Getting a Good Night’s Sleep: 7 Habits of the Very Well Rested
Getting a good night's sleep is way more important than you think. Here are 7 habits of people who get a good night's sleep.
Struggling with sleep is a painful endeavor because it impacts overall health in such a significant way. The sleep deprived often eat too much, drink too much caffeine, exercise too little, are less efficient at work, and suffer from mood swings.
Suffering from an off-kilter sleep cycle can wreak havoc with your physical and emotional health (sleep can even help support your immune system), so it’s best not to spend too long on that roller coaster. If you long for the days when you started dreaming just moments after your head hits the pillow, here are some tips from successful sleepers that can help.
7 Must-Follow Tips for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
1. Don’t sleep late.
If you sleep too late in the morning, it’s hard to go to sleep at night. You also wake up groggy so you end up indulging in an extra cappuccino, which is another cause of your insomnia. If you get enough sleep on the weekdays, you won’t need to sleep in on the weekends.
2. Exercise.
When done regularly, exercise helps create successful sleepers. One study found that moderate endurance exercise programs (3 to four 30-minute sessions per week) helped study participants sleep 45 minutes longer and wake up less often. But this isn’t a quick fix: sleepers only saw results after at least four months of regular workouts.
3. Skip the night cap.
A study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that while booze may help you to fall asleep, it causes you to wake up in the middle of the night and it means that when you do fall asleep, you wake up less rested.
4. Stop taking naps.
Think power naps and nothing longer. If you’re already having trouble with sleep, it’s time to reduce your nap lengths or eliminate them altogether. Fight the after dinner drowsies. Try and stay awake so that you’re tired come bedtime.
5. Use natural light.
Let the light in, literally. Successful sleepers konw that sunlight helps trigger our body’s internal clock, which controls the sleep cycle. If you’re having trouble waking up in the morning, go outside and checkout the sunrise. Let natural light into your office, go on a lunchtime walk, and take your sunglasses off unless you really need them.
6. Sleep in a cave.
Make sure your bedroom is dark–really dark. Avoid the backlight of a smart phone, tablet, or alarm clock. Make sure the windows are properly covered so that you can fall asleep. Your body naturally responds to light by waking up, so successful sleepers turn it off.
7. Create nighttime rituals (and stick with them!)
Whether it’s reading a relaxing book or taking a bath with Epsom salts, do activities that calm you down in the evening. Everything should be relaxing so that you’re ready to fall asleep come bedtime.
Related on Organic Authority:
5 Natural Sleep Aids to Help You Get Essential Zs
Sleep Like a Baby: 10 Tricks For a Better Snooze
The Skinny on Sleep: 5 Ways Getting Enough Zzzz’s Maintains Healthy Weight
