Feeling like we need more sleep is a common human experience. How many times a day do you yawn or feel like you didn’t get your 6-8 hours the night before? More often than not we are snoozing those alarms in the morning rather than springing out of bed. Sleep is so integral to our health and being unrested can affect your happiness, stress, memory, and almost everything else! We have some hacks that will help you improve your sleep and hopefully, your life.
Stick to a schedule
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Our bodies like routine and they respond well to it. Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine will condition your body to have healthy sleep habits. Set your alarm for the same time every morning and try to go to bed at the same time every night.
Try and continue this schedule on the weekends. We get that we all want to sleep in on Saturday morning, but being consistent is really the best way to fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night. Give it a try and see how your sleep changes.
Be aware of what you’re eating and drinking
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What you put in your body directly affects how you sleep. Obviously we know that we shouldn’t have an espresso right before bed. But caffeine isn’t the only thing that can keep you up at night. Alcohol can interfere with sleep patterns.
Also, eating a large meal before bed can keep you up because your body is digesting the food. Try and eat a couple hours before bed time. Sleep is a time to relax so don’t make your body work during this time!
Manage stress
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Stress is one of the biggest reasons that people have a difficult time getting adequate rest. How many hours have you spent up at night worrying? Finding a way to mitigate your stress is the best sleep hack.
Easier said than done, right? Try and identify what is at the root of your stress. If you can’t eliminate it from your life, find better ways to cope. Try yoga or meditation. Get yourself organized. And do what you can to limit stress when possible.
Put your phone away
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As tempting as it is to scroll social media before bed, your phone is really the enemy of sleep. Our phones and computers give off blue light. This light tricks our bodies into thinking it’s daytime and makes us stay up longer.
You’re better off putting the phone down an hour or so before bed. You’ll quickly notice that the time it takes to fall asleep will decrease almost immediately.
Make a sleep-happy environment
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Make your bedroom an environment that encourages sleep. Use some soothing essential oils that encourage rest and relaxation. Keep your room dark. This sends a message to your body: “It’s time to go to sleep!”.
Also, keep your sleeping space a sleeping space. Try not to work from bed because this will confuse your body into thinking it’s time to work when you lay down to rest. Leave the bed for sleeping and set up your work computer in another room.
