While lying in bed every night for eight hours or more, poor quality sleep can leave you feeling tired, short-tempered, and sore. So try changing your surroundings and reviewing your evening activities if you want to enjoy a significant improvement in your life. If your sleep is interrupted by loud snoring, chronic insomnia, or severe anxiety, note that these methods can help you improve your sleep, but it will still be necessary to see a doctor.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Creating a Comfortable Sleeping Environment
Step 1. Your room should be cool while still making you feel comfortable
Believe it or not, it is much easier to fall asleep in a cool place than in a well-heated one. Make sure your room temperature is between 15.5 and 19.5ºC. Personal preferences also affect this, but during sleep the ideal temperature for most people is within this range. Experience it, you may be surprised.
Step 2. Reduce lights and sounds
If you are a light sleeper, wear earplugs and an eye mask to avoid being awakened by light and sound stimuli. If you are awakened by sunlight at dawn, use thick, opaque curtains.
Step 3. Go for white noises
If nocturnal noises are unavoidable, you can cover them with a pleasant musical background. Try turning on a fan or creating a soft background of instrumental music. If the air in your room is dry, a humidifier will solve two problems at a time.
Step 4. Choose a sleeping position
In case you suffer from back or neck pain, this choice is of particular relevance, in any case anyone can benefit greatly from a comfortable position and the right pillows. Try one of the suggested positions:
- Sleep on your side, with your knees pulled slightly towards your chest. Place a pillow between your knees to keep your spine and pelvis straight.
- Only sleep on your back if your mattress provides you with the right support. Try placing a second pillow under your knees or in the hollow of your lower back for extra support.
- Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended, as it can cause breathing problems and neck pain. If this is the only position you can sleep in, sleep on the end of a high pillow so that you can tilt your head slightly to breathe freely without having to twist your neck.
Step 5. Test different pillow positions
Some people sleep without a pillow, while others prefer one or two large soft pillows. Choose the solution that best relaxes your neck and shoulders at night. If you feel stiff when you wake up and can't find a pillow that's right for you, try rolling up a towel and placing it under your neck for direct support.
If you can't find a comfortable position for your arms, try hugging a large pillow, rolled towel, or stuffed toy
Step 6. Use heavy blankets if the temperature is cool or normal
A heavy weight blanket can increase your sense of security as you fall asleep. Depending on your personal preferences and climate, you may also prefer a light quilt or a warm duvet.
Step 7. Feel comfortable in a warm climate
When warm weather hits, change your sleeping environment, especially if you wake up sweaty or feel like you're trapped in your clothes. If you normally sleep naked under the covers, try wearing pajamas and using only the sheet.
If you don't have an air conditioner, moisten some paper or fabric tissues and place them on your face and arms
Part 2 of 3: Relax when it's time to go to bed
Step 1. Use your bed only for sleeping
Work, play, and most other activities should be done on a table or desk rather than in bed, and if possible in another room. Learn to associate the bed with sleep or quiet activities related to sleep, doing so will help you fall asleep more easily.
Step 2. Create an evening ritual
It is especially important to have a way to calm down each night and get into the right state of mind, especially if staying awake in bed can be a cause of anxiety or fear for you. Commit to repeating your ritual daily for maximum effectiveness. Experiment with the following ideas:
- Read a relaxing book.
- Listen to an audiobook or podcast with your eyes closed. If doing so keeps you alert, opt for listening to the sounds of nature.
- Have a small snack if you tend to wake up hungry, for example with a glass of milk, a banana, or a small amount of low-sugar cereal.
Step 3. Exercise early in the day
Exercise is very beneficial, as long as it doesn't get you upset with a workout done before bed. Exhausting yourself by exerting yourself to the extreme will not make you enjoy a restful sleep, however performing some physical activity is often a necessity that helps you to respect your daily sleep pattern.
Step 4. End the day with a light meal
As mentioned earlier, your body slows down when it enters sleep, and with it your metabolism. By eating a heavy meal before bed, your slowed metabolism can cause you to stay uncomfortably full, or put you back in an "active" state and produce unwanted energy.
Part 3 of 3: Preventing Restless Sleep
Step 1. Pay attention to showers and exercise before bed
As your body transitions from activity to rest, every process of it slows down, and its temperature drops. Raising it with a hot shower or a workout session will slow down the process, then make it difficult for you to fall asleep. If you need to exercise to get tired, or take a shower to feel more comfortable, do it in time by giving yourself at least thirty minutes of relaxation before going to sleep.
Step 2. Avoid electronic devices
Your brain chemistry interprets blue light as sunrise, making you more active. Mobile phones, consoles, and computers are all sources of blue light. In addition, playing, working, solving puzzles and riddles, or doing any other activity that involves mental effort can also make it difficult to fall asleep.
If you decide to use your computer at night, install Flux to have your computer screen change its color scale and take on the reddish and pink ones typical of "sunset"
Step 3. Avoid taking vitamins, supplements and stimulating foods
You probably know that caffeine, including in drinks and chocolate, and sugar keep you awake. Other sleep-disturbing substances include B vitamins, steroid asthma medications, beta blockers, opiates, ginseng, and guarana. If you decide to use a supplement daily, take it early in the day.
- Do not change your medication schedule without consulting a doctor.
- Drinking more water can help chemicals pass through your body faster, but can be counterproductive when it forces you to wake up during the night to go to the bathroom.
Step 4. Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol before bedtime
The rush of tobacco can keep you awake and cause restless sleep. Alcohol-related advice may appear less common, as alcohol causes drowsiness. However, the rhythms of your sleep following your alcohol intake are significantly disturbed. Therefore, avoid drinking alcohol in the two or three hours before sleep, otherwise you may wake up during the night or feel tired the next morning.
Step 5. If necessary, use sleep aids
If you have trouble sticking to a sleep pattern or sleeping through the night, melatonin can be a safe ally. For the most severe cases of insomnia, however, medications prescribed by a doctor may be necessary, although their regular use can develop a certain tolerance and even dependence on the principle taken. Follow the directions of your doctor and if possible avoid taking medications to avoid such consequences.
Step 6. Talk to your sleep apnea doctor
This widespread condition, characterized by snoring, interrupts the flow of air to the lungs while you sleep, causing restless sleep or frequent awakenings. If you are overweight or have breathing problems, you are more likely to be at risk for this condition. Your doctor may recommend that you have your sleep monitored at a sleep logging lab for more information.
Advice
- If your sleep problems are chronic, start keeping a daily journal. Write down what you ate before bed, what activities you did in the last three or four hours of the day, how you felt when you went to bed, and how you felt when you woke up. From time to time it compares the data collected to identify any patterns, for example to notice which are the activities that keep you awake or the foods that cause restless sleep.
- Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, including hot chocolate, colas, tea, and coffee.
- If you have frequent nightmares, try eating a piece of cheese or a spoonful of yogurt before bed.
Warnings
- Make sure any fans that are on are away from your bed to avoid injury.
- Before leaving a fan or white noise diffuser on overnight, read the safety rules and find out if they can cause fires.
