Healthy Sleeping Routine: Sleep is incredibly important to our minds and bodies, and the amount and quality of sleep we get each night can have a huge impact on our efficiency and effectiveness during the day.
Follow our five steps for getting into a healthy sleeping routine and you should become more productive during the day.
Table of Contents
Plan and Prepare
Too few people take their sleep seriously and don’t have a pre-bed routine that prepares them and their bodies for a good night of rest. And, Consider your usual sleeping position with “best mattress”
Don’t eat too soon before going to bed. Digesting food can keep our bodies active when they should be resting and can keep us awake at night. The same is true for drinking liquids, especially alcohol or beverages that contain caffeine or other stimulants. Drinking liquids can also wake us up in the middle of the night for a trip to the bathroom, and this can disturb our sleep and leave us feeling tired the next day.
Exercise During the Day and Nap if You Need It
Exercising in the day, for between half an hour and an hour, can help our bodies sleep later at night. Not only is exercise good for our physical health, but it also benefits our sleep too!
Napping can also help us get a better night of sleep. Try not to nap after 3 pm to reduce the chance of it negatively impacting your sleep schedule. An early afternoon siesta can give your body what it needs to recover from a poor night of sleep or to rest after exercise, but if you leave it too late it will keep you up at night.
Make Your Bedroom a Positive Sleeping Environment
Getting a better night of sleep, and getting to sleep quickly at night, is often a matter of making your bedroom a more positive sleeping environment.
Keep your bedroom tidy and free of clutter; it can be hard to get to sleep in the middle of a mess. Try to keep your bedroom cooler than the rest of your home to help you fall asleep sooner. Make sure you have a good mattress that is comfortable and supportive. Most health professionals recommend changing your mattress every eight years, so you may be due a new mattress and your old one could be keeping you up at night.
Consider Meditation and Mindfulness to Help You Sleep
Many people are kept awake at night by distracting thoughts and worries like Savvy Sleeper mentions here. Experiment with meditation techniques and mindfulness exercises to help clear your mind before you go to bed.
Meditation is one of the world’s oldest mental practices, and millions of people still use it today to help calm their minds and clear their thoughts. It can be very beneficial if you are trying to get to sleep at night but are kept awake by worries about work or concerns about finances. Mindfulness is similar to meditation and is useful for acknowledging what you can do and control in a moment and what you cannot, allowing you to manage your thoughts and even control anxiety.
Stick to a Schedule
Routine is important to our bodies. It helps train them to be in the right state when we need them to be. Going to bed at a regular time, and with the right preparation, can help our minds and bodies get in the right state for rest.
You should try to stick to this routine all week too. Sleeping in at the weekend may feel like a treat, but it can make it difficult for our bodies to rest later in the week. Try and stick to a reasonable schedule every night and you will fall asleep quicker, and get better quality, deeper, and more restful sleep.
If you follow just a few of these steps, we think you will notice the difference they make right away. Don’t let poor sleep ruin your day – get into a healthy sleep routine!