Sleep Tips, Tools and Techniques
Sleep is one of the most vital things that everyone should have the pleasure of experiencing without disruption each and every night. Sleep helps you keep your body in a healthy and more relaxed and balanced state. But most people often overlook or simply don’t realise just how important sleep is to our bodies.
Many people decide to overlook or neglect the importance of sleep when working long hours or in a stressful situation. A good sleep will promote good skin health, increase testosterone levels amongst other things that we will discuss a little later on.
Not everyone overlooks their sleep routine (if indeed they have one), some people actually have trouble going to sleep or even maintaining a healthy sleep to begin with. More importantly, there are those certain few people with severe sleep issues. In such situations, you should find a good way to deal with your sleeping problem or certainly discuss your concerns with a suitably qualified sleep expert.
In this article, we will discuss some of the best sleeping tips and techniques that will help you establish and maintain a good night sleep. In addition to that, we will give you a list of tools you can use to improve your sleeping habits and as a result you will feel much better.
Sleeping Tips
Here are ten great tips on how you can immediatly improve your sleep outlook by just changing a few things.
1. Increase Your Natural Light Exposure During the Day
Your body is made up of a Natural Clock that follows certain rules. This clock is called your Circadian Rhythm. The clock is able to control, your brain, hormone levels and body functions in perfect synchronisation. The main reason for this natural clock is that it helps your body by telling it when it’s time to stay awake, and indeed when it is time to go to sleep. It functions automatically by helping to induce sleep in your brain so you are better equipped to benefit from the vital sleep needed to function effectively.
One of the major factors that your natural clock uses to sync itself is natural light. During the daytime, the sunlight will help your circadian rhythm maintain a healthy awake state. This improves the general energy levels that you have during daytime. It also helps reduce the amount of energy you will use when asleep.
Currently, there’s still research being conducted to determine how exactly sunlight exposure helps to maintain a good night’s sleep. So far, it’s evident that exposure to the sun will maintain your alertness during the day and therefore result in a better sleep experience.
2. Don’t Take Caffeine at Night
Caffeine typically has been found to have some benefits in small amounts. Caffeine is able to focus your energy and improve your general performance during the day and the effects are more obvious during the morning time. And that is why the larger population of the world today are regular consumers of caffeine products. People often use it as a quick pick me up first thing after waking. What they don’t realise is that a cup of water first thing is the ideal wake up boost your body and mind craves. Try it for yourself! have some water first thing after you wake up. You will notice the difference right away. This is because your body is craving water to hydrate itself after sleeping and caffeine only serves to dehydrate the body even further.
As some of you may be aware, there’s a downside to consuming caffeine at night. When you take in caffeine, it stimulates your nervous system and you are able to work with a lot of energy. But the unfortunate part is that if you consume it at night, there’s a high chance that the interference on your nervous system might be a bit too much and your body will have difficulty falling asleep or lead to a restless night’s sleep.
Research has been done on the effects of consuming caffeine 3 to 6 hours before sleep and it was found that it will only worsen your sleeping outlook. This is because the caffeine consumed will stop your body from relaxing in the evening. Additionally, caffeine increases the blood flow in your body, making you more alert which is not what you want as your body is trying to wind down in preparation for sleep.
Therefore, the bottom line is, avoid taking caffeine too close to bed time. Caffeine at 3 to 4 p.m. is not a good idea. But enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning is ok however how many people stick to just one cup of coffee a day? The other thing about coffee is it is addictive so avoid it if at all possible.
3. Reduce Long Daytime Naps
Sleeping during the day is a good way to help your body relax and stay healthy. In many Mediterranean countries these short naps are common place. These short naps are quite beneficial to your general body state. But long day time naps will confuse your natural body clock.
This means that you will struggle at night when you want to sleep. Research done on day time sleeping shows that napping for less than 30 minutes during the day time will increase your brain function. The longer the sleep happens to be after this time, the more negative the effects turned out to be.
4. Sleeping Routine
This is one of the most important factors when it comes to obtaining a healthy sleep. You need to get into the habit of having a constant sleep and waking up time. Being consistent will give you a better chance at having a longer sleep time, while at the same time maintain its overall quality.
