Better Sleep Tips You Can Try Tonight
If only our brains came with an ON and OFF switch, getting a great night’s sleep would be simple. There are some people that can fall asleep anywhere – and let’s be honest – we secretly hate them for it. For the rest of us, when we settle in to our beds it’s not all lollipops and rainbows. There is a real struggle to disconnect from the daily stresses of everyday life.
Fortunately, there are ways you can win the nighttime battle by making a few small changes to your daytime routine.
Keep a consistent sleep / wake schedule every day
Resist the urge to sleep all weekend. Staying up and sleeping in later than normal can shift your body’s natural clock, causing you to feel exhausted the next day. There’s actually a term for it called “social jet lag.” Try going to bed early, even during the week, and get as close to 8 hours of sleep as possible.
Get some sunlight ASAP
As soon as you wake up in the morning, get some fresh sunlight. It’s free...and helps your brain stay awake and alert. Natural light for about 15 minutes in the morning can help reset your biological clock and help you get to sleep faster at the end of the day.
Change your pillow
According to Michael Breus, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and author, you’re supposed to replace your average pillow every six months. Your pillow naturally attracts dust mites. When these build up over time, they can trigger allergic reactions that make it harder to sleep. You should also purchase the right pillow according to your sleep habits. Stomach sleepers need a very thin, flat pillow while side sleepers need something firmer to fill the distance between their ear and shoulder.
Cut all caffeine by 4 PM
Better ask for those afternoon chai soy lattes in decaf. According to caffeineinformer.com, caffeine absorbs into your system in 45 minutes and stays there for about 4 to 6 hours. Lay off tea, coffee, energy drinks, soda and even chocolate long before you go to sleep.
Don’t overeat, especially not before bed
A big meal close to bedtime could be keeping you up at night. Protein is difficult for your body to digest. If you need a snack before bedtime, try something light. Also, if you happen to be overweight and snore heavily, you might have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition that affects over 22 million people in the U.S. alone. People that suffer from sleep apnea stop breathing, sometimes as many as hundreds of time a night, for brief periods. It’s treatable with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Talk to your doctor and request a sleep study.
Live a healthier lifestyle
This should come as no surprise. Maintaining a healthy diet with regular exercise will help you look and feel better. If you are a little out of shape, going from couch-and-chips to gym-and-kale isn’t something you can accomplish overnight. Check out QuiAri’s 90-Day Kickstart Challenge to get you on the right track.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.