We’ve heard our whole lives that adults should get 8 hours of sleep or more, but does getting enough sleep really do anything if it’s not good sleep?
Odds are that you’re not getting enough sleep as it is so this article wants to help you improve the quality of your sleep, even if you’re surviving on less. Unfortunately this only works if you know how much is right for you to begin with. Many believe today that getting 8 hours is more of a guideline than a rule to live by. Each of us need different amounts of sleep and some research suggests that sleeping too much can actually be harmful to your health.
We often hear about the dangers of too little sleep but how do you find your happy medium if too much sleep is a problem as well?? One study concluded that the quality of sleep is more important than quantity when it comes to feeling rested and rejuvenated.
Start tracking your sleep. Find your perfect bedtime. There are some great apps that can help you with both of these. Eight hours of sleep is worthless if you spend all that time tossing and turning. It also doesn’t help much if you’re only spending 3-4 hours of that actually sleeping. Going to be earlier isn’t going to do much if you’re not learning to optimize your time.
Getting better quality sleep depends on three key things: preperations- building good sleeping habits, environment- tweaking your surroundings for optimal sleep, and timing- getting sleep when you need it.
Preparation-
Building habits that will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer while being more comfortable while you rest is the first step.
-Exercise regularly. The goal isn’t to wear yourself out but exercising in the afternoon can improve sleep in the evening. However don’t exercise right before bed because that has the opposite effect.
-Set a kinder, gentler alarm. Ditch that loud obnoxious alarm clock and try something new that will make waking up natural and easier. Waking up to soothing sounds, music or a “wake-up light” (which slowly rises the light level in the room as you approach your wakeup time) are a few things you can try.
-Cut out alcohol, caffeine and watch the cigarettes. Alcohol may help you get to sleep but can be damaging to your sleep cycle once you’re out which results in a choppy restless night. Caffeine lengthens your 2nd phase of sleep. The phase where your brain starts reorganizing itself and processing the day, which is great for naps but not for a night of deep sleep. Caffeine shortens phases three and four where REM and dreaming occur. Nicotine can be relaxing in small doses but too much keeps you awake and prevents the onset of sleep entirely.
-Stop staring at the screen. Study after study show that electronics harm our sleep cycle. Turn off your gadgets at least 1-2 hours before bedtime, even your e-readers. The bright lights on the screen can confuse the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus into thinking it’s 2pm when it’s actually 2am.
-Meditate before bed. Try visualizing or other quiet activities. If you wake up in the middle of the night, try to visualize where your dream left off.
-Get a schedule. Your evening ritual is important. Before you go to bed grab a snack (going to bed hungry will wake you up and keep you restless), go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, ect. Start a healthy sleep routine that will help you start winding down long before your head hits that pillow.
Environment-
Your environment is critical to healthy sleep. Make sure that yours is conductive to a good nights rest.
-Get a comfortable bed. You should spend your money where your time is. Most people spend 24 years of our lives asleep. We really can’t afford not to invest in our bed. By the right mattress, pick a good pillow and comfortable sheets. Don’t underestimate the power of a comfortable comforter, a pillow top mattress cover and even a cooling pillow.
-Adjust the temperature. Studies show that for most, optimal sleeping temperature is between 60 and 68 degrees F, but find your sweet spot.
-Kill the lights. LED and standby lights can cause just as much havoc with your sleep cycle as a glowing phone or TV screen. Cover up the flashing light on your devices while they’re charging, on your cable box, TV or any other electronics near your bed. Investing in a sleeping mask is also handy. It will work wonders for your sleep and blocking out the light.
-Cut out distractions. You may not be able to do much about your kids waking you up but you can cut out those things that aren’t a necessity. You phone buzzing with new notifications will do wonders. If your environment outside your window is causing a racket, grab a white noise generator or put on some soothing music to drown it out.
Timing-
You want to make sure that you’re going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Experts still debate over the concept of “sleep debt” and whether you can pay it off by sleeping in, and so there is no conclusive evidence on either side. If you find that you still need that extra sleep, try taking a nap instead of sleeping in. This way you won’t mess with your sleep schedule but can get that extra sleep. If your weekday/weekend schedule is completely different doctors say that this can put your body into experiencing a jet lag. Even two hours difference hurts, especially if you’re already sleep deprived.
Ultimately the only way to know exactly what’s wrong is to see your doctor. If you follow these tips and still feel sleep deprived it could be a more serious issue such as insomnia, sleep apnea or other medical issues that are all treatable.
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