The benefits of having a regular and healthy sleep routine go far beyond just being in a great mood and feeling fresh. Having a proper sleep schedule has a strong positive impact on both mental and physical health. It helps boost immunity, reduce the chances of obesity, increase your workout performance, and improve memory among other gains.
We all have at some point in our lives felt some benefits of a healthy sleep cycle but at times may struggle to start or maintain that elusive sleep routine. Here are 5 tips to help you get going.
1. Be mindful of your food
Food has a direct link with the quality of sleep and can be the difference between hitting the bed and actually sleeping at ease. Ensure that the last meal you had was at least a couple of hours before your bedtime so that you are not too stuffed or too starved when you decide to call it a day. Also, the effects of caffeine and alcohol take a lot of time to wear off and they’re known to disrupt sleep. It may seem alcohol enables sleep but it only makes you sleepy for a brief period. Its dehydrating effects will cause you to wake up in a few hours thereby disrupting your schedule.
2. Understand the impact of your devices on your sleep routine
Using electronic devices just before bed stimulates your brain and increases its activity thereby making it significantly harder to switch off and go to sleep. Not only does the usage of mobile, TV, tablet, or any light emitting device hamper sleep, the blue light emitted by several devices hinders the production of melatonin, a hormone that facilitates relaxation and sleep.
Keep your devices outside the bedroom to reduce any temptation to use them in bed and switch to reading a book. Set your boundaries by having a screen-off or data off time in your devices to avoid any work-related or casual interference.
3. Identify what throws you off your sleep routine
Life is full of unpredictability so always sticking to any schedule can be difficult. Try to identify the triggers that disrupt your sleeping and waking up timings so that you are cognizant of them and then you’re able to get back to your usual routine once these unavoidable triggers are over. Triggers such as jet lag, a coffee in an evening meeting, watching that favorite show, or a call from a distant friend after a long can all throw you off your routine. While one can’t avoid all of them, knowing that these were temporary hindrances can make one get back to the usual routine being followed.
4. Include physical activity in a daily routine
Exercising in any form will lead to better sleep and it works both ways. Better sleep leads to better energy levels for a workout which leads to better sleep when you hit the bed. Choose any workout that suits your schedule but make sure to stick to it and make it a part of your daily routine. It could be hitting the gym, going for a run, a brisk walk, yoga, or a sport of your choice but it is absolutely necessary to include it as a part of the daily routine to ensure the cardiovascular activity leads to relaxation and hence better sleep.
5. Create a bed-time routine and environment
Make a conscious effort to stick to a routine before you go to sleep. Changing to comfortable clothes, having a shower, picking up the book by the nightstand or any other activity you wish to do should be done consistently to ensure you stick to your sleep schedule. Ensure the environment is conducive to relaxation and calmness, thereby leading to sleeping soon after you hit the bed. Cool, dark and noise-free environment will reduce brain activity while sleeping thereby ensuring better quality and optimum quantity of sleep needed.
It is critical that we are able to assess the importance of having a sleep routine to ensure we get enough sleep. Not only are there several positives of having a consistent sleep routine, the absence of one can lead to several mental and physical health issues so follow the above suggestions and you’ll notice a positive change in your lifestyle.