After a long day at work, it’s important to try to get a bit of well-deserved rest and sleep to regain some energy for the next day. However, simply lying in bed isn’t enough for your body to recover, and in today’s age, many adults have trouble getting enough quality sleep at night. With that in mind, we’ve decided to go ahead and share some healthy sleep habits that will ideally make your life much better.
The Dos and Don'ts With Drinks
A world without coffee is a world most people don’t want to live in. But sadly, one of the keys to getting a better night’s rest is to eliminate – or at least reduce – the amount of caffeine from our bodies. To give you a better idea of its effects, having a cup of coffee at 8 o’clock in the morning still leaves 25% of the caffeine in your body at 8 o’clock in the evening.
You also want to be careful about any alcoholic beverages you might want to sip on. These alcoholic beverages are usually sugary in nature, too, which could also explain why some of us don’t rest properly after helping ourselves to a drink or two. So, if you’re having trouble sleeping, be sure to try to limit your caffeine and beverage intake after 2 p.m.
Still, you might’ve heard of other hot drinks that can be rather useful to get you sleepy before bedtime. Hot milk seems to work for some people, and according to multiple experts, drinking a mug of hot water with lemon before sleeping can help balance our body's pH levels and help us sleep more deeply. Drinking a glass of hot water with lemon will also help you fight heartburn and improve your overall health, too.
A Diet for Better Relaxation
High protein foods, as well as a touch of healthy fats and fiber, are just some of the things you should be eating at night. They help fill you up and improve your mood at the time of sleep, making it easier for you to shut off your brain and drift off to sleep. Calcium and magnesium are also a great combination for bedtime.
Our body uses calcium to relax our muscles, while magnesium transports the calcium you ingest from your muscles to the rest of your body. The health of your intestines and digestive system is also vital for the rest of the body, so taking probiotics every day is always a good idea. If you do it at night, it’ll be better, since they won’t interfere with the enzymes of your digestive system during your mealtimes.
Stick to Your Bedtime Routine
If you don’t have one just yet, you should create a bedtime routine to follow each night. Your body will get used to it and accommodate its inner clock in your favor. Even on weekends, try to go to sleep around the same hour each time, as the regeneration of our bodies takes place during our hours of rest.
When we go to bed at odd hours and don’t sleep enough, our body wakes up not feeling as good as it should. Usually, a solid bedtime routine includes preparing your bed, putting your phone and computer aside, and brushing your teeth. This last part is particularly important, as many forget to brush their teeth before sleep, even though it’s the most crucial cleaning time of the day.
The reason for this is because we produce less saliva during the night, so our mouths tend to dry out. In turn, this helps bacteria grow and form plaque. Apart from brushing, using mouthwash helps protect you from bacteria and bad breath. It’s also essential to clean the teeth well with floss picks to remove all food residue that may have got stuck between them during the day.
Slow Down Your Pace Little By Little
We should carry out this practice an hour before going to bed. Start by doing all the things that you’ve left undone before going to sleep, because otherwise, you’ll be thinking about them when your head hits your pillow. These tasks may include choosing the clothes you’ll wear to work the next day or tidying up your bedroom.
The following steps will be to take care of your personal hygiene: take a shower, brush your teeth, and moisturize your skin with creams. Not only does this mean you don’t have to worry about getting a second shower in the morning, but the routine can also be very soothing. Finally, take some time for relaxing activities such as reading a book, watching television, or talking with your partner.
Extra Activities to Keep in Mind
Among the many things you can do to wind up before sleeping, warm baths are probably the most relaxing. They greatly help reduce body tension, so they’re definitely recommended when the difficulties of trying to get to sleep properly begin to show. If you spend the day sitting or working, you’ll also need to reduce the pressure and tension in your body.
Doing yoga is also a great idea. It will also help you relax, improve your posture, and prevent back and hip pain both in the daytime and at night. In general, though, we must all strive to pay more attention to nighttime routines to reduce the feeling of morning tiredness. Sometimes a lack of good sleep hygiene explains fatigue and poor performance.
Yes, it might seem like a chore at first, but it’s more than worth it in the long run. Taking the time to establish good bedtime habits is bound to help you sleep as you should, instead of tossing and turning all night. And even better, you’ll be better equipped to start the next day ready for any challenge that comes your way!
