How your day starts depends on how you sleep the night before, which makes it very important to have a good night’s sleep to wake up with energy. We all know that healthy eating and physical exercise are essential to good health, but many of us overlook the importance of good sleep.
For some, it may be easy to just go to bed and sleep but here are a few tricks to elevate your sleep quality. With this, you will be able to sleep better and have a great energized start to your day after.
Setting The Mood
To attain that perfect sleepy mood to get you ready for bed, make sure your room has a sleep-friendly environment. This is because darkness is a crucial key to sleep. When it is dark, your body receives a signal that it is time to rest.
Exposure of light at the wrong times alters the internal body’s sleep clock, the circadian rhythm, which is a biological mechanism that regulates sleep cycles. As an effect of this, it will interfere with both the quantity and quality of sleep.
Keep it Cold
Having a cold room can help you get better and deeper sleep. In addition, sleeping in a cold room can improve your sleep quality and even combat insomnia. Switching the air conditioner on and setting it to 60-68F may help lower your body temperature faster, leading to better sleep.
Having the air conditioner on will also result in increased melatonin levels, the sleep hormone. Moreover, melatonin has a hypothermic effect, which lowers your body temperature. A combination of these factors can assist you in achieving therapeutic sleep in a short amount of time.
Dehumidify Your Room
Humidity measures how dense the air is with water vapour, and high humidity indicates that the air contains a lot of moisture. Consequently, this can impact your comfort level, breathing, and even allergies.
A high level of humidity can lead to you feeling uncomfortable. This is because an elevated moisture level makes it hard for the water on your body to evaporate. Consequently, it is difficult to get asleep as well as stay asleep when you are sweaty and uncomfortable.
Some people even find it hard to breathe in a humid environment. Especially those who have issues with their breathing like asthma. Mold spores are released into the air by humidity, causing allergies, asthma attacks, and irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat.
To prevent this, you may install a dehumidifier in your room. A dehumidifier works by sucking warm air currents into its coils via a fan. Warm air compresses when it passes through the machine’s refrigerated coils, leaving moisture inside the dehumidifier.
Once you have set your dehumidifier, it will automatically adjust the humidity to the level you have set, making it easier for you to breathe. At the same time, it will also balance the amount of water vapour in the air and maintain a healthy environment.
Preparing Yourself for Sleep
Now that your room is nice and cosy enough, it is time for you to prepare yourself. However, changing into your comfortable clothes is not the only way you can prepare yourself for bedtime.
Get in the Shower
Showering before bed is a calming and delightful activity that might help you fall asleep faster. Plus, your shower helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, which is controlled by subtle changes in core body temperature.
Both hot and cold showers have many health benefits, but it is important to know what your body needs and cater to it. It is also important to know the differences between hot and cold showers, as well as how each of these experiences affects your natural reactions.
For instance, when using a water heater for a nice steamy shower, your body initiates a quick self-cooling procedure to restore an average core temperature. In addition, muscle tension is relieved and softened as stored heat energy is released.
Though hot showers with the water heater can increase your body temperature you may think it will make you feel hot afterwards. In actuality, the body will go through rapid cooling, which can lower your core temperature around 60 to 90 minutes after showering.
On the other hand, cold showers help the body to relax. It soothes tired muscles and reduces anxiety. Cold showers will help lower your heart rate, release unwanted tension, and increase the feelings of comfort and rest.
You could also use the water heater and get a lukewarm shower that is the perfect balance of both hot and cold showers. With this, you could get the benefits of both temperatures without making yourself go through a shocking temperature change in the shower.
No More Screens
Smartphones were designed to keep us entertained and give us information. They make life easier, and more productive. When it is time to sleep, though, the last thing our brain needs is more knowledge and amusement.
Moreover, the blue light from your smartphones is harmful. This blue light is an artificial colour that looks like daylight. So, when you use your phone before bed, your body’s intrinsic schedule and rhythm are disrupted.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends to stop using electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Instead of using your phone during this time, you could meditate or reflect on your day to help you lull yourself to sleep.
Sleep Routine
Next, you should establish a sleep routine. By establishing a sleep routine that you get used to every day, your body will automatically feel drowsy when it is time to sleep. Soon enough, your body will get used to this and sends signals for you to rest.
Try aiming to sleep at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning. Similarly, you should also be aiming for the perfect sleep amount that you and your body need. The amount of sleep may differ depending on age, lifestyle, habits, and even genetics.
Getting only 5 hours of sleep for four nights in a row has the same effect on mental function as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.06. Not only that, but sleep deprivation can also contribute to low moods, decreased productivity, and unprofessional behaviour at work.
Therefore, it is important to get enough sleep for your body and mind to function at its best. But how much sleep do you need? The CDC recommends that adults the age of 18 to 64 should get around 7-9 hours of sleep.
However, it is important to understand that sleep differs for everyone. It must be catered to the needs and activities during the day. It is important that you listen to your body and rest when you need. As a result, you may wake up feeling more energized.
