Five Bedtime Tips For a Good Night’s Sleep

Ensuring you get a good night’s sleep can impact your overall health and well-being. In fact, sleep is as important as our diets and exercise as poor quality sleep can lead to weak immune systems, depression, diabetes and even an increased risk of heart diseases.

Below we list five of the best tips to ensure that you get a good night’s sleep:

Say Goodbye to Tech

This tip has become more important than it used to be. With our ever-increasing use of smartphones and smart TVs, we have to find a way to switch these devices off long before we get into bed. The reason for this is that light exposure during the night deceives your mind into thinking that it’s still daytime. The more you avoid light exposure during the night, the more melatonin releases into your body which consequently leaves you feeling tired and ready for sleep.

Create a Sleeping Schedule

We’ve all been affected by this one! A poor schedule can leave you feeling groggy, heavy-eyed and lethargic. A well-balanced schedule which accommodates all aspects of your life is integral to achieving a good night’s sleep. As our bodies work on a loop, being consistent with the times you sleep and awake can go a long way in ensuring you sleep well. What’s more, once you’ve developed a good routine, your sleep schedule might become extremely effective that you won’t even need your alarm anymore!

Avoid Eating Before Bed

Consuming any kind of food prior to sleeping should be avoided at all costs, despite there being some controversy surrounding the topic. Registered dietician Alexis Supan tells us, “When you eat late at night, you’re going against your body’s circadian rhythm.” This basically means that consuming food during the night means your body has less energy and power to do anything with that food. Eating in the morning on the other hand is highly effective as our bodies are highly sensitive during this time as it knows it’s going to be active during the day.

Stretch Before Bed

You might not always be in the mood, but stretching before bed can be the difference between a good night’s sleep and a bad one! Not only does it help in relieving tension, but stretching before bed has a whole range of benefits. From stress relief to better blood flow, and better flexibility to reducing the risk of pulling a muscle, stretching before bed has also been associated very closely with improving one’s mental health.

Make it Comfortable

This is probably one of the most important tips for a good night’s sleep. Ensuring that your environment and bed space is inviting, comfortable and cosy is as important as the idea of a good night’s sleep. Colours, aesthetics, and choice of mattress can make a huge difference in your sleep quality, which is why many find little changes highly effective. You could try adding a rug near your bed or going for more soothing bed cover colours. You could also try swapping your curtains for blackout curtains or placing some plants near your bedside drawer which helps you reconnect with nature just before bed.

Main Image Credit – Emile Guillemot, Unsplash