Your 6 Ways to a Good Night’s Sleep

Everyone wants to get a good night’s sleep after a long and stressful day. An average of 8 – 8 & 1/2 hours of sleep a night is needed to feel rested. Falling short of those hours can affect you negatively. You can become more short-tempered, tired, and out of focus if you lack even a few hours of sleep. Here are some better sleeping habits to help you have that well-deserved good night’s sleep:

1. Fix your body clock. If you find that your body clock doesn’t fit your daily schedule, change it by being consistent with the time you wake up and the time you go to bed. Do this every day - weekends and holidays included.
    
2. Avoid naps. Though naps can help you get through the day, they might be the reason you find it hard to sleep at night. Naps recharge your energy as they make up for the lack of sleep you had the previous night. If your energy is recharged, you won’t be sleeping anytime soon.
    
3. Don’t eat or drink before sleeping. Consumption of alcoholic beverages and heavy meals can disrupt your sleep process because consumption of such can cause indigestion. It is best to finish your meal 2-3 hours before going to bed.
    
4. Eliminate distractions. Your bed should only be for sleeping. Keep work files, laptops, and other work-related objects away from your bed. This allows you to focus on the bed without the temptations, and worries of other activities.
    
5. Start a bedtime ritual. Do an activity that will let your body relax. Let it know that it’s time to go to sleep. This can be in the form of reading a few chapters in a book, taking a shower, listening to relaxing music and the like. Avoid watching television and usage of other electronic devices, as these are counterproductive for you when going to sleep.
    
6. Improve your environment. Check if your room is conducive to sleeping. Make sure there are no distracting noises, or lights that can keep you up all night. You can use ear plugs, or eye masks to protect you from those unnecessary disturbances. Additionally, it’s important that you’re comfortable in your bed. Make sure your pillows, mattress, sheets, and sleeping clothes make you feel nice and rested.

Sleep is one of life’s most beautiful necessities. It is the only time we get to completely shut the world and have some peace for ourselves. If you still feel unrested despite sleeping for 8 hours, you may want to consult your doctor.

Reference

National Sleep Foundation. “Healthy Sleep Tips.”
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-tools-tips/healthy-sleep-tips, unknown publication date. Web. 16 June 2014.

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