Ever wonder why some days you wake up completely ready to tackle a new day and others you spend counting down the hours until you and you bed meet again? Well, it probably has to do with your sleeping habits. While behavior like scrolling your social media feed or even having a cup of coffee after dinner seem innocent, they do have their costs… and that price just happens to be precious hours of sleep. Here are a few Dos and Don’ts that can improve your night’s sleep making you feel brand new when the sun comes up.
DON’T: Scroll aimlessly on your phone or fall into an endless hole of television shows right before bed.
DO: Power down at least 1-2 hours before you hit the hay. Put all electronics away that emit blue light which can affect the levels of the sleep inducing hormone, melatonin. Try using the Sleep Timer on your iPhone if you like to fall asleep to noise. It will play your media while locking the screen and turns off the media at the preset time. https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-use-the-built-in-sleep-timer-in-ios/
DON’T: Have caffeine after midday. Studies show that caffeine can affect you for up to 10 hours after you drink it. So if you’re in an afternoon slump, you may want to rethink that energy drink to give you a boost that will cut into bedtime.
DO: Try some alternatives to stay awake like cold water or a mid day exercise. Check out this blog by Bustle that gives you directs advice on what to do if you’re falling asleep at work.
DON’T: Take long naps, sleep in or stay up too late on the weekends.
DO: Set your alarm for the same time everyday, keeping a set sleep schedule. Sleeping in and staying up late on the weekend will make it hard for you to get up in the morning when the week rolls around, giving you a case of the Mondays for sure. Check out sleep cycle, an interactive app to help you achieve better sleep, by tracking your sleeping habits.
DON’T: Lay in bed and think about that stressful thing that happened at work or what you’re going to eat for lunch tomorrow. Staying up late and worrying won’t relax you or get you to fall asleep any faster.
DO: Practice relaxation exercises and meditation before bed to clear your mind of any stress or pressing issues that would otherwise keep you from sleeping. The Huffington Post outlines some good exercises here to use to help your body distinguish the fact that it’s time to rest.
DON’T: Decide to eat a heavy dinner right before bed. This can lead to things such as indigestion and weight gain.
DO: Eat a small healthy snack before bed. Make sure they include complex carbohydrates that, when digested, release serotonin, which is supposed to calm you down. Buzzfeed listed the best bedtime snacks here. Maybe pair it with some peppermint tea which is also proven to relax your mind and your muscles. We suggest our Sweet Peppermint Tea Drops for a quick cup of relaxation.
Some simple changes to everyday before bed habits can lead to better rest and can make sleeping that much better. And simply, if you sleep better, you feel better.
