A lot of people are suffering from bad sleeping habits. Some are unable to fall asleep even though they feel tired, even though they can feel their eyes falling, they are tired from a full day at work or school. Imagine you have to wake up at 5 in the morning to get ready for work or school, and there you are, wide awake at 3:00 in the wee hours. It causes a lot more stress, anxiety, and even depression. It even affects your performance at work or school for the whole day.
But you can enjoy a good night’s sleep by developing good habits or sleeping hygiene. With the help of correct or good sleeping hygiene, you will maximize your sleeping hours. And in this article, we will show you good habits that you must develop to enjoy a long and good night’s sleep.
Habits to Develop to Improve Your Sleep
Create a sleep-inducing environment in your bedroom.
Keep your room dark, quiet, and cool to make it a sleep-inducing environment and promote sleepiness. Just like bats, they find a place similar to this for their sleep.
You can use earplugs to lower the volume of other noises around the house. Turn off the lights or block them using heavy and dark curtains. Keep your room cool but in a way that you are comfortable, and make sure your room is well ventilated.
If your pet is constantly waking you up in the night, you might want to keep them out of your room. It is also a good habit to keep your computer, TV, and other materials connected to work out of your space to enable your brain to associate bedroom only for sleep and privacy.
Avoiding caffeine/coffee and other chemicals that affects your sleep.
As we all know, caffeine is a stimulant that can prevent you from getting sleepy. It is commonly found in coffee. That’s why most graveyard shift workers and IT company employees drink coffee before or during work to keep them awake. You can also find caffeine on tea, soda, chocolate, and other pain relievers.
It would be wiser to avoid drinking caffeine for 4 – 6 hours before going to bed. Some people think that alcohol can help them fall asleep, yes it can, but it will act as a stimulant after a few hours. And it will indeed affect the quality of your sleep later. Thus, it is also a good habit to avoid drinking alcohol before going to bed.
Create a relaxing routine before sleep.
Use an hour or two before bedtime to relax and meditate. You can take a shower, read a book, or do any exercises that promote relaxation.
Avoid activities related to work or school and avoid stressful activities. These kinds of activities can stimulate stress hormones responsible for alertness. Therefore, they can keep you awake and keep your brain active during the night.
Sleep when you are tired enough.
When you struggle to fall asleep at night, it will only cause you to feel frustrated and make you even more awake. What you need to do is to get out of bed and go to another room, do something that can relax you and induce sleepiness. You can listen to soft and relaxing music, read a book until you feel tired and sleepy.
Do not keep watch on the clock.
Avoid staring a lot at the clock in your bedroom when trying to fall asleep. Don’t look at the clock too when you wake up in the middle of the night. Watching the clock can cause you stress and awakens your mind, making it harder for you to fall asleep. It is a good idea to turn your clock away from you.
Set your body’s internal clock to a consistent sleep schedule.
When you wake up and sleep at the same time every day, your body eventually sets its internal clock to associate with the same activity. Keep a regular sleeping schedule every day so your body will not be confused.
Moreover, make sure to keep your sleep schedule even though it’s your rest day. Regardless of your plan for the day, your sleep schedule will help you maintain good sleeping habits.
Avoid taking a nap late.
Many people who can’t sleep at night take a nap during the day to have rest or gain the lost sleep hours. Only take a nap when you have a headache or feel tired, but make sure to nap earlier rather than late. Keep your rest short and take it before 5 pm.
Make sure to follow these tips to improve your sleeping habits. If you’re still struggling to get enough sleep at night, it would be better to consult a specialist who can help you. You might have a health condition that interferes with your sleep. If this is the case, getting treatment might be necessary.
