Release Your Stress by Sleeping More – 5 Tips for Getting Better Sleep
Anyone can testify to the effects of a bad night’s sleep. Your head is foggy, you can’t remember things easily, and you’re cranky and irritable. The good news is that it is easy to become a better sleeper. Better sleep means less stress and increased daily potential.
So how exactly does sleeping more help to release your stress, and what can you do to get better sleep?
On average, adults need about 7 – 9 hours of sleep daily in order to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the day. Sleep helps reduce brain toxins, consolidates memories, and ensures that you are ready for the challenges of the next day. In order to lead a happy and fulfilling life, you must first improve your sleep habits. Continue reading to learn 5 tips for getting better sleep.
1. Use a sleep app
There are several smartphone apps that are designed to help you track your sleep and build better habits. These apps often feature sleep aids, metrics, and tips. Over time you’ll be able to analyze your sleep patterns and develop better strategies for getting more consistent sleep.
Eventually, your body will adapt to the schedule you’ve set for yourself and you’ll feel improvement in your overall sense of well-being.
2. Take natural supplements
People who are stressed tend to have trouble winding down at night in preparation for sleep. In these cases, it’s a good idea to seek natural sleep aids.
One of the best natural sleep supplements is melatonin. Melatonin is a chemical naturally produced in the brain as the sun goes down and the lighting dims. Taking melatonin supplements is a good way to facilitate the winding down process.
Other natural sleep aids are herbal teas such as chamomile and lavender. These herbs are known to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation. There are also several brands that sell ‘sleepy-time’ teas that are essentially a blend of herbs that work in concert to calm you down.
3. Practice mindfulness breathing
Mindfulness breathing is the act of eliminating distractions and increasing focus. By ridding your mind of distracting, anxiety-causing thoughts, you are essentially helping yourself relax. Practicing various mindfulness breathing techniques is a great way to prepare yourself for a night of deep sleep.
Mindfulness breathing is a great way to not only improve your ability to sleep but also your ability to focus and manage your emotions. As you improve on your mindfulness breathing skill, you’ll notice benefits in all facets of your daily life.
4. Change your eating habits
Eating just before bed is not only bad for your metabolism, but it could also affect your ability to fall asleep and wake up well-rested. For starters, try to time your dinner more than 2 hours before heading to bed. This will allow your body to utilize all of the calories you’ve just ingested, and as an added benefit, will ensure you are not gaining unhealthy weight while you sleep.
Obvious things to avoid consuming before bed are alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol causes your brain to become stimulated as you sober up, and caffeine can have stimulating effects that remain hours after consumption.
There are several nutrients found in certain foods that you should seek instead. Tryptophan is a nutrient that is commonly known to promote sleepiness. This nutrient can be found in turkey, bananas, and milk. Additionally, many types of nuts, such as walnuts and almonds, contain that special supplement mentioned before called melatonin.
5. Reduce screen time
The newest threat to sleep quality is the influx of electronic screens in the average home. Devices such as smartphones, TVs, and computers have the tendency to keep us awake well past our bedtimes. Not only that, but the artificial blue light in these screens is known to be a stimulant to the human brain. Scrolling through your smartphone in bed or having the TV on while you sleep may be preventing you from achieving deep sleep.
A good tip for reducing screen time is to utilize built-in settings that help to limit your ability to use your phone. Apple’s iPhones, for instance, have a built-in setting called Screen Time which helps you to set windows of downtime where specified apps are no longer usable. Most smartphones and computers also have night mode features that attempt to reduce much of the blue light that comes in through your screen. This is a good way to at least reduce the stimulating factor your devices have while you wind down.
