Establishing a bedtime routine is critical to ensuring you get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep. As a result, you'll have a good night's sleep, which helps maintain optimal health, makes you less irritable, and improves your focus and performance.
However, you must develop good bedtime habits to improve the quality of your sleep. Here are ideas to help create good bedtime habits.
Use stress reduction techniques
Several factors have been linked to sleep problems, such as work stress and family life. You can enjoy stress-relieving activities like meditation, stretching, or taking a warm, soothing bath to help you fall asleep faster.
If you have anxious thoughts that keep you up at night, journaling before bed may help you improve your mental and emotional health and overall sleep quality. Meditation is another practice that can help you calm your mind before resting at night. It aids in meditation, reduces worries and thoughts, and removes physical tension that can interfere with the ability to fall asleep.
In addition to these stress-relieving practices, people with primary sleep disorders such as mild insomnia may rely on treatments such as melatonin supplementation to achieve better sleep. However, make sure you have proper directions on how to take your supplements and consult with your doctor before taking them.
Avoid alcohol and nicotine at night
Drinking alcohol and smoking alter your sleep cycle in different ways. Nicotine stimulates and increases excitement and alertness. People who quit smoking experience sleep problems, but these problems usually go away after a few weeks.
Alcohol, on the other hand, causes most people to fall asleep faster after drinking, but sleep difficulties may occur at night when the alcohol is fully metabolized. Therefore, avoiding these substances at night will help you sleep better.
Stay away from caffeine at night
Caffeine, like nicotine, is a stimulant that gives a temporary sense of alertness. Wakefulness peaks about 30 minutes after ingesting caffeine.
Many people who drink caffeinated beverages in the morning or early afternoon have little effect on their nighttime sleep. However, if you take caffeine about seven hours before bed, it can seriously disrupt your sleep cycle. So, a good bedtime routine can eliminate afternoon and evening caffeine intake.
Plan the next day's activities
Making a to-do list for the next day is an activity you can do at bedtime to clear your mind. If you're thinking about all the things you need to work on the next day, your mind may be racing, which can be overwhelming. Essentially, you may be thinking about things that you can't do anything about at that time of night, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Creating your to-do list at night can help you avoid getting lost in your own thoughts and put you at ease knowing your workload is recorded and manageable.
Reduce screen time
The blue light emitted by electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones and televisions can interfere with your ability to fall asleep. Light suppresses the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. This can make it take longer for you to fall asleep and affect sleep quality.
You should avoid using screen devices at least two hours before bedtime. You can beat the scrolling habit by setting a reminder on your phone an hour before bed to avoid your blue-light-emitting device.
Create a relaxing environment in your bedroom
There are a number of things you can do at bedtime to optimize your bedroom for quality sleep. For example, maintaining a comfortable room temperature can promote better sleep. Dimming your bedroom lights and minimizing artificial lighting a few hours before bedtime can also help prepare you for a good night's sleep.
Aromatherapy, which involves experimenting with soothing scents, is another activity you can incorporate into your routine. If you have trouble unwinding before bed, essential oils like lavender oil are calming and can promote relaxation and fight fatigue.
Conclusion
When you create and follow a specific set of healthy activities before bed, it lets your body know when it's time to sleep and when it's time to wake up. This means you'll have a restorative night's sleep.
Consider applying the above ideas to your bedtime routine to improve your sense of well-being.
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