Sleep is an essential part of daily living. And if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep for a night or two, then you’ll probably know what it’s like to feel terrible the next day because your body isn’t well-rested. So, if that’s you, and you’ve been skimping on sleep for far too long, here are some tips from Inspired by Kathryn on how to sleep better, so you can think better.
The benefits of sleep for our physical and mental health
Not getting enough sleep can have disastrous effects on our physical and mental health. For example, insufficient sleep can interfere with our hormones, affect our concentration levels, and cause us to feel anxious and depressed. Often, not getting enough sleep can be complicated because anxiousness and depression can interrupt one’s sleeping habits too.
How to improve your sleeping patterns for the better
While it can be easy to fall into the habit of poor sleeping patterns, the sooner you nip this in the bud, the better. And this is fairly simple to do, provided that you integrate a few simple lifestyle changes into your regular routine.
Reduce noise and light much as possible
There’s a reason why most of us tend to feel sleepy at night and that is because darkness has a way of increasing our levels of melatonin, which causes us to feel more relaxed and prepares us for bedtime. Therefore, if you want to get a better night’s sleep, make sure your bedroom is as dark and quiet as possible to get the restful sleep you need.
Get as comfortable as possible
Here, you want to concentrate on getting a good quality mattress and pillows to support your frame and neck as you sleep. But the temperature of the air is also important if you want to get to sleep quickly. After all, we all know how hard it is to fall asleep when it’s particularly hot and humid or when it’s freezing cold. So get your room temperature in between these two extremes so that your body can adjust to the optimum temperature at which you feel most comfortable to aid you in falling asleep much quicker.
Reduce stress
As mentioned previously, stress has a way of negatively impacting our sleep patterns. So if you are feeling particularly stressed out, do your best to identify the reasons and work on solutions to help you feel calmer at night, such as practicing meditation, taking a relaxing bath, or just enjoying a nice cup of chamomile tea before you head to bed. Moreover, if work stress is keeping you up at night, think of ways you can manage your day better. For example, using a diary to manage your tasks can take a load of stress off your shoulders if you find it challenging to keep up with everything by relying on your memory alone. Furthermore, your diary doesn’t just have to be a place where you list all your tasks for your day, but it can be somewhere you also can dot down your thoughts and goals and where you can celebrate your successes too.
You may notice signs of negative energy accumulating in your home which can increase your stress levels and disturb your sleep. In order to rid your home of this negative energy, your first step is cleaning and decluttering your space. After your space is clean, it’s a good idea to smudge your home with sage and open some windows to let it air out.
Certainly, sleep deprivation is something that we should avoid at all costs if we want to live healthier, happier, and more productive lives overall. And that is why it’s best to make every effort to make proper sleep a top priority – it is for me. That’s for sure.
Inspired by Kathryn’s mission is to Move the World Together by helping people to overcome obstacles and become the best version of themselves. For more information, please visit her website or contact her today