How to sleep better 6 secrets to a good night sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep has a direct impact on your mental and physical health. Go too low and it can seriously affect your daily energy, productivity, emotional balance, and even your weight. Yet many of us toss and turn regularly at night, struggling to get enough sleep. If you are in search of how to sleep better then you are in the right place.

Getting a good night’s sleep can seem like an impossible goal when you wake up at 3 a.m., but you have more control over the quality of your sleep than you probably realize. How you feel during your waking hours often depends on how well you slept at night, so treating sleep problems can often be found in your routine.

Unhealthy daytime habits and lifestyle choices can leave you tossing and turning at night and can adversely affect your mood, brain and heart health, immune system, creativity, vitality, and weight. But by experimenting with the following tips, you can enjoy a better night’s sleep, boost your health, and improve the way you think and feel during the day.

Read More | 5 Tips for Drug-Free Anxiety Relief

If you’re having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, you may have turned to sleep medications in search of more restful sleep. However, these drugs can have side effects – including changes in appetite, dizziness, drowsiness, stomach upset, dry mouth, headaches, and strange dreams. A study in the British Medical Journal linked several hypnotic sleep aids, including zolpidem (Ambien) and temazepam (Restoril), with a potentially increased risk of death although it could not confirm how much these drugs risk.

Here are 6 tips for how to sleep better

1. Get into a daily routine

All the changes we’ve gone through have made it difficult to maintain a regular routine, but a regular sleeping pattern is really important for good sleep.

If you can wake up, calm down, and go to sleep around the same time every day, that will really help. If possible, avoid napping.

Remember, your bedtime routine really starts before you go to sleep, so take time each evening to wind down — and try to turn off your technology.

Things like reading, gentle stretching, or meditation are great ways to relax, and keeping chargers for your devices out of the bedroom can help you avoid absent-minded scrolling.

2. Exercise

A daily brisk walk will not only reduce your height, but you will wake up less at night. Exercise enhances the effects of natural sleep hormones such as melatonin. A study in the journal Sleep found that postmenopausal women who exercised about three and a half hours a week had an easier time falling asleep than women who exercised less. Just check your workout time. Exercising too close to bedtime can be stimulating. A morning workout that exposes you to bright daylight will help with the natural circadian rhythm.

3. Avoid alcohol and caffeine

If you eat breakfast before bed, wine and chocolate should not be part of it. Chocolate contains caffeine, which is a stimulant. Surprisingly, alcohol has a similar effect. It makes you feel sleepy, but it’s actually a stimulant and it disrupts sleep at night. Also stay away from anything acidic (like citrus fruits and juices) or spicy, which can cause heartburn.

4. Eat—But Not Too Much

A grumbling stomach can be distracting enough to keep you awake, but it can also be an overly full stomach. Avoid eating large meals within two to three hours of bedtime. If you’re hungry right before bedtime, eat a small healthy snack (like an apple with a slice of cheese or some whole-wheat crackers) to keep you satisfied until breakfast.

5. Create a comfortable environment

Simple things can make a big difference when it comes to falling asleep and staying asleep.

It’s usually easier to drift off when it’s quiet, dark, and calm – but the right sleeping environment is individual, so try different things and see what works for you.

Putting in earplugs, keeping your phone on silent and down (or out of the room altogether), keeping clocks out of sight, and making sure the room is well-ventilated can all make a big difference.

Some people also find it helpful to play environmental sounds like rain, soft music, or white noise.

6. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day

It helps set your body’s internal clock and optimize your sleep quality. Choose a bedtime when you usually feel tired, so you don’t toss and turn. If you are getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock, you need a bedtime first.

The urge to move your legs, snoring, and burning pain in your stomach, chest, or throat are symptoms of three common sleep disorders—restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. If these symptoms keep you up at night or make you sleepy during the day, see your doctor for an evaluation.