Good Sleep Relaxes and Rejuvenates Your Mind and Body. Discover Great Tips for Better Sleep at Night and Why Good Sleep is Important for Your Health (2020)

A healthy mind lives in a healthy body and vice versa. Good sleep is one of the most significant factors to have a balanced lifestyle as well as for your overall health. Lack of sleep may disturb your entire schedule, you may not be able to concentrate, it impacts your metabolism and your productivity is also hampered. Sleeplessness is clearly evident on the face of a person in the form of dark circles and soggy eyes which give a bad impression about your personality. Therefore, a good night’s sleep plays an important role in your well-being. People, who take less than 6 hours of sleep every night, are at a greater risk of developing diseases. Here are some important reasons why you should get better sleep during the night:

Like other important things in life, the number of hours of sleep required may vary for individuals and three basic factors are responsible for it. The first one is your genetic makeup because certain genetic mutations caused and passed over a period of generations in some of you may require you to have adequate sleep in well under 6 hours. While an individual of a different genetic legacy may require a full 8 hours of sleep. The second important factor which decides the time you should sleep is the quality of sleep. With a poor sleep quality, you may feel tired even after a 9-hour sleep; while a sound and good sleep will make you feel fresh and recharged even with a little less sleep time. And the third and most important factor which decides about your sleep time is your age. The official recommendation by various medical associations based on studies and researches for different age groups is mentioned below:

These are the base guidelines that are supposed to be followed by people in their respective age groups. However, you may need more or less sleep as per your genetic makeup and sleep quality as well. So, if you feel sleepy throughout the day, have to take caffeine in order to feel active and are having trouble concentrating or memorising; then you should try to increase your sleep time by an hour or so and also check your sleep quality.

While we have discussed the benefits of good sleep and the number of hours you should sleep, it’s equally important to know about important tips which can help you to get better sleep. Mentioned below are some important tips for better sleep which can be followed and implemented by making small changes in your lifestyle:

If you want to sleep early, then the key factor is to get up early in the morning. Getting up early not only provides you extra time for exercise, yoga, etc., but it also adjusts your body clock hence it automatically indicates the body during late in the evening that it needs rest and sleep. Moreover, when you wake up early, your mind and body are tired enough to be ready for a natural and sound sleep by the end of the day. Also, avoid sleeping during the daytime, and even if you have to take a nap, reduce it to a short nap of no more than 45 minutes. If you sleep for more than an hour during the day, chances are that you may not be able to sleep at your usual time during the night.

Some of you are fond of your teas and coffees and may be even addicted to them. Caffeinated beverages provide instant energy and refreshment and also have various health benefits associated with them. However, when consumed late in the evening, they can stimulate your brain which in turn can create difficulty in sleeping. Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks or supplements about 5-6 hours before bedtime as caffeine stays elevated in your blood for 6-7 hours and can worsen your sleep quality.

Alcohol is one of the biggest enemies of good sleep (for those who know the difference between natural sleep and being knocked out by alcohol) as it can elevate the symptoms of disrupted sleep patterns, snoring, and sleep apnea. If you have the habit of consuming alcohol before going to bed, then it’s not the right and natural way to get asleep, and may cause serious health problems in the long run. A couple of drinks late in the evening alter a nighttime hormone called melatonin which is responsible for the body’s natural sleep cycle. A study has found that alcohol, when taken at night can lower the sleep quality and also reduce the natural nighttime growth in the human growth hormone (HGH) which has many important functions in the body.

A sleep-inducing bedroom environment is an essential tip that will help you to fall asleep within no time. External factors like traffic noise and light coming through a window can be quite irritating and affect your sleep quality. To get maximum comfort, create a pleasant sleeping environment, and minimise distractions, you must follow these tips:

Modern day fast-paced lifestyles have disrupted eating habits like never before and a late evening dinner is a byproduct of this trend. However, eating late in the evening or just before going to bed can cause problems like indigestion, heaviness, constipation and it also acts as a negative catalyst for your sleep. Try to eat at least 2 hours before you go to bed and if you are planning to eat a full-fledged heavy meal, then the difference should be 3-4 hours.

A pre-sleeping schedule before bed can improve your sleep quality and is one of the most common methods to treat insomnia. To de-clutter and relax your mind and body, you can use techniques like a soothing massage, taking a hot shower, listening to soothing music, reading a book, deep breathing and meditation, etc. These are a few tried and tested methods that can help you to have a peaceful and good sleep.

A few minutes of exercise in any form – gym, yoga, walk, cardio, etc. not only helps you to stay fit and active but also releases toxins from your body and balances your metabolism. Exercising regularly improves your sleep quality, but doing it too late in the day may have adverse effects on your sleep as the hormones released after the workout will keep your mind active and alert.

If you have a white-collar job or you are working from home, then chances are that you are depriving yourself of sunlight or the natural daylight. When your body doesn’t get enough of the natural bright light, then your circadian rhythm (natural timekeeping clock of your body) gets disturbed due to which your body doesn’t indicate sleep at the right time. Hence, spend some time outdoors as well and soak the morning sunlight to enhance the quality of your sleep.

This tip can be the most difficult to follow, but is the most important one. The exposure to blue light late in the evening can trick your brain to think that it’s still daytime, which makes it difficult for you to sleep. So, either keep your phone, tab, or laptop aside about an hour before sleep or try other methods to reduce exposure to the blue light like wearing glasses which can block blue light or activating the blue light mode on your phone.