If you go to sleep late and have irregular sleeping patterns, then you are a lot more likely to suffer from poor sleep. These irregular sleep patterns alter your circadian rhythm and your melatonin levels which is essentially messing with your brain signals.
With that in mind, if you are struggling with sleep, then try sleeping and waking up at a consistent time every day. This is a simple trick that may very well improve the quality of your sleep going forward.
5. Don’t Drink Alcohol
Alcohol is a favourite among a large population globally. But some people find themselves consuming alcohol in order to have a better night’s sleep. However, this can have a negative effect on your sleep and general hormone levels, outlook and mood.
Alcohol has been known to increase snoring and sleep Apnea, causing adverse side effects for many people. As well as that, alcohol also alters the levels of melatonin produced in your body. As stated earlier Melatonin actually plays an important role when it comes to your circadian rhythm. So avoiding alcoholic drinks where possible and implementing some of the tips and tricks mentioned here is the best way of improving your sleep outlook.
6. Friendlier Sleeping Environment
Many people love making their bed and ensuring that it’s crisp and clean. Having a clutter free and clean bedroom is another important step towards better sleep. We all have something that interferes with our sleeping pattern and it’s about identifying the issue and taking steps to address and improve it. You need to make your environment conducive to you.
Other aspects that might interfere with your sleep include, noise (especially snoring), bed selection, temperature, sleeping arrangements, and extreme light. Most people who have complained of poor sleep are usually exposed to the above factors among others.
To eliminate interference around your bed, then you need to remove some of the things that might mess with your sleeping outlook.
7. Bedroom Temperature
Your general body and room temperature will interfere with your sleeping pattern. If you choose to improve the quality of your sleep, you will need to optimize your environment and more specifically this temperature element.
If you are in a hot environment, then you can look for ways to reduce the temperature levels. There are special Cooling Blankets and Cooling Pillows recently developed that enable you to control the bed temperature automatically. This will help make the temperature balance better so that you can have a good sleep.
Also if you are in a very cold environment, you may need to invest in a humidifier to warm the room or try using an electric blanket if you find the bed too cold for your liking. This will help warm up the environment as you go to sleep.
A temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius is good for encouraging a good night’s sleep.
8. Melatonin Supplements
Melatonin is one of the vital necessities when it comes to getting a good sleep routine. It helps to relax the body. Melatonin supplements are a popular instrument used mainly by people who suffer from sleep disorders, in order to fall asleep. Melatonin supplements are often used for people suffering from insomnia.
It’s actually one of the easiest ways to fall asleep. It also shows improved sleeping quality and daytime energy. More importantly, no withdrawal effects are common when consumed.
In some countries, you will have to have a prescription to buy melatonin supplements. While in other countries, melatonin is widely found in stores off the shelf. When you want to take melatonin to improve your sleeping quality, you will need to start with small doses first.
That will help your body become more tolerant. You also need to note that melatonin will alter your brain chemistry. Therefore, it’s advisable for you to check in with your doctor, sleep specialist or pharmacy before settling on using this product.
9. Using Aromatherapy Diffusers With Lavender
If you’ve ever smelled the aroma of fresh cookies in the oven then you will agree that there’s a deep connection between your nose and brain. The smell gives you a relaxing feeling which you can utilize to give you a good night sleep.
When we smell something, our nerves send a signal to the brain part that’s responsible for our mood. That is why there are certain smells that will brighten our feelings compared to others. Our mood is easily altered by our sense of smell.
Using Aromatherapy Diffusers with lavender will help you maintain a calmer state right before sleep. The end result is that you will sleep more easily and maintain your level of sleep all night. In the case where you have anxiety issues, then this is one of the best way to relieve stress.
10. Avoid Blue Light
Blue light is emitted by smartphones, TVs and other Screen based devices. This light is actually beneficial when it comes to keeping you awake during the day. The worst part is that the blue light has the opposite effect at night and can affect your sleeping pattern.
Again, this is because the blue light will interfere with your circadian rhythm. The blue light you are exposed to right before sleep will trick your brain into thinking that it is daytime and so reducing your ability to sleep.
