Tips on How to Sleep Better at Night(2020): Here's How You Can Work on Your Sleep Cycle and Get a Good Night's Sleep

Our body is a machine that has its own clock and needs to be worked upon according to the clock to work efficiently. We need food, water, air, and sleep to stay fit. Yes, you heard it right sleep in also a necessity and you probably know it but still either up till 2 in the morning watching your favorite series or working on the presentation for the next day. These late nights play a major role in our lives and bring a lot of issues with it. If you wish to stay healthy you need the right amount of sleep just like you need the right amount of exercise and food. When you don't sleep then you are suffering from sleep deprivation.

Unable to sleep can cause various physical and mental health issues, a loss in productivity, and other injuries later on in life. Sleep helps you recharge your mind and body and keeps you fresh and alert throughout the day. If you are sleep deprived then your brain is not able to function to its capacity, you are not able to concentrate or even suffer memory loss.

Did you know that an adult needs around seven to nine hours of sleep whereas teenagers and children need it more to gain the energy they lose during the day? Factors like stress, bedroom environment, or medical conditions can cause a lack of sleep which turns into a sleep disorder. Since our body is a genius machine it runs on a 24-hour cycle which is also known as the circadian rhythm. It knows when you are tired and need to go to bed to stay fresh the next day.

Another reason why our body needs to sleep is that our brain has a special region of nerve cells called the hypothalamus which sends signals to the eyes telling it the difference between natural light and artificial light. These signals tell our brain to sleep when it is night time but when we are busy on our smartphones the brain gets confused and thinks its daytime and does not let you fall asleep. Another reason for falling asleep at a certain time is that the body releases melatonin which induces drowsiness and when the sun rises it produces cortisol that promotes energy and alertness. So, you see how our body knows when to sleep and when not to but various factors disturb the sleep cycle and keep you awake for a long time leading to many health issues.

Here are some easy tips you can follow if you are facing sleep disorder or having trouble sleeping at night:

Don't forget that our body runs on its own sleep and wake cycle and if you want to sleep better you need it to let it rule you. Keeping your sleep-wake cycle will keep you fresh and energized. Make sure you set a time to sleep and follow it every day. One way to check if you are not sleeping properly is to see if you are able to get up without an alarm clock, if not then you need to go to bed earlier.

Avoid sleeping too much during the weekends or you will end up disturbing your sleep cycle. If you feel the need to nap limit it to 15 or 20 minutes at the most in the afternoon and if you feel sleepy before your regular bedtime fight the urge and do something productive to keep awake and sleep on your regular time. You can try calling friends, reading a book with kids, or playing cards with your hubby so that you can sleep on your regular time.

Your bedroom is a place where you relax. It is not your TV room or your dinner table so treat it like a bedroom. Make sure your design your bedroom by keeping your comfort in mind and removing things that may distract you and not let you sleep.

Start with getting a comfortable mattress and a pillow, choose soothing colored bed sheets which invite you to sleep, pay attention to the fabric of the bedsheet for maximum relaxation. Too much light disturbs your circadian rhythm therefore go with dark-colored curtains and wall paints.

You can also use an eye mask to block the light from your husband's laptop at night. Drown the noise by using air plugs or use sleep-inducing machines that are available in the market. Also, pay attention to the temperature of the room. Turn the AC down a bit so you won't have to wake up in the middle to do so, you can also use pleasant and calming aromas, essential oils to calm down your nerves and sleep better.

You must have heard people say to eat dinner like a popper, it is true. Eating a heavy meal before bedtime can cause uneasiness and will not let you sleep but don't go to bed hungry either or you'll end up waking in the middle of the night for a snack. Make sure you avoid taking nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol right before bedtime as they stimulate your brain and prevent you from falling asleep.

If you need to work on your presentation do it in the evening or in your study room. Don't bring your office into your bedroom. Try and avoid watching TV while in bed as it keeps you up thinking it is the day time. Your bed should be only for sleep and sex which by the way is a great way to fall asleep.

Music is a great relaxer but it has to be calm and soothing. Don't listen to your favorite rock band before you hit the bed or your brain will be stimulated and will not let you sleep. The best music for you to listen while in bed is soft rock or classical music as it lowers the blood pressure and reduces stress. Simply put on your eye mask, plug in your earplugs, and listen to soothing music to have a peaceful sleep.

