Not having enough sleep can make your body prone to many chronic diseases and disorders. And if you don’t want that, keep reading. This think-piece enlists 10 things to help you sleep better. So, let’s begin!
- Drink Herbal tea
Do you know a cup of herbal tea before bed can help soothe your mind instantly? Chamomile tea has become a new trend for this reason alone. This tea contains a large amount of apigenin which works as an antioxidant and ultimately helps reduce anxiety and promote sleep. Research showed that people who drank Chamomile tea two times a day had a better sleep. Many patients also reported that their menstrual disorders and muscle spasms healed with timely sleep.
- Use good quality Mattress
Mattress plays an important role to provide you with a good night’s sleep. This is because a perfect sleeping surface protects our back and maintains good posture. Further, it helps relax muscles and ligaments and ensures that ears, hips, and shoulders are aligned. Not every body type and sleep preferences are the same. So, we should buy mattresses based on our comfort level and sleeping pattern. Recently one of my friends bought mattresses from Zinus and was very happy with their service and product. The mattress quiz on their website helped her to find the right mattress for her body type.
- Turn off your cell phone
Stop using your mobile 30 minutes before your sleep time. This is because the blue light of your cell phone hampers melatonin production, which controls your sleep and wake cycle. Further, this light can cause significant damage to your retinas. However, if you adopt this habit, you can restore your peaceful sleep pattern very quickly. In case you don’t feel sleepy right away, start reading a book. It will definitely make you tired, and you will sleep faster than expected.
- Spray essential oils in your room
It is scientifically proven that scents improve sleep quality. For this purpose, you can pick essential oils like bergamot, lavender, and valerian. This reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature and triggers sleep. You can also buy an oil diffuser instead of spraying it in your entire room.
- Expose yourself to natural light during daytime
Our body has a natural time-keeping clock known as the circadian rhythm. It regulates the sleeping pattern of your body. Exposing yourself to sunlight or any bright light during the daytime keeps this rhythm healthy. So, it takes less time to fall asleep at night.
- Follow a routine
Routine is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and this stands true for healthy sleep as well. Follow a specific sleep time and wake-up time.
- Don’t check the time
When sleep doesn’t come easily at night, most of us tend to check the time more frequently. It keeps your brain active with thoughts about the upcoming day. But, unfortunately, the more you think, the more your sleep gets delayed. You can avoid this by hiding your phone or alarm clock in the drawer.
- Keep indoor plants in your roomÂ
Indoor plants remove pollutants from the room and also create a positive environment. Research was done by NASA about the effectiveness of indoor plants in improving sleep quality and it suggested that 1 plant in every 100 sq ft actually boosts sleep.
- Avoid drinking coffee in the middle of the day
Caffeine can enhance your productivity level and boost your performance. But if you drink it in the afternoon or after that, it stimulates your nervous system and affects the night’s sleep. In case consuming it has become a habit and it is hard for you to stay away from it, consider drinking decaffeinated coffee.
- Give yourself a light bath
This helps lower the body’s core temperature and signals the brain that it is bedtime.
Over to you…
Other than all the tips mentioned above, you can also meditate for 20 minutes before going to bed. It will reduce the stress hormone and allow your body to relax and eventually fall asleep.
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