How to Establish a Better Sleep Hygiene 🛌

Set your sleep schedule — Make sure you have a fixed wake-up time regardless of whether it’s a weekday or weekend. If you want to shift your sleep times, make small, step-by-step adjustments of up to an hour or two so you can slowly get adjusted to a new schedule. If you have to nap, keep them relatively short and limited to the early afternoon.

Follow a nightly routine — How you prepare for bed can determine how easily you’ll be able to fall asleep. Give yourself 30 minutes to wind down before you sleep and take advantage of whatever puts you in a state of calm like soft music, light stretching, reading, or meditation exercises.

Have the right environment — Make sure your room is dark and at the right temperature. It’s best to have a window open so that you have good airflow. Also, make sure your mattress is comfortable and you have the right amount of blankets for body warmth.

Turn off any blue lights — Don’t give in to the temptation to look at your screens before you close your eyes. Light can hinder the production of melatonin and cell phones, tablets, and laptops cause mental stimulation that is hard to shut off.

Don’t toss and turn — If after 20 minutes, you still haven’t gotten to sleep, get up and stretch, read, or do something else that is calming in low light before trying to fall asleep again.

Ensure that night-time meals are light and easily digestible — If you’ve ever eaten a heavy meal near bedtime, you may have noticed that it can make it harder to fall asleep. It also might wake you up during the night.

Exercise — Being physically active during the day can help expend excess energy which will make it easier for your body to relax in the evening. Exercise also reduces stress, boosts endorphins, and increases blood flow which will all help to get a better night’s rest. Aim to do 30 minutes of exercise per day.