Three Tips to Help You Sleep Better
Good sleep does not only keeps you energized but also keeps your hormones in check and brain performance high. For these reasons and more, it’s important to invest in your sleep. These three tips can help you gain the sleep you’ve been missing!
1. Low-Strain Stretching
Among the tips that will be explored here, stretching is the one most often ignored. However, by implementing low-strain stretching before you sleep, you help distract your mind from the strains and stress of the day. Instead, your mind develops mindfulness by getting in touch with your body and breathing. Click here to explore Health Line’s eight stretches that are perfect for before sleep.
Note: This does not mean that you should be carrying out intensive workouts just before sleeping. In fact, intense workouts have stimulatory effects and increase alertness and hormones like epinephrine and adrenaline. This could actually hinder your sleep!
2. Embrace the Light
Our bodies are set up with internal clocks that help us know when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to sleep. This natural time-keeping tool is known as your circadian rhythm, and it requires natural sunlight to stay healthy. Some will tell you to start the day off with ten minutes in direct sun, and others will tell you to increase the amount of light you are exposed to throughout the day. Whichever method you choose, try and get in the most amount of natural light possible. And, if that’s not convenient invest in an artificial bright light device or new bulbs.
3. Create the Perfect Bedroom Environment
Invest in creating an ideal bedroom environment because this is where all your sleep will happen. Start with getting a mattress that you feel comfortable on, and try to change it at least every 5-8 years. Also, shop for a good pillow and replace your sheets with clean ones at least once a week.
Your bedroom should always remain clean and free of distractions. So, embrace the dark in your rooms and choose curtains that reduce the amount of light penetrating from the outside. Also implement a good ventilation system, so that you are both breathing fresh air and in a room with a good temperature.
Other sleep strategies include listening to relaxing music, reading a book, taking a hot bath, meditating, deep breathing and visualization. You can try out these tips in collaboration with the others explored!
