9 fantastic tips to help you sleep better

September 27, 2017Sarika NairLifestyle9 tips to sleep betterhow to sleepwellimportance of sleepsleepslimnhappytips for sleeping better4

A good night’s sleep is extremely vital for your well-being Good sleep ensures that your mind and body both remain alert and healthy. Also, it maintains the mind-body sync.

But lot of people today are not sleeping enough. And those who are clocking in the hours are not getting good quality sleep.

So here are 9 fantastic tips to help you sleep better:

1. Form a routine for sleeping and waking up: Our body loves routine and sets its internal clock accordingly. Studies have shown that irregular sleep patterns can alter your circadian rhythm and levels of melatonin, which signal your brain to sleep. Irregular sleeping times affect the quality of your sleep negatively. Try to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.
2. Avoid blue light exposure in the late evenings: Too much exposure to bright light during late evenings affects sleep negatively. And the blue light, in fact, is worst. It tricks your body to think that it is daytime. It is radiated from all electronic devices like smartphones, TV screens and computers. If you need to work at night, install apps that block blue light or use screens. Switch off bright lights in the house 2 hours prior to bedtime.  Make the bedtime a relaxing time for the entire family. Chat, go for walk or play board games. (My post-dinner walk with my husband is my favourite time of the day)
3. No late night television: Television is an audio-visual medium and it engages our brain and senses. The light from television suppresses melatonin and makes you alert. Instead, you must read, listen to music or audio books. Try and read from a book or from a device that doesn’t have backlight.
4. Exercise: Exercising during the day improves the sleep quality to a great extent. Exercise stimulates the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which helps activate the alerting mechanism in the brain. But exercising in the late evening can make you alert and make it difficult to fall asleep. So exercise early in the morning or during the early part of the day. Regular exercise increases the time you spend in the deep, restorative stages of sleep. This helps your body to relax, repair and rejuvenate.
5. Avoid heavy dinner: Stuffing yourself late at night is a sure way to throw your sleep out of the window. Try to have dinner at least 2 hours before bedtime. I know that for some of you this is not an option as you work till late. In that case, have a light dinner. Avoid rich and spicy food late at night.
6. Maintain a good bedroom environment: Light coloured bedsheets, soft, warm lights and a cool temperature instantly relax you. Keep the noise low and remove clutter. Keep your bedroom clean, relaxing and an inviting place to sleep.
7. Have a pre-sleep routine: It can be either a warm bath, reading, music or skincare. You can listen to relaxing or meditative music…. whatever you like, just make it a routine. A routine gives a message to your mind and body that it is time to sleep. This will also help you to sleep at the same time every night.
8. Avoid caffeine late in the evening: When consumed late in the day, the stimulation of your nervous system due to coffee may stop your body from naturally relaxing at night. Consuming caffeine up to six hours before bed significantly worsens sleep quality. Therefore, avoid drinking large amounts of coffee after 3–4 p.m.
9. Meditative music and pranayam: It has been proven that when the body and mind are relaxed, the body’s natural ability to heal itself is greatly enhanced. By listening to deeply relaxing music, you can assist your body to release its healing powers. Practising bhramari pranayam before sleeping has proven to heal insomnia.  It is great for anyone suffering from anxiety, as it will create focus from distracting thoughts. Hence it is an ideal thing to practice before sleeping.

Try to follow these steps for better sleep. All these steps are easily doable and don’t require much time. But the list can look like too much. No worries. Start with whatever you like, but the point is that you have to START.

Happy sleeping!!

Stay Healthy, Stay Happy 🙂

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