Another way of falling asleep is to exercise regularly. It improves the symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea. You can try a high-intensity exercise in the evening or a 10-minute walk before bedtime to calm yourself and drain out that excessive energy which prevents you from falling asleep. Regular exercise also boosts your metabolism, elevates your body temperature, and stimulates cortisol therefore try exercising during the daytime rather than before going to bed. You can also try low impact exercises your simple yoga to relax and sleep better.

We lead a stressful life and often are worried about so many problems we face during the day but there is no point in pondering over them when you hit the bed. Leave your worries in the living room or write them down and promise yourself to deal with them the next day. You can also try to get organized and set your priorities to avoid stress and anxiety over official work. Have a friendly chat with your partner in bed and clam each other by whispering sweet nothing to each other rather sharing your day to day worries and keeping each other awake through the night.

Do you get the urge to move your legs when you try to sleep, or have burning pain in your chest and stomach or even in your throat then you might be facing common sleep disruptors? Restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux are some of the common things that keep people awake at night. If you have these issues then you can consult a doctor and get help for it.

If after trying everything you are still not able to sleep then see a doctor, he might prescribe hypnotic sleep medications that help people fall asleep faster. These medicines do help but have side effects too therefore be cautious. Don't get hooked to them. Always follow your doctor's instructions and take the right dose at the right time for it to work effectively without causing too much harm. If you feel dizzy or have other problems after taking them talk to the doctor immediately.

Don't stress over the fact that you are not able to sleep. If you keep checking the clock while trying to sleep or do it in the middle of the night it may increase stress. If you wake at night and are not able to sleep again rather than staring at the clock do something engaging. Read, listen to music. Stay in a dark room and when you feel your eyes drooping close the book and sleep.

Technology can prevent you from sleeping but it can also help you fall asleep. We are talking about some of the apps that are available on the internet which actually can help you sleep better. These apps are great and you can easily download them and use them when you are in bed but don't keep looking at the screen or it will be of no use.

Relax Melodies: Sleep, Calm & Meditate is a great app that helps millions fall asleep around the world. It has a great variety of natural sounds, white noise, meditation tips, relaxing stories, body and mind exercise, and breathing techniques that can actually help you sleep better. Some of the meditations in the app that are very relaxing are themes like restful sleep, stress and anxiety relief, napping, deep sleep, etc. It also has more than 200 soothing music and tones are can easily lull you to sleep. Sounds like wind, fire, ocean waves, rain, etc are a great way to relax and sleep.

You can also listen to great sci-fi, nonfiction, fairytale stories in a soothing voice to sleep. You can also try a built-in bedtime reminder to get to bed on your regular time and to wake up with soft melodies. The app is free but if you wish to use the premium version you will have to shell out $2.99 for it. It is available on iPhone and android

Another great app to help you sleep better is Sleep Cycle: Sleep analysis & Smart Alarm Clock. One of the best features of the app is that it tracks your sleep from bedtime to morning and gives you a detailed analysis to understand your sleep cycle. It has a gentle wake up call to wake you up naturally. It has a free version and a premium version of it. You can use the sleep analysis your daily sleep graph, melodies alarms, snooze by shaking feature, etc for free, and you can always pay and upgrade to use other features in the app.

Harmony Hypnosis Meditation is only available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. It is a great app that helps you keep clam by using meditation, hypnotherapy, and self-hypnosis. You can easily create a personalized program for yourself and use it to sleep better. It has a number of free hypnosis meditations you can listen to each day of the week and feel better. It helps you relax and focus on your sleep pattern, reduces stress and anxiety, helps you gain control over your mind, and let you sleep better.

One of the many features in the app is the dual vocal delivery in which suggestions are given separately but simultaneously through the right and left headphones which are very hypnotic and create a rhythm that creates an electrical impulse in your brain. You can also listen to soothing music and sound effects and fall asleep in no time.

Recolor: Adult Coloring Book - Color and Relax is an innovative app which lets you color your stress away. The app is available on the Google play store through which you can easily color more than 4000 adult coloring pages like mandalas, flowers, animals, etc. It is a great way to divert your mind from the stress and worries of the day and unwind. You can use the free version or subscribe to access other features. You can share your masterpiece with the members of the app around the world or import your photos or drawings and share them with friends. The app uploads three new images each day for you to not get bored. It is a unique way to unwind and relax before you go to bed so download and enjoy like you did when you were a child.