You should never neglect the amount and quality of your sleep. This is why you should consider some sleep tips that will reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and will help you sleep more deeply.
Have A Consistent Sleeping/Waking Schedule
When you wake up and go to bed at the same time every day, you will help to regulate your internal clock. This will cause your body to expect sleep at certain times of the night. When this happens, you will reduce the amount of time that it takes for you to fall asleep and your overall sleep quality will improve as well.
It is important to note that this will not help people who have varying hours for school and work. If you are one of these people, you should do your best to set some kind of schedule. You should stick to this schedule and keep to it on the weekends as well.
Associate Your Bed With Sleep And Sex
If you have any late-night work that you need to finish or if you want to complete any other stimulating activity, you should not do this in bed. You should move to a desk, table or couch to complete these tasks. It is important that you do not merge your working space with your sleeping space.
When you get into bed, you need to ensure that your body associates this with rest and relaxation. When your body associates your bed with problem-solving and stress, you will not have a good sleep.
Stop Using Electronics 30 To 60 Minutes Before Sleeping
At least 30 minutes before you are going to go to sleep, you should dim your lights and unplug all of your electronics such as your laptop, tablet, TV, and smartphone. The bright lights from these items will suppress the natural production of melatonin which is needed to regulate your sleep. When it gets dark, the levels of melatonin will increase which tells your body that it is time to sleep. This will allow you to fall asleep easily and stay asleep for longer.
Before going to bed, you should avoid watching TV, texting or surfing the web. You should spend the 30 to 60 minutes before bed doing some light reading or listening to an audiobook. Other relaxation techniques will also help such as meditation.
Avoid Going To Bed When You Are Too Full Or Too Hungry
You should avoid going to bed when you are too full or too hungry, but this will vary depending on the person. Eating a big meal just before going to bed will generally make it harder for you to fall asleep. However, a growling stomach will not make it easy to sleep either.
A small to medium-sized meal a few hours before bed will allow you to be more comfortable when you sleep. The insulin release will also help to improve the production of melatonin.
Keep Your Bedroom Dark, Cool, And Quiet
To get better sleep, you will need to optimize your sleeping environment. Having the best conditions in your bedroom is important and will promote a deep sleep. This means a comfortable bed and perhaps a tulo mattress. It is recommended that you keep your room at approximately 60 to 67 degrees.
To eliminate as much light as possible, you should use blackout curtains or wear a sleeping mask. You should also get rid of as much background noise as possible. If this is not possible, you should look at drowning out the noise with a humidifier, fan or a white noise machine.
Stay Away From Caffeine And Other Stimulants 6 To 8 Hours Before Sleeping
There are a lot of people who are able to fall asleep after drinking a cup of coffee or an after-workout drink. The problem is that the caffeine in these drinks will affect the overall quality of your sleep. If you want to be able to fall asleep easily and stay asleep for longer, you need to limit your intake of these stimulants. You should have your last drink of coffee in the late afternoon and not in the 6 to 8 hours leading up to going to sleep.
Include A Basic Sleep Supplement In Your Plan
If you have taken all the steps that you can to improve your sleep and want some additional help, there are some research-backed supplements that you can use. Magnesium is a mineral that is involved in the regulation of sleep quality and many hard-training bodybuilders will have low levels of this. You should look at taking a supplement of 200 to 400 mg each day with a meal to improve your levels.
Lavender oil will help to calm the mind, decrease the heart rate, reduce anxiety and place your body in a more relaxed state. You should take 80 mg of this oil around half an hour before going to bed. It is best to take this in pill form to ensure that you are getting the right dosage.
Melatonin is vital to good sleep and will come in a supplement form. The standard dosage will be 1 to 3 mg to be taken half an hour before bed. It is recommended that you start on the low end and gradually increase the amount until you find the right dosage.
