10 Ways for Good Sleep Hygiene

10 Ways to Get a Better Night’s Sleep

Can you believe that good sleep hygiene can improve you sleep effectiveness. Get the top ten ways to better sleep hygiene and live stress free tonight.

1. Go to bed the same time every night, even on the weekends.

Consistently go to bed and get up at the same time, this conditions your body to follow regular pattern. Your body clock or circadian rhythm initiate and maintains your sleep.

2. Have a dark cool room, which is quite, and free from noise.

Having a cool environment helps our bodies sleep at it’s best. Eliminate excess noise and light and reduce distractions.

3. Use bedrooms for only sleeping and sex, watch television in the living room.

In a home, each places as it’s function, like the kitchen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or the living room for watching television, playing computer games, etc. Keep television, computer, or work out of the bedroom.

4. Excuse yourself from addictive drinks, such as; caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine before bedtime.

Caffeine is a stimulant and can keep you awake or disrupt your sleep pattern. Caffeine can be found in all wide arrange of drinks. Also, alcohol may seem innocent enough, making you drowsy, but the effects could interrupt the stages of your sleep.

5. Avoid lengthy naps, sleep patterns can be disrupted when taking long daytime naps.

Have you heard of sleep drive, this is a part of our body that wants to get to sleep during a long day.  The longer you are awake, the more you would want to get to sleep.  Avoid taking naps and you could be on a better road to a good night sleep.

6. Do not exercise right before bedtime, allow up to 4 hours of strenuous activities.

Exercise is a great way to get a good nights sleep.  For the best time to exercise is around 4 hours before bedtime.  This allows your body to wine down.

7. Engage in 15-minute quite activities such as studying or reading before bedtime.

Develop a pattern throughout the evening.  Get  into a mode that can bring stress relief way ahead of bedtime.  Our bodies are not light switches, we must engage in quite time to prime the body clock for bed.

8. If trouble getting to sleep, re-engage quite time to calm down for bed.

If you find yourself tossing and turning in bed, go to a quite place for 15 mins. or until your anxiety is over.  Then return back to bed, this should disrupt any patterns towards sleeping behavior.

9. Avoid heavy dinners right before bed; this can lead to sleep disruptions.

Eating a heavy dinner can create heartburn or acid reflux which causes discomfort when trying to get to sleep.  If eating a heavy meal, allow 3hours for digestion, allowing for a good nights sleep.

10. Always get adequate sleep, avoid working yourself on little sleep.

Have you ever tried to push yourself through a sleeping period.  Many people have and the result is falling asleep behind the wheel, causing an accident.  Outside activities with friends and family cut into sleep time especially on the weekends.  Bottom line, get plenty of sleep and feel recharged in the morning.

SOURCE: About.com

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