How So Sleep Better At Night | 15 Tips

Restless nights & weary mornings are often more frequent as we get older due to our sleep quality. Even so often around the time of menopause, when hot flashes & other symptoms that awaken us. A lack of sleep can have serious effects on our health. This is because there are also changes in the way the body regulates circadian rhythms, which can be harder to fall asleep. While this article does not serve or as provide medical advice, you can use these 14 simple tips to help you get you to improve your quality sleep, & have a good night's rest.
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15 Sleep Tips To A Good Night's Sleep

Opposed to a good night's sleep, sleep problems may lead to increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, says Dr. Karen Carlson, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School & director of Women's Health Associates at Massachusetts General Hospital. 1 in 3 American Adults don't get enough of healthy sleep. National Institutes of Health recommends 7-8 hours of sleep quality each night. Stress & sleep disorders can make it worse if you're not sleeping properly. Sleep quality have been linked to physical health & the quality of life so a good night's sleep is your priority!

1.Keep in sync with your body's natural sleep-wake cycle

If you're getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you feel tired & sleepy way before bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating. Start the day with a healthy breakfast & avoid skipping a balanced breakfast. Skipping breakfast can delay your blood sugar rhythms, lower your energy, & increase your stress. Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. Avoid sleeping in—even on weekends. The more your weekend/weekday sleep schedules differ the worse the jetlag-like symptoms you'll experience. If you need to make up for a late night, opt for a long daytime naps rather than sleeping in.

2.Learn How To Fall Asleep

Try to stay out of your head during the night but if you're having trouble falling back asleep, these tips may help. Try not to stress over your inability to fall asleep again, which only encourages your body to stay awake. Try visualisation, progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation even if you've been awake for over 15 minutes. Do a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book or keeping the lights dim & avoid blue light as it doesn't help when you're trying to sleep.

3.Be Smart About What You Eat & Drink

Your overall eating patterns rather than specific foods can make a difference to quality of sleep. Eating foods rich in vegetables, fruit, & limited amounts of red meat may help you to fall asleep faster. Avoid:

• Alcohol before bed
• Big meals at night
• heavy foods within two hours of bed.
• Sugar & refined carbs(EG white bread, white rice, pasta)

as these can trigger wakefulness & pull you out of the deep, restorative stages(circadian rhythm) of sleep at night, & the increased chances of bathroom trips throughout the night & disrupt sleep/ circadian rhythm, leading to poor sleep patterns.

4.Wind Down & Clear Your Head Space

Sleeping problems can also stem from your daytime habits. Your brain becomes overstimulated in the day & it's hard to unwind at night. Developing a bedtime ritual can help you relax & calm your mind at bedtime, improving circadian rhythm. Try to curb the worry habit of checking your phone, email, or social media during the day to focus on one task at one time. Practice a relaxation technique & a warm bath can help prepare your mind for bedtime, or even dimming the lights and listening to soothing music or an audiobook late in the day. This will help you slowly shift the mind & body to sleep.

5.Control Your Exposure To Light For Better Sleep Quality

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycle. It's controlled by light exposure, but many aspects of modern life can influence its production of melatonin. When it's dark, melatonin is produced more when it's in the dark and less when light is in the daytime, making you more alert. Your brain secretes more melatonin in dark, but less in the light, making you sleepy. Light can disrupt your sleep, darken your room as much as possible to help you fall asleep & increase your production of melatonin for the best sleep, so block light wherever possible.

6.Get Checked

Take only the lowest possible effective dose, for the shortest possible period of time. Take the right dose, at the right time of day, just before bed. Call your doctor right away if you experience any side effects, such as excess sleepiness during the day or dizziness. Avoid alcohol & driving while using sleep aids, or any form of sleep medicines. Use good sleep habits to ensure that you're taking these medicines as little & safely as possible.
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7.Exercise

Exercising too close to bedtime can be stimulating for some so it's a good idea to avoid exercising after 6pm. Exercise boosts effect of natural body's production of sleep hormones such as melatonin. Postmenopausal women who exercised for about three-and-a-half hours a week had easier time falling asleep. A morning workout is ideal for exercise in the early morning, she says. Watch the timing of your workouts closely before sleep time, use your daytime energy just as that.

