There are many reasons why sleep is important for our mental and physical health. When you don't get sufficient sleep, it affects your energy during the day, including productivity, weight, and emotional quotient. However, researchers at Sleep Science say that most people toss and turn at night regularly, finding it difficult to fall asleep.
When you are up till 3 am, of course, you will find it difficult to get a good night's sleep. However, you can have control over your sleep by making some minor changes in your lifestyle. An unhealthy lifestyle and daytime habits can cause you to have sleepless nights and affect your immune system, mood, heart, creativity, and vitality. Not being able to sleep at night influences your time during the day, and similarly, your daytime routine can help you sleep better at night.
Importance of Sleep
There are many reasons why sleep is essential. As stated above, quality sleep can help better the body's functioning, both- physically and mentally. While we sleep, our heartbeat slows down, and the mind relaxes, which helps clean the body and fight against various possible infections. For example, when injured or hurt, it is advised to sleep for faster recovery and not flex bruised muscles.
If you don't have a proper sleep schedule, it can harm you in many ways. For instant damage, it could get you into accidents or harm you over time, such as metabolism dysfunction. Sleep also helps your brain to function better by improving your memory and making you ready for the next day to come. Sleeping better also enhances your problem-solving skills so that you can learn new things faster and easier.
Sleep deficiency can cause trouble in making decisions, controlling behavior and emotions. Studies also suggest that illnesses like heart disease, kidney problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke result from sleep deficiency.
Things to Help You Sleep Better
Many things can help you to sleep better. From dimming the lights in your room to playing soulful music and drifting off to sleep, people try a lot of things and stick to whatever works for them. Many people also tire themselves out with yoga, workouts, and sports. It may sound unbelievable, but having a soft and comfortable pillow can also help you fall asleep quickly and wake up fresh.
Below are some proven methods to sleep better at night and stay asleep for long enough.
- Say no to caffeine
90% of US citizens consume caffeine, and it has its benefits; there is no doubt about that. A single dose of caffeine can help to enhance your performance, energy, and focus. However, consuming caffeine late in the day stimulates the nervous system to not relax at its natural pace during the night. A study has proven that the consumption of caffeine six hours before sleeping has affected their sleep quality.
Caffeine stays in our blood cells for about 5-8 hours since it's consumed. Thus, it is advised to avoid caffeine in large amounts after 4 pm and no consumption at all if possible. You should not consume caffeine since the afternoon if you are sensitive to it or have trouble sleeping. If you love coffee and crave it in the afternoon or evening, you can treat yourself to a decaffeinated cup.
- Avoid daytime naps
You may think shorter, or power naps are beneficial, but they can affect your sleep schedule at night. Power naps are helpful, but when you go to sleep at night, your sleep quality will go down, and you may find yourself restless. Also, research conducted by Sleep Science has shown that people who take daytime naps were sleepier during the day than those who didn't.
Another study has proven that naps shorter than 30 minutes are okay, but longer naps can cause trouble sleeping at night and is harmful to health. However, studies that depict people who sleep regularly do not experience disruption in sleep at night. This proves how crucial a regular sleeping schedule is and why everyone should have one.
- Bedroom environment
It is a well-known fact how powerful the bedroom environment is when it comes to sleep and relaxation at night. The setup of your bedroom is one of the critical factors which can boost or deflate your sleep at night. These factors comprise an arrangement of furniture around the room, noise, temperature, and internal and external lights.
Studies suggest that external noises such as traffic sounds can cause poor sleep and health problems in the long term. One of the sleep studies on women had shown 50% improvement when there was decreased to no external noise and diminished light. To improve sleep experience, you can lower the light, external noise in your room while sleeping and make it a quieter, cleaner, and relaxing environment.
- Eating and drinking habits
When you eat late at night, it affects your sleep quality and metabolism. Nevertheless, it also depends on what you are eating and at what time. For example, the content in your late-night snacks can keep you up at night longer than you want because of your digestive system. Not eating proper constraints may also keep you up at night with stomach aches.
One of the studies showed people who ate high-carb meals four hours before bedtime were able to sleep faster. Also, the consumption of alcohol along with caffeine can keep you up at night. Even a couple of drinks before bedtime can affect your health. Alcohol is known to escalate snoring, sleep apnea, and hormones. Thus, it is suggested not to consume alcohol four hours before bedtime.
- Mattress
One of the most natural ways to fall asleep quickly is to own a fantastic mattress. Everyone has their comfort zones and a mattress to support that can help you fall asleep faster than usual.
You can choose among the firmness, type, and material with many other available options. If you are not sure which mattress is perfect for you, book a sleep expert at a mattress store like Mancini's Sleepworld. You will not get enough options but also amazing offers and discounts.