1. Change Your Diet
The food you eat can have a negative effect on your sleep. For example, protein rich foods can make you feel more energized and stay awake. Carbohydrate rich foods, on the other hand, can make you feel tired and sleepy.
It is, therefore, better to take carbohydrate rich foods at night. Why? They can help you fall asleep. It is much better to choose protein rich foods for your lunch. Why? They can give you more energy and improve your productivity during the day.
2. Watch What You Drink
You probably drink coffee daily and drink alcohol on a regular basis. Alcohol and caffeine, however, can affect the quality of your sleep. Do not drink too much coffee and alcohol.
Caffeine can affect your sleep quality because it is a stimulant. Do not drink caffeinated beverages in the evening or even in the afternoon. The caffeine can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. You will not get enough night’s rest. You may even wake up feeling tired in the morning.
If you love drinking coffee, you can drink your coffee in the morning. However, if you need to drink coffee throughout the day, you can reduce your daily coffee consumption. You can drink decaf in the afternoon and evening. Decaf is still delicious.
Do not, however, rely on coffee to keep you awake in the afternoon. If you are relying on coffee to stay awake, you may have a problem with your sleep system. It is recommended you talk to an expert.
You can drink alcohol in the evening to help you fall asleep. It sounds like a good idea. Alcohol can help you fall asleep faster. It can, however, disrupt your sleep. You will not get a good night’s rest. You can wake up in the middle of the night. And you will find it difficult to fall asleep again.
If you can avoid drinking alcohol, you are more likely to get a good night’s rest.
It is, therefore, more important to check the ingredients in your drinks and food. Alcohol and caffeine are common. Coffee does not just contain caffeine. Chocolate, soft drinks, and tea also contain caffeine. Beverages do not just contain alcohol. Many varieties of vanilla essence, chocolates containing liqueur centres, and some over-the-counter cough medicines also contain alcohol.
It is better to avoid alcohol and even caffeine in the evening. Reducing your alcohol and caffeine consumption can improve your sleep quality.
3. Take A Warm Bath or Shower Before Your Bedtime
Take a warm bath or shower before going to bed to help you fall asleep. It is not the warm water that will help you fall asleep faster. You will fall asleep faster because a warm bath or shower raises your body temperature. However, your body temperature will drop down after you get out of your bath. Lowering your body temperature can help you fall asleep quickly. You can, therefore, use a warm bath or shower to pre-program your body to fall asleep quickly.
It is very important to time your bath or shower properly. You need to take your bath or shower 90 – 120 minutes before going to bed.
4. Do Not Take a Long Nap
A good night’s rest can help you stay awake and alert throughout the day. If you can get enough night’s sleep, you will never have to take a nap during the day. It is, however, not possible to get enough night’s rest every night. Therefore, you may have to take a short nap during the day.
It is, however, impossible for some people to take a nap during the day because of their jobs. If you can, however, take a nap during the day, then you should take a short nap. Taking a nap can give you more energy and improve your productivity.
According to research, the best time to take a nap is in the afternoon from 1 pm to 5 pm. Do not, however, take a long nap. Your nap should be around 30 to 60 minutes. If you take a long nap in the afternoon, you will find it difficult to fall asleep at night.
Do not take a nap after 6 pm. It is very difficult to take a nap after 6 pm. If you, however, succeed in falling asleep at around 6 pm, then you will have a problem falling asleep when you go to bed. If you take a short nap after 6 pm, you might never get a good night’s rest.
If you cannot find time to take a nap during the day, do not let it bother you. You need to focus on your responsibilities, such as your job and taking care of your family. However, if you get a chance to take a nap in the afternoon, you should nap for 30 to 60 minutes. Do not take a short nap in the evening. It can affect your sleep quality.
5. Keep Your Bedroom Dark and Comfortable
Getting into a comfortable bed will help you to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Choosing the right Costco mattress will help you to enjoy a restorative sleep.
Our bodies use cues from natural light to fall asleep and stay awake. Once it gets dark, your body produces melatonin. The purpose of melatonin is to make you feel sleepy. The body does not produce melatonin during the day. Therefore, your melatonin levels drop in the morning because of the presence of light.
You can, therefore, keep your bedroom dark to help your body produce melatonin. If your melatonin levels are high, you will feel sleepy and fall asleep quickly. You can change your curtains to ensure your bedroom is completely dark at night.
Do not, however, just change your curtains. It is even better to remove your electronic devices from your bedroom. Do not charge your phone in your bedroom while you are sleeping. The light from your electronic devices can disrupt the levels of melatonin in your body. If you have to charge your electronic devices overnight, you can charge them in a different room.
Do not, however, use regular curtains to keep your bedroom dark. Regular curtains cannot block external light from your bedroom. It is, therefore, best to look for curtains lined with a heavy lining to block out artificial light and even natural light from your bedroom.