8.Start a sleep ritual

A ritual helps to relax you before bed, & it sets up a sleep environment that your body knows form a sleep schedule for that good night's sleep. Take a bath, drink a glass of warm milk or listen to calming music to calm you down. Also, try to keep the room cool to at least the body temperature/ comfortable temperature as a warm room will make you toss & turn trying to sleep.

9.Reserve a bed for sleep and sex

One of the more common reasons why most people have trouble sleeping is using electronics such at TV & phones which emits a bright light instead of using natural light. Reserve your bed for 2 things, sleep and sex if you want to have a better night's sleep quality. Dr. Carlson mentions that "The bed needs to be a stimulus for sleeping, not for wakefulness"

10.Creating a pre-bed routine

Sleep problems seems to be easier to manage when you reinforce consistent healthy habits that facilitates you to fall asleep. Poor pre-bed habits are a major contributor to insomnia and other sleep problems, which can lead to more anxiety as some people have reported, right before sleep time. It can be as simple as taking a shower the to sleep, lessen the physically demanding activities allowing your metabolic rate to slow down. Remember, the ritual includes leaving the phone out of sight for at least 2 hours before bedtime!

11.Put your neck in neutral

Bedroom size is just right size to support the natural curve of your neck. Don't snooze on stomach, or sit down on your legs. Use good posture before bed, too. Line up your nose up with the center of your body. Pillow that is too high may constrict your windpipe & cause breathing problems whilst asleep.

12.Block your clock

If you glance at your alarm clock several times a night, it can keep you awake. Don't look at it a lot of times; put it in a drawer, under your bed, or turn it away from view....
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13.Movement Disorders & Sleep Disorders

People with restless legs syndrome have tingling, crawling, or pins and needles in their legs. Periodic limb movement disorder causes people to jerk and kick their legs every 20 to 40 seconds during sleep. Having a good night's sleep can be helped by learning to regulate your nervous system so that your body will fall into its resting state. Meditation, & other natural supplements such as magnesium, & GABA may help but do check in with a professional on the optimal dosage for your body.

14.Sleep Apnea - Trouble Sleeping

If not treated, sleep apnea may lead to high blood pressure, stroke or memory loss. If you are told you're snoring loud, it could be a sign of sleep apnearthina. You can be diagnosed by s sleep professional in a jiffy. Staying asleep with sleep apnea is harder than you wold expect, your body is awaken from no oxygen supply to the brain where it jolts into action to wake you up. Waking up from a tireless You may need to learn to sleep in a position that keeps airways open to open & breathe with pauses, or learn to activate your diaphragm for better breathing patterns. You may also consider attending a breathwork class as it teaches you to bring the natural breath patterns, which may be extremely helpful to stay asleep for a restful night.

15.Deep Breathing

Agreed by mental health professional that deep breathing can help you fall asleep faster, deeper, & stay asleep for the rest of the night. Deep breathing(diaphragmatic) exercise is one of the more simple relaxation techniques to help sleep by channeling your nervous system to wind down to rest & digest mode. It not only helps you feel sleepy, it has plenty of health benefits from better lymphatic flow, better relaxation response, focus, & so much more. Our class breathera breathwork teaches you how to breathe better.

Bonus Sleep Tips

A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with not having enough sleep. Make sure your bed covers leave enough room to stretch and turn comfortably without becoming tangled. You should experiment with mattress firmness & foam toppers that provide more or less support. Your brain will associate the bedroom with just sleep and sex in bed, so it's easier to wind down at night. Try masking noise from neighbours, traffic, or people in your household. Earplugs may also help. If you can't get sleep-friendly sleep, try masks with a fan or sound machine to get your bed comfortable. The bedroom is a temperature that is around 65° F or 18° C with adequate ventilation....