Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential for maintaining your physical and mental health. From your heart health to your metabolism, so much is directly impacted by the amount of sleep you get.
If you’re looking to improve your sleep quality, you should first start by focusing on your sleep hygiene. This refers to the various factors and behaviours that impact your quality of sleep. Making positive changes to help improve your sleep hygiene will ultimately enhance the quality of your rest.
This article will cover just four of the ways you can make improvements that could see you getting a better night’s sleep.
Make your bedroom a sanctuary
Winding down before bed is a crucial part of getting a good night’s sleep. However, this can be very tricky if you’re trying to do so in a cluttered bedroom. If you have clothes everywhere or overcrowded surfaces, you’re likely to become distracted and find it difficult to relax.
Why not look into getting some fitted wardrobes or under-bed storage, meaning everything can have a dedicated place and be tidied away without compromising your peace?
Once you have decluttered and found a space for everything, you can then focus on adding any relaxing touches, such as scented candles and soft blankets.
Assess your eating habits
If you often find yourself in discomfort from bloating or buzzing from caffeine before heading to bed, it might be worth assessing your eating and drinking habits in order to improve your sleep.
Nicotine and caffeine are stimulants and so you are likely going to find it difficult to fall asleep if you are consuming either close to going to bed If possible, avoid nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol within a couple of hours of bedtime, allowing their impacts to wear off before you start trying to drift off.
While you don’t want to go to bed hungry, sleeping with a full stomach can be difficult; moving your mealtime slightly earlier could prove massively impactful.
Focus on your mental health
If your mental health is suffering, your sleep will inevitably be affected.
Anxiety and depression can make it challenging to drift off and get a good quality of sleep too. Improving your mental health will ultimately improve your sleep, so whether it be going to therapy, adopting some stress-management techniques, or journaling, prioritising your mental health is a must.
Develop a routine
Another proven way to better your sleep is to develop a routine. This should include going to bed at roughly the same time each day. You could also include other habits that you find calming before bed, such as drinking a warm, caffeine-free tea or reading a few chapters of your current book.
Having a consistent routine helps your body identify when it is time to wind down. This, in turn, should enable you to fall asleep more easily.