Sleep is one of the basic needs that we have as human beings. We can’t function properly without it, and it has a critical impact on our lives. It is equally important to us as food and water, maybe even more. Unfortunately, many people all over the world tend to forget how significant getting enough rest is to us.
Instead of focusing on getting a recommended number of hours of sleep at night, most of us think that we can get away with only a few hours of rest. The main culprit for this behavior is our 24/7 lifestyle. In today’s society, people are used to being online from the moment when they open their eyes until late at night. The first thing that we do in the morning is to grab our phone or laptop, check emails, or our social media profiles to see if there is something new. Many people also tend to stay online until late hours instead of to go to sleep at night. Something like this can take a toll on our health, especially if it continues for a prolonged period. Staying up late is not a good idea, especially if we need to get up early for work. If we are deprived of rest, we can’t function properly at work, and our productivity is severely impacted. Our job performance can suffer because of sleep deprivation.
Stress can also make us deprived of rest. Most of us have stressful lives and different work-related obligations. Meeting deadlines, making sure our clients are satisfied, handling the impossible tasks that your boss gives you – all of these things contribute to high levels of stress. When we are under a lot of pressure, we have a hard time relaxing in the evening and drifting off to dreamland. As a result, we tend to wake up at least a couple of times during the night and be very tired in the morning. If you have troubles falling asleep in the evening, and staying asleep at night, you should do certain things that will relax you and take your mind off worries before going to bed.
Take a Shower
One of the most common things that people do before drifting off to dreamland is taking a shower. No matter if you prefer a warm shower or a warm bath, it will help you fall asleep later, when you decide to go to bed. The changes in your body’s internal temperature that occur as a result of warm water have an impact on controlling circadian rhythms. Warm water warms up the body and stepping out of the steamy bathroom cools it down, which sets off the chain reaction of brain signals that tell your body that it is time to go to sleep. If you have troubles meeting your sleep goals, you shouldn’t forget to take a shower in the evening. Something like this will also save you time in the morning, which is especially beneficial if you don’t get up on time and are in a hurry to go to work.
Do Household Chores
No matter if you need to take out the trash, wash the dishes or do laundry, getting things done in the evening will help you get enough shut-eye at night. It would be the best idea to take at least several minutes in the evening to clean up the mess from that day. Taking care of the unfinished work before the bedtime will give you peace of mind in the morning. Waking up the next day to a tidy and neat home is a wonderful feeling, and it will certainly brighten up your mood. Also, you will be able to fall asleep faster at night if you know that you took care of the household chores, instead of postponing it.
Exercise
Another thing that you should do in the evening is to try working out. Don’t worry, you don’t need to spend one hour doing cardio or different quite challenging tasks. You can choose a few simple exercises that don’t require a lot of energy and do them. It is crucial to keep in mind that regular exercising promotes restful sleep. If you decide to engage in physical activity only 10 or 20 minutes per day, it will have a positive impact on you and improve the sleep quality. You should make your habit to work out every single day for at least 10 minutes. Very soon, you will be able to notice the benefits of taking up this activity. You just need to try some late-night workout routines, choose the one that you think is most suitable, and stick to it.
Unplug
You should be aware that using electronic devices before going to bed can disrupt your sleep. It would be the best idea to cut down on screen time before the bedtime. In today’s modern world, many people stay online until the late hours, and as a result, feel very tired when they wake up. If you want to get enough sleep, you should turn off your phone and laptop so that no one tries to connect to you. Also, you should know that the light from electronic devices can have a negative impact on your sleep cycles. If you want to get enough shut-eye at night, it is essential to unplug from the world.
Read a Good Book
If you want to rest properly, you should replace using your phone in the evening with reading a good book. Unlike smartphones and other electronics, books don’t have a detrimental impact on our sleep quality. Reading just 20 or 30 minutes before going to bed will not only relax you so that you can fall asleep faster, but it will also boost your memory and increase your vocabulary. If you want to drift off to dreamland easily at night, you should grab a book and read it until you start feeling tired, and go to bed afterward.