Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for optimal health.
A lack of asleep can have a negative effect on your mood, memory, concentration and quality of life. Thankfully, the Sleep Health Foundation outlines a variety of things you can do to improve your sleep.
One of the most important elements of enabling good sleep is maintaining a regular sleep schedule. This means going to bed and getting up at the same time each day. Once you’ve set your sleep schedule, develop a relaxing bedtime routine, such as taking a bath or reading for about an hour before heading to bed.
It is also important that you don’t go to bed hungry – but going to bed on a full stomach isn’t ideal either. You should have dinner at least two hours before bedtime. If you’re hungry after dinner, a light snack may help you sleep better.
Additionally, there are some things you should avoid before going to bed – these include caffeine, alcohol and smoking. Steer clear of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea and soft drinks for at least four hours before bed. Smoking should be avoided before bed, and during the night. While alcohol may make it easier to get to sleep, it makes it more difficult to stay asleep and exacerbates sleep problems such as sleep apnoea and snoring. For at least an hour before heading to bed, other things to avoid are stimulating activities such as exercise, television and computer games.
Let’s take a look at your sleeping environment:
- Your bed should only be used for sleep and intimacy, so your brain associates your bed with those activities
- Your bed, as well as your pillows and bedding, must be comfortable
- Ensure your hands and feet are warm – you can accomplish this by changing the temperature of your room or with extra blankets
- Remove distractions from your bedroom – this includes laptops, televisions, phones, etc
- If there’s a clock in your room, cover it so you don’t lie awake watching it
- Discourage children and pets from entering your bedroom and disturbing you while you sleep
If you find that you can’t shut your mind off once you get into bed, set aside a time during the evening for ‘worry time’. This is a time you can use to think about what has happened during the day, what you must do tomorrow, and determine solutions to your problems. Once your ‘worry time’ is over, try to put your thoughts aside until the following day.
If after 20-30 minutes in bed, you find you can’t fall asleep, get out of bed and go into another dark and quiet room and sit down. Once you feel tired, go back to bed. Keep in mind that rest is good for your body; It doesn’t have to be sleep.
Good sleep habits are critical for good sleep. You may not be able to follow all these tips every day, if you stick to them on most days, you’ll sleep will likely improve. If you try all these tips and your sleep is still poor, it may be time to have a discussion with your chiropractor and not try to catch 40 winks on a park bench!
