8 Simple Habits To Get Rid Of The Sleeping Problems That Annoy Us
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Sleep shouldn’t be elusive. Neither should counting sheep be a part of your daily sleep regime! Sadly, because of the kind of stressful lifestyles we lead, sleeping problems are far too common and the nightly blues just don’t leave us alone.
In fact, if research is anything to go by, 62% of people all over the world find it really hard to fall asleep on Sunday nights, even after a hard work week (1)!
If that’s you, don’t panic just yet. Your sleeping problem can be solved. Yes, there is light at the end of this sleepless tunnel!
Here we have 8 simple sleeping habits for you that are also the secret to a good night’s sleep!
1. Warm Up Your Feet, Cool Down Your Room
Do you know one of the reasons for disturbed sleep? Not wearing socks to bed! Well, not technically that, but studies have shown that keeping your feet warm when you’re hitting the sack can help you fall asleep quicker (2). It can also reduce the occurrence of midnight awakenings due to sudden temperature changes.
However, despite keeping your feet warm, you need to keep your room cool to aid sleep. A cool room temperature of around 16 to 18 degrees Celsius is ideal for a comfy slumber (3).
2. Get Ready To Sleep
Laying on your bed and tucking in is not preparation enough for deep sleep. You need to follow a specific plan for that and famed fitness coach, Craig Ballantyne, has come up with just the perfect one, which goes like this:
- No caffeine 10 hours before sleep time.
- No food or alcohol 3 hours before sleeping.
- No working 2 hours before sleeping.
- No gadgets 1 hour before sleeping.
- Waking up to 0 snoozes, i.e. on the first ring of the alarm.
Try it straight for 21 days and it’ll become a habit.
3. Sleep In The Right Position
One of the causes of a bad night’s sleep is a poor sleeping posture, which can leave you with all sorts of aches and pains. Studies suggest that the ideal position to sleep in is on your left side as it has multiple benefits. Some of these include better blood circulation, improved digestive system functioning, and prevention of immune system problems (4). However, if changing your position seems too hard, make sure to support the natural curvature of your spine with the help of pillows.
4. Increase Your Melatonin Levels
Melatonin is a pro-sleep hormone that helps in the regulation of the human body’s biorhythm (5). If you lack in this hormone, you are likely to develop insomnia. Hence, to increase its production in your body, you need to consume foods rich in tryptophan such as cheese, turkey, bananas, seeds, and nuts (6).
5. Sleep And Wake Up With Your Partner
Sleeping and waking up with your significant other has a positive impact on your overall sleep quality. Several studies have shown that snoozing with someone you love brings down the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your body and makes it much easier to fall asleep (7). Plus, the positive emotions roused by hugging, kissing, etc. before and after your slumber help too.
6. Keep Track Of Your Light Sleep Time
On any given night, your sleep goes through a total of five stages, each signifying a specific period of your sleep (8). The 5 stages are an introduction to sleep, light sleeping, deep sleeping, slow-wave sleeping, and REM (rapid eye movement) sleeping. The first four stages together comprise of actual sleeping while the last one signals awakening.
Keeping track of these stages can give you an idea of your sleeping patterns so you can regulate it to your advantage and prevent unexpected awakenings in the middle of the night. Besides, most of the dreams you have occur in the REM stage of your sleep cycle, which is why keeping track can help you avoid disturbed awakenings.
7. Try Bedtime Exercises
Simple bedtime exercises can not only greatly improve the quality of your sleep but even speed up the body’s repair function that mostly takes place at night. Some of the basic gymnastic stretches that you can do are:
- Massaging your eyeballs gently with your thumbs. This’ll help in improving the function of your nervous system.
- Deep breathing exercises where you pull your belly in and out. Doing this 20 times will prevent the accumulation of bile in your body.
- Pressing your knees to your chest and holding it for a minute. This helps in stretching your back muscles and enhancing stomach function.
8. Chalk Out A Positive Morning Ritual
A little bit of positive reaffirmation in the morning can help you look forward to waking up and prevent that early morning stress. You could have your own rituals that make you feel good, such as words in the form of posters, medication or a self-care routine. Whatever helps!
Getting good quality sleep is really as easy as 1-2-3, and we’re sure the above 8 ways will help you bid adieu to cranky mornings and restless sleep!
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