality of sleep that you are having. So, in order to have a better night’s sleep every night you should try following a few of these simple tips and tricks.