Rest is as crucial as routine exercise and a nutritious diet. After a long active day, your body needs rest to re-energize for the next day. Healthline states poor sleep negatively affects your hormones, brain functioning, and ability to exercise routinely. Similarly, poor sleep leads to weight gain and vulnerability to disease.
However, a good night’s sleep helps you eat well, exercise routinely, and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, if you desire to improve your health and lifestyle, starting by embracing better sleeping tactics to get quality rest is crucial.
Here are 5 strategies for quality night sleep.
1. Get Maximum Exposure to Bright Natural Lights During the Day
Your brain controls your body’s waking and sleeping activities. Natural light helps you keep a healthy circadian rhythm, improving daytime activity and quality of sleep during the night.
If you have insomnia, bright daytime light helps in enhancing your sleep quality and duration. It further reduces the amount of time you take to sleep. Therefore, you won’t keep tossing and turning in bed if you get enough exposure to natural light during the day.
2. Minimize Blue Light Exposure Before Sleeping
Exposure to bright light during the day remarkably keeps you alert. The light has the same effects at night and thus reducing your sleep quality. Such light comes from electronic devices such as computers and smartphones.
Blue light tricks your brain into telling the circadian rhythm that it is day hence minimizing sleep. Hormones like melatonin, responsible for sleep and relaxation, fail to be released in the presence of blue light. Therefore, this reduces the chances of falling asleep even during the night.
Given the harmful effects of these gadgets, you should avoid using them at night or 2 hours before bed. However, if you can’t manage this, you can adopt other techniques to minimize the exposure. For instance, you can wear glasses that block the blue light as you use your phone. Similarly, you can download and install relevant applications to block the emission of blue light from your gadgets.
3. Minimize Caffeine Consumption in the Evenings
Most people enjoy caffeine due to its numerous benefits. For instance, caffeine enhances alertness, energy, and improved sporting. These effects negatively affect your sleep quality as you fail to relax when it is time to sleep.
If you desire quality sleep for the night, it is crucial to avoid caffeinated drinks. However, if you crave coffee in the evenings, you should embrace a non-caffeinated one. After taking caffeinated drinks, caffeine may remain in your blood for up to 8 hours, worsening your sleep quality. Therefore, you should avoid caffeinated drinks after 3p.m to enjoy a good night’s sleep.
4. Minimize Long and Irregular Daytime Naps
Short daytime naps can help re-energize you to engage in various activities during the day. However, if you embrace long and irregular daytime naps, you may end up tricking your circadian rhythm. Rather than sleeping during the night, your internal clock may alter, and you are sleepier during the day.
Embrace short naps, less than 30 minutes, to enhance your overall health. However, if you sleep better at night, even with long daytime naps, you shouldn’t be worried as there are no disruptions during the night.
5. Embrace Relaxation Techniques in the Evenings
Relaxation techniques are crucial in enhancing quality sleep. Relaxation therapy also helps in treating patients with sleep disorders. You can use various strategies to help your body relax in preparation for the night’s rest.
For instance, you can consider using a sleep inhaler, getting a body massage, and reading a book. Also, you can listen to relaxing music, meditate, take a warm bath, and engage in deep breathing exercises and visualization. Consider various relaxation therapies to know what works well for you to enhance quality sleep.
Conclusion
Quality sleep is important in watching your health. However, you may lack what it takes to enjoy rest and quality sleep. Fortunately, you can apply various tips to help you sleep better at night. For instance, you can consider getting maximum exposure to bright natural lights during the day and minimizing blue light exposure. Also, you can minimize long and irregular daytime naps and coffee consumption and embrace relaxation techniques in the evenings. Ultimately, you will end up with quality sleep and good health.
