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6 Tips for Improving Your Sleep Hygiene
Ensuring that you get enough sleep is vital to your overall well-being. Once you begin to follow a healthy sleep pattern and improve its quality, you will not only be well-rested. Your overall mood and productivity will improve significantly, as will your ability to manage stress and anxiety. A good night’s sleep improves your immune system’s performance, lowers the risk of developing a variety of diseases, boosts metabolism, and helps you concentrate better.
Maintaining proper sleep hygiene in today’s fast-paced, stressful world is undoubtedly difficult, but it is not impossible. Even though you will not be successful right away because changing one’s habits and patterns takes time, the effect will undoubtedly be worth the effort.
To make things easier for you, we’ve put together this article with tips for improving your sleep hygiene, including consistency and regularity, developing a healthy bedtime routine, using CBD oils or other more natural remedies, limiting screen time in the evenings, eating the right foods, and engaging in physical activity.
Use CBD Oils or Other Natural Remedies
CBD oils have been proven to have many health benefits, including helping people with sleep problems. What is more, they are nearly non-addictive and have no potential for abuse.
You may also notice one more thing after visiting websites like Thryv Organics: CBD for better sleep also comes in other forms than oils. You can go for CBD capsules or even bath bombs — the choice is yours. Besides, CBD products contain little to no THC and are legal in most places (although you should always check the current laws in your country).
Many people use CBD oils and other herbal remedies to help them sleep better. Others swear by melatonin, an all-natural supplement created in the pineal gland in our brains. It helps regulate our sleep cycles and is widely used as an over-the-counter remedy for insomnia.
Taking melatonin supplements allows you to go to sleep earlier and fall asleep faster while helping to increase deep sleep. However, it takes about an hour for melatonin to take effect, so you should avoid taking it right before going to bed.
Be Consistent
Having a consistent sleep schedule every night, including weekends, is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Some people find that taking a warm bath before bed helps them relax and prepare for sleep. Others prefer reading a book, meditating, or doing some light exercise to wind down prior to going to sleep.
No matter what your routine is, always follow it. This way, your body will get used to it and will start “expecting” the same thing each and every night. Thanks to it, you will have better sleep quality and make it more likely that you will wake up at the same time every morning.
Develop a Healthy Bedtime Routine
As mentioned above, having a regular bedtime routine will help set yourself up for good sleep hygiene. What you do before bed will also affect the quality of your sleep significantly. For example, exercising a few times a week is a great way to relieve stress and calm your mind and body before bedtime.
Besides avoiding caffeine after lunchtime or late in the afternoon, make sure you avoid overeating right before bedtime as well. Eating a heavy meal close to bedtime can cause indigestion, heartburn, nausea, and other unpleasant symptoms that will definitely keep you from sleeping well.
Limit Screen Time in the Evenings
There’s nothing wrong with watching television or browsing the web on your smartphone during the day. However, it is essential that you limit the amount of screen time you have in the evenings.
The reason for this is simple: staring at bright screens at night causes your brain to produce higher levels of cortisol, which in turn stimulates your brain and makes it harder for you to fall asleep. It means that if you watch TV or play video games in the evenings, you may have trouble falling asleep when you’re ready to do so.
Eat the Right Foods
Eating the right foods can help lower your risk of developing certain diseases and improve your sleep quality, as well as your overall health. For instance, avoiding fats during dinner time will help reduce acne breakouts and promote clearer skin. It may also reduce feelings of irritability and anxiety. Similarly, reducing sugar intake in the evening will help you control blood sugar levels and keep your moods stable throughout the night.
Engage in Physical Activity
Exercising not only improves your overall health and fitness but also helps regulate your circadian rhythm and endorphins levels, both of which are vital factors for getting good sleep at night. Exercising at least four times a week will increase your stamina and energy levels while reducing stress levels and balancing hormones. Finally, don’t forget that exercise also boosts your immune system, which will help keep you healthy.
Conclusion
If you find yourself struggling every night to get some shut-eye, now is the time to make a few much-needed changes. Instead of waiting for the situation to get worse, do your best to turn things around.
Improving your sleep hygiene does not have to be a challenging task. Following our tips and making some simple lifestyle changes will help you fall asleep faster and stay in bed longer while improving the quality of your sleep. Moreover, thanks to it, you will balance your energy levels, your mood will improve, and your overall productivity will go up.
Stay committed to your goal, limit screen time in the evenings, and you will see the positive results faster than you think. Good luck!