Bedtime Routine: As bedrooms have now become domains for technology to reside in rather than a place for resting, people are finding it harder than ever before to go offline and off to bed. Having a consistent sleep pattern can feel more challenging than it should be in this day and age, and as a result, it inadvertently affects overall life quality.
Before resorting to medications or other external means, you can begin your journey to change today by building a solid sleeping routine. The following is a list of 5 things that you can do prior to bedtime to help you fall asleep easier.
Table of Contents
Get Decompressed
It’s improbable to immediately jump on to your bed still energized and expect to get some shut eyes just like that. You have to be in a calm and relaxed state of mind for the melatonin secretion – a biochemical reaction to trigger sleepiness – to take place. This is also why it’s best to span out the time between engaging in highly-physical activities and bedtime to ensure you’re properly cool down.
Try loosening up if you’ve just gone back from a work out session, or if you’ve been grinding hard at a video game, just see to it that your eyes have time to relax. Generally, everybody can fall asleep relatively quickly if the conditions are right. Have some of your favorite herbal tea or do whatever that’ll help you with winding down and you will probably be catching z’s in no time.
Have Proper Beddings
Since the bed is where you’ll actually be sleeping on, it’s only fair that essentials like bed sheets, pillows and blankets are at least adequate. Most don’t invest enough in these items until they have developed some kind of joint, neck or back pain.
Despite modern media’s incessant propaganda about memory foam mattresses, you need to decide for yourself what type of it is the best for you. Bed sheets are also the money item in your sleep apparatus, silk-made bed sheets are in trend right now (click here to view more) as they have climate regulating property and are also hypoallergenic – qualities of which appeal greatly to the market. Finnish it off with a pillow that has both comfort and support and you have got for yourself the perfect sleep set up.
Shut off all Devices
Smartphones or other handheld devices tend to emit blue light to a relatively medium level. However, prolonged exposure to it prior to bedtime can severely affect your overall sleep quality because it messes with your circadian rhythm – the body’s biological clock – into thinking that it’s still daytime. Thus, preventing the melatonin from being produced. According to one study, more than 80% of Americans find company at night holding their phone in bed.
It may also be a good idea to take up minimalism in renovation to make your bedroom look like a place for sleep, and not just a glorified docking station for electronics. The less you allow technology to be present in your room, the more sleep you are likely to get.
Stick to your Sleep Schedule
Going to bed at 9 every night is not the definitive factor for healthy sleeping habits. Rather, strive for consistency. Staying up late on weekends and thinking that you can just recover lost sleep hours the next morning is the single most common misconception of how sleep works. As you are depriving yourself of all the positive effects that occur during night while making yourself more prone to hypersomnia (daytime fatigueness).
Grab a Light Snack
Don’t leave your belly feeling hungry and expect to have a good sleep. Tryptophan-filled food like bananas, seeds, honey, eggs, etc. can actually help with promoting sleep and does not affect your digestion. Consuming carbs is also fine as long as it’s done in moderation. The trick here is to keep a balance between our need and desire, two of which can be quite hard to differentiate when you are staring at leftover pizzas in the fridge. Just try to stay away from food that’s filled with oil and spice and you’re good!
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