As mentioned, temperature plays a big factor in your sleep quality. Keep your thermostat set between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 19.4 degrees Celsius).
The Importance Of Sleep – Natural Light
Get sunlight for 5-15 minutes after waking up. The sun sets an internal countdown, telling your body it’s the start of the day. This helps regulate your sleep cycle, making it easier to fall asleep at night.
Coffee
Caffeine can kill your sleep quality and quantity. This is because it blocks adenosine receptors. Adenosine is the sleep-promoting hormone.
It takes around 10 hours for caffeine to leave your system. Go to bed at 10pm? Don’t use caffeine past 12pm. 4 cups of coffee is no replacement for 8 hours of sleep.
Before You Go To Bed
Avoid late-night exercise. Before sleep, your body prepares by, slowing the heart rate and brain waves, plus body temperature. Exercise ruins a lot of this, as it leads to, higher heart rates, levels of arousal and body temperature. You should avoid exercise 1-3 hours before bed.
Artificial Lighting
Avoid blue light before bed. Blue light comes from, phones and computers. This makes our brain think it’s day time and suppresses the sleep hormone, melatonin. Avoid blue light an hour before bed. But if you have to use tech, wear blue-blocking glasses.
Relax Before Bed
When you engage in activities that turn on the analytical part of your brain, you create ‘open loops’. Your brain hates unresolved problems, so it’ll keep you up awake trying to find solutions. Avoid this by scheduling a “no work” time at night.
The Importance Of Sleep – Meditation?
Research has shown the effectiveness of meditation. Just 10 minutes can reduce anxiety, heart rates and blood pressure. These all aid in your ability to fall and stay asleep.
Ensure Your Sleep Patterns Are Consistent
Your body has an internal clock it follows. If you go to bed late one night and early the next, you’ll throw off your circadian rhythm. So create a schedule you go to bed and wake up at. You’ll fall asleep faster and wake up refreshed.
