When it comes to improving your life something vastly overlooked is your sleep quality. Sleep quality has a dramatic effect over nearly every function in your body. The lack of sufficient sleep has been linked to depression, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and poor mental health. This article will give you some tips that may interest you on how to improve your sleep quality.
How Many Hours Should I Really Be Aiming For?
Aim to get between 7-8 hours of sleep each night. If you are getting less than 6 hours during the week, try to make up for it on the weekend. The more you get sleep in the 7-8 hours range the more your body has ample time to recover after a day in the modern world.
The Sleep Quality Matters
Its not just about how long you sleep but the quality of your sleep. This includes having deep sleep cycles which are key for improving your life from mental and physical health points of view. REM cycles are the other key to a good night’s sleep. Good quality sleep helps you achieve better physical and mental health as well as have more positive outlook on life.
6 Modern Hacks To Improve Sleep Quality
Sleep Cold
It’s important to have your room at a cool temperature that you find comfortable. It shouldn’t be too cold but it shouldn’t be so warm that you are sweating all night, this is actually a sign your room is too warm. Its been suggested that 65 degrees is the best temperature for a quality sleep at night.1
Pitch Black
Its important to have a completely pitch black room when going to sleep. If there is any light or noise then you aren’t going to be able to achieve quality sleep. You want your room to be as dark and quiet as possible. Leaving your laptop on overnight with the screen on emits blue light which disrupts the production of melatonin and makes it difficult for you to fall asleep easily. Bedroom hack, turn off all the switches in your room so there is no light. This will dramatically effect the quality of your sleep and ability to stay asleep.
Avoid Large Meals Before Bed
It’s important to note that eating late into the night can really hurt your sleep quality. It’s better to eat around three hours before bed. Eating too close to bed time can make it difficult for you to fall asleep. Having a large meal even 5 hours before bed time can be problematic. It’s best you eat dinner at least two-three hours before bedtime so your body has enough time to digest the food. You don’t want any discomfort sleeping because of eating too close to bed time.
Turn Your Phone On AeroPlane Mode
Its important to note your phone lights are on always. The light emitted from the screen is unnatural and can disrupt your sleep quality. A good tip is to turn on AeroPlane mode which disables all notifications at certain times of the day. This way its easier for you to relax if you need just want quiet time away from the world. Your phone can emit blue light which will affect your sleep during the night. This mode also cuts certain frequencies which may disrupt your sleep quality at night.
Contrast Shower (Hot And Cold)
A contrast shower is good for your body and skin after a long day in the day. The cold water interrupts your regular sleep cycle and prepares you for bed. The warm water is soothing and allows you to fall asleep more easily. Its important to note in the shower you want to take hot and cold water at different temperatures.2
Rise With The Sun
There is no such thing as a good night sleep if you don’t rise with the sun. Its important to rise early and start your day with a full glass of water and avoid coffee or alcohol in the morning. There is evidence showing that sleep after midnight doesn’t influence your natural sleep cycle. Its best to rise and start your day early and avoid late night activity and heavy meals close to bed time. Circadian rhythm is very important to keeping our bodies biological clock running efficiently. This effects all mechanisms in our body.
