The Secrets to a Healthy Sleep

 

As a kid, falling asleep was a piece of cake. I mean I  could sleep off anytime, anywhere. It could be on the couch while watching my favorite cartoon, right after a satisfying meal, or right in the middle of building my dream house with some lego blocks. It didn’t matter what was happening around me, I sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

 

Growing up it became a different story. It seems like the older one becomes, the more difficult it is to close the eyes and actually have a good and healthy sleep. Many adults sleep but albeit poorly which is bad for their health as poor sleep is as good as not sleeping at all.

 

Below are some secrets to having a good night’s sleep

 

• Optimize your bedroom environment: The place and surroundings of where you lay your head to sleep is a key factor in getting good sleep. Make sure your bedroom is neat, quiet, and comfortable. Also, make sure that external noise and light are minimal.

 

• Reduce your caffeine intake at night: We all know caffeine is a booster for energy and focus. However, when it is taken at night, caffeine may worsen the quality of our sleep as it stimulates the nervous system, and may prevent the body from relaxing at night.

 

• Avoid long and irregular naps during the day: While taking short naps is beneficial to the health and encouraged, sleeping for long hours during the day can confuse the body clock and disrupt you from sleeping well at night especially when it is not a usual routine for you.

 

• Do not eat late at night: Studies have shown that eating late at night tends to affect the natural release of melatonin in the body, which is meant to aid the body to relax and fall asleep. It is therefore advisable to not eat late at night(once it is 8 pm) for a better quality of sleep.

 

• Have a definite routine for sleeping and waking up: The body functions on a set rhythm aligning itself with the cycle of day and night. Sleeping and waking at a consistent time every day will help you to sleep better.

 

• Set a favorable bedroom temperature: A recent study has shown that bedroom temperature affects sleep even more than external noise. It can be difficult to get good sleep when it is too warm as you may have experienced during the summer or in hot locations. So try to make sure your bedroom has a favorable temperature.

 

Good sleep daily is paramount to a healthy life. Imagine having little to no sleep every night after toiling and working the whole day. This will definitely lead to fatigue or breakdown of the body.