Afterward, that will reduce some of the essential hormones for instance melatonin which actually helps you relax and get better sleep. In this regard, blue light might actually be problematic to your health.
It is worth noting that there are several ways to reduce the effects of blue light. For instance;
- You can wear glasses that will block the blue light
- There are software applications that can help you block the blue light
- Stop watching television a few minutes before going to sleep.
- Avoid using your phone or other screen based gadget before or in bed.
Now you have got some useful sleep better tips lets move on to some great sleep tools you can use to ensure you get even better sleep!
Sleep Tools
Now you are armed with some sleep improvement tips you can supercharge their power by using the following items for the ultimate sleep experience.
1. White Noise Sound Machines
A white noise sound machine is a simple machine that is special because it produces a certain kind of sound. This machine can be used to help drown out the surrounding sounds which might be the cause of your sleeping problem.
The idea of adding a white noise sound machine in your room is that it will help counteract the environmental noises such as a dog’s bark. The white noise sound sort of sounds like a whale or simply the ocean sound itself.
These sounds ensure that you are relaxed and at peace, giving you a better environment in which to sleep. White noise uses the process of masking any surrounding environmental noise which makes it easier to drift off and stay asleep. The ability of these white noise sound machines to mask surrounding noise is quite ingenious and something we recommend you consider if ambient noise is a problem for you at night.
If you are looking for suitable white noise sound machines, then you can check out our review on the Best White Noise Sound Machines that will help you get a better night sleep.
2. Night Eye Mask
If light is something that you find interferes with your sleep, then you might find benefit in using a Night Time Eye Mask.
This really simple and basic eye cover will help reduce the effects of environmental light and eventually increase the levels of melatonin in your body. The overall darkness of your bedroom has a real effect on your ability to drift off to sleep. There are also more advanced versions of the eye mask available that incorporate technology and sensors in order to detect and deter snoring. The Snore Circle Eyemask is one such example.
Blackout Blinds might also be worth investigating and investing in because a lot of light can seep into a bedroom especially around the window area. This is especially true when the evenings are brighter for longer and when sunrise happens very early in the morning. Take for example some parts of the northern hemisphere where it can be bright on a continual basis for half the year and dark for the remaining six months.
3. Anti-Snoring Devices
Snoring is a major problem especially when it comes to maintaining a good night sleep. That is because whenever you snore, you are actually having trouble breathing. That will lead to low levels of air in your system which in the end can cause a lot of side effects.
Some of the side effects include, morning headaches, exhaustion in the morning, chocking at night and many more. What you need to do is go to a professional who will help you with your snoring problem. There are actually sleep and snore clinics developed which are ideal for particularly severe cases or indeed to get an initial assessment.
With that being said the next step is to find the Best Anti-Snoring Devices that will help you reduce the effects of snoring. The good news is that this site will help you do just that.
You also need to makes sure you partner doesn’t suffer from the sounds that you might make when you snore.
You can check out our article on Relationships and Snoring and how snoring will affect your relationship if you let it continue.
We have reviews on a number of great anti-snoring devices that you may find useful. Spending a little time on this site will enable you to find all the answers you need to get the best products and solutions to rectify your sleep and snoring issue.
4. Sleep Apnea Machine
Sleep Apnea can be problematic and in certain circumstances dangerous when you are trying to establish a healthy sleep routine. That is why it is important to find a solution to this sleep apnea problem. Luckily with the latest advancements in technology in recent times, you can now invest in buying a CPAP machine which will help reduce the ill effects of sleep apnea.
In Summary
Hopefully now you will be much better informed, and indeed better prepared to experience a fuller night’s sleep using the tips, tools and techniques we have outlined. Try introducing these simple and cost effective elements into your routine and you may find they do in fact make a difference to how you sleep and subsequently how you feel as a result of a restful night’s sleep.
Please check out the other posts and articles on this site if you are interested in improving your sleep outlook or looking for a solution to the frustration that is snoring.
If you found the content useful please like and share it and feel free to leave a comment on any of our Snorefocus Blog Posts if you would like to share any sleep and snore related information with others.