Despite the reality that quality sleep is an essential component of good health, there are still many adults who don’t regularly get the quality or amount of sleep that they need to feel their best. From lifestyle factors to environmental ones, there are many different things that can impact sleep that some are not aware of. If you are looking for simple ways to start getting better sleep, especially when you are feeling exhausted, then here are some things to keep in mind.
Try New Therapies
When it comes to better sleep, there are different kinds of therapy that can help you. Some may be interested in asking questions like what is red light therapy while others may be more interested in things like aromatherapy. Whatever is more interesting to you, trying out new types of therapies can be a good way to help improve your sleep quality without having to make major changes to your lifestyle right off the bat.
Watch What You Eat
If you want to go more in-depth than just trying out new types of therapy, then you may need to start making changes to your overall lifestyle. Although many are aware that their diet impacts their health, what they may not realize is that what they eat can affect the amount and quality of sleep that they get in a direct way. When you eat foods that are high in carbs and sugars, it can cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash. When this happens, your energy levels will spike and crash as well. Ultimately, this can cause you to feel tired when you should feel wide awake, and alert when you should feel sleepy.
By limiting the amount of sugar and carbs that you eat, especially close to bedtime, you can help keep your blood sugar in line, and potentially improve your sleep. One good way to make sure that you aren’t eating too much sugar is to begin keeping a food journal. With a food journal you can not only stay on top of the amount of sugar you are consuming, but you can also get a clearer idea of your diet habits in general. This may help you notice other eating habits you may have that could be holding you back from your other health goals, as well.
Avoid Beverages That Will Keep You Up
In addition to tracking what you eat, it can also be beneficial to pay attention to the beverages that you are drinking, too. This can be especially true when it comes to caffeine and alcohol.
Caffeine is a nervous system stimulant, which means that it can be great for when you are wanting to get up and go. However, it can also keep you wide awake in the middle of the night, too. This can be especially true for those that consume large amounts of caffeine or those that consume caffeine late in the day or evening. By limiting your caffeine intake to the early morning, you can help ensure that you aren’t disrupting your sleep cycles.
Alcohol is another beverage that can be highly disruptive to the quality of sleep that you get. While it can still be possible to fall asleep easily after you have consumed alcohol, it can still disrupt your sleep cycles and make it difficult or even impossible to get quality rest. Because alcohol can disrupt a sleep cycle, even though you may be able to fall asleep, you might not be able to stay asleep. To prevent alcohol from hurting your sleep, limiting yourself to 1 or 2 drinks can be ideal.
Stay Active During the Day
Another tip that can help you to ensure that you are getting quality sleep during the night is making sure that you are active during the day. Even though many don’t realize it, their daily activity levels can have a lot to do with how well they will be able to sleep at night. This is due to the fact that exercise can affect your hormone levels, including hormones that are related to sleep. Beyond that, doing regular workouts can help reduce things like depression and anxiety, which can cause sleep issues.
When it comes to staying active, the kinds of workouts that you do often don’t make as much of a difference as you might think. From power walking to powerlifting, there are many kinds of exercises that will help you balance hormones and improve sleep. What is important, though, is to make sure that you are working out consistently for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week.
Start a Relaxing Ritual
If you truly want to get quality sleep, then you need to make sure that you have a relaxing night time ritual in place. Having a regular routine for bedtime can help you to both unwind, but also to be prepared for bed as well. The more that you can get on a regular schedule, the easier it will be for your mind and body to go into sleep mode when you want them to.
From reading to doing gentle stretches, there are lots of different things that can help you to relax and get you in the right frame of mind for sleep. Some may enjoy working on a hobby like coloring or drawing, while others may prefer to do something like meditate or work on deep breathing exercises.
No matter what you choose to do, make it a regular ritual and cue to your brain that it is time to get ready for bed, and can also help reduce stress hormones, like cortisol as well. By reducing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, you can help improve hormone health overall and better prepare yourself for good sleep.
Consider Your Sleep Environment
If you constantly struggle to get good sleep, you may benefit from making changes to your sleeping environment. The place where you sleep can have a significant and direct impact on the quality of sleep that you are able to get. For example, if your bedroom is too hot or bright, you might find yourself tossing and turning, and may not be able to reach the deeper levels of sleep. By taking the time to do things like make sure that your bedroom is a comfortable temperature and that there is no bright light leaking in at night you can help ensure that you are getting deeper sleep.
Some Last Thoughts
Getting quality sleep is essential, but it might not always be easy. The good news is that there are simple ways you can begin improving your sleep quality right away.
If you practice the above guidelines of a healthier lifestyle and better sleeping habits but still find yourself suffering from daytime drowsiness, it may be a sign of a more severe medical condition such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), anemia, thyroid problems, narcolepsy, depression, restless leg syndrome, undiagnosed heart disease, or deficiencies in key nutrients. If you think that you may be suffering from one of these medical conditions you should contact your physician or local sleep clinic immediately.
And remember, you can always contact us here at The Alaska Sleep Clinic for questions or to schedule a consultation.
