Sleep is a vital part of our everyday lives, and not having enough of it can throw us off balance and upset. Prolonged exhaustion can also ruin your mood and make you more prone to making mistakes at work and in your personal life.
Most researchers recommend sleeping at least 7 hours a night, but it really is a personal thing. Some can function just fine on 6 hours of sleep, while others need at least 8 to feel awake enough for the next day. Regardless, if you find yourself tossing and turning in the middle of the night, here are 5 ways for you to improve your sleep quality and routine.
Identifying and Solving Breathing Problems
A significant portion of the population experiences breathing problems when they lie on their back or on their side, which is a huge problem when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. One common issue is sleep apnea. It is when your breathing stops and starts while you are asleep, which can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night several times each night.
Breathing problems and blocked airways can also be very uncomfortable for many. This may cause them to use more pillows than needed to elevate their head, which can cause spinal problems. If you are someone who needs to do this, you should evaluate your symptoms seriously and figure out what type of breathing problem you have. You can then either go to a doctor or purchase sleep machines and gear to help you breathe better at night.
Tips for Better Sleep: Decrease Screen Time at Night
Many of us in the twenty-first century have a problem with overexposure to blue light. This comes from looking at our phone and computer screens all the time, either at work or at home. Blue light blocks a hormone called melatonin from being produced in your body. Melatonin makes you sleepy. In other words, blue light disrupts your body’s ability to prepare for sleep even though it is nighttime.
Decreasing screen time – particularly when you are just about to go to bed – can be immensely helpful. You should make a point to turn off your computer and look at your phone less in the 2 hours leading up to your bedtime. During this time, you can unwind and relax by reading a book, taking a walk, meditating, or doing any other activity. This can calm your body down and help you remind your brain that it is time to sleep soon.
Tips for Better Sleep: Limit Daytime Naps
Even though this may seem obvious, sometimes it is not. Perhaps the reason why you can’t sleep at night is that you took a nap during the day. For most of us who work from 9 to 5, taking a long nap is a disruption of your body’s internal clock. This can prevent you from feeling sleepy at night.
It does not mean you need to eliminate all naps from your life. But you should limit naps to one hour or less. So you can feel refreshed when you wake up and not have it hinder your bedtime routine.
Include Physical Activity in Your Day
Another reason could be that you have simply not been very active during the day. When nighttime comes, you do not feel tired, and you end up staying up late again. A good way to tire out your physical body is to engage in sports and other activities during the day. You will be pleasantly surprised by how much easier it is for you to fall asleep.
However, you should avoid exercising too close to your bedtime, as it can have the opposite effect.
Get Medicated
Sometimes, when you are really at your wit’s end, you may have to get medicated. There are several medicines for you to treat insomnia. These include sleeping pills such as emazepam and triazolam, which can also help soothe night terrors and treat sleepwalking.
You can also try medicines that can help you fall asleep. This can be lemborexant, which works by suppressing a part of your central nervous system. If you can fall asleep relatively easily and wake up in the middle of the night then heads up! You may try doxepine, which blocks histamine receptors and helps you stay asleep for a full seven or eight hours.
Even though medicines are effective, they are not a one-size-fits-all type of solution. You should always consult with a doctor before taking anything, especially if they were purchased over the counter.