Improve Your Sleeping Habits

Changing up your sleeping habits can have a big impact on how you sleep at night. If you find yourself having trouble sleeping, here are a few things you can do to get a better night’s sleep.

First, I think important to discuss our “sleep clock”, I came across this term as I was doing research. Also known as circadian rhythm, your sleep clock is the time cycle that consists of the times you feel sleepy in the evening and when you wake in the morning, every day. Your sleep clock can be influenced from internal/external causes such as sunrise, sunset, temperature, hormones, neurotransmitters, and genes.

Tip #1: Keep your sleep clock cycle in sync:

·       Create a regular sleeping schedule - This is the first place to start when you want to sleep better. When creating a schedule, you organize which hours you decide to sleep and what hours you want to wake up. Organizing your hours helps you wake up feeling energized in in the morning, rather than sleeping different number of hours at different times.

·       Be wise about your nap times – I know, we all love napping. If you didn’t get much sleep the night before, your first thought to come to mind is “I’m definitely going to take a nap later”. Napping isn’t always the best idea, if you take too long of a nap you could potentially have trouble falling asleep in the evening. So what you want to do is limit your nap time to about 15 - 30 minutes in the afternoon.

Tip #2:  Manipulate your exposure to light

During the day – Natural sunlight can help keep your sleep clock in check. Light exposure during the day could also help people with insomnia sleep better at night. Here are some things you can do in the daytime to control light exposure:

·       Open the blinds in the morning to let in some sunlight.

·       Drink your morning tea or coffee outside.

·       Keep your blinds/curtains open during the daytime.

At night – In the evening light exposure can have the opposite effect, it tricks your brain into thinking its still daytime. As a result, this can cause your melatonin hormone to decrease. Here are some things you can do at night to control light exposure.

·       Make sure the room is completely dark.

·       Keep your room at a cool temperature.

·       Wear glasses that can block out blue light.

·       Avoid bright screens such as your TV, tablet or phone 2 hours before your bedtime.

Tip #3: Watch what you eat

What you eat during the day can influence how well you sleep at night. Here is what to avoid in order to get a better night’s rest:

·       Limit your caffeine and nicotine intake.

·       Avoid big meals after 6 p.m.

·       No alcohol before bed.

·       Restrict sugary foods.

Tip #4: Develop a nighttime routine

Starting a nighttime routine can help you destress and make it easier for you to unwind. Here are things you can do to prepare you mind for sleep:

·       Meditation or prayer.

·       A nice warm bath or shower.

·       Put on nighttime skin care products.

·       Reading for 30 minutes.

·       Listening to soft music/audiobooks

Your quality of sleep can play a huge role in your health, so it’s best use these some of these tips and build a routine. Once you maintain some of these habits, your sleeping habits and overall quality of sleep can improve. Some nights you will fall out of the routine, and that’s okay. It’s important to find what works for you.

Sources:

Osmun, Rosie. “5 Ways to Reset Your Broken Internal Sleep Clock.” Amerisleep Blog, 19 Jan. 2015, https://www.amerisleep.com/blog/reset-sleep-clock/.

Mawer, Rudy. “17 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 2 Nov. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-better#section18.

“Sleeping Tips & Tricks.” National Sleep Foundation, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/healthy-sleep-tips.

“Everything You Need to Know About Your Circadian Rhythm.” Liveli, https://www.liveli.com/blogs/the-wave/circadianrhythm.