_”Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.”_
We sleep so we live. We sleep so we make our dreams possible. A good night sleep makes us productive the next day. Have you observed that whenever you had a good night sleep, the next day you never ran out of ideas and you felt like you could do anything? You just feel so empowered.
You’ve probably read lots of articles stressing the importance of an 8 hour sleep, or even got sick of your mother’s nagging about how important it is to sleep early. But with all the bright lights surrounding you and the busy world you chose to live in, how can you get a good night sleep? Below are some tips on how to improve sleep for better physical and mental health.
1. STICK TO YOUR BODY CLOCK
Our circadian rhythm is our body clock that tells us when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to be awake. It’s best to set up a body clock that takes into account your current daily schedule or appointments. So for example you go to work at 8 am, to get an 8 hour sleep, you must be in bed by 10 pm so you still have 2 hours to prepare for work. It’s important to form a habit of being in bed by 10 pm so you condition yourself to be asleep during this time to get enough sleep consistently.
2. TURN OFF GADGETS ONE HOUR BEFORE SLEEPING TIME
If you have to be asleep by 10 pm, and you find it difficult for you to do that no matter how many sleep positions you have tried, it’s probably because of your cellphone. Your gadgets, and even the light of your room, must be turned off at least one hour before your sleeping time. Bright lights keep our brain awake thinking it’s still daylight, the time when you’re usually alert. We get better sleep when our surroundings is dark and quiet.
3. HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Caffeine before bedtime won’t give you better sleep because it takes up to 10 hours to get it off your system, thus will keep you awake and you won’t get enough sleep as much as you need. Do not sleep hungry or too full because the discomfort will keep you awake. Drink some milk before you get to bed to help you sleep faster.
Think of all the things you want to do in the future. You’ll never be able to do them if you don’t get enough sleep. Do not deprive yourself of a good night sleep. You deserve it.