Sleep quality and quantity are a must-have to stay healthy and function at your best. However, not everyone can achieve the best sleep every day. Lifestyle habits are to blame no matter how innocent they may seem. Most people try to improve their sleep by getting a new mattress, pillows, bamboo sheets, curtains and upgrading their bedrooms. Doing this may help promote better sleep, but considering some of your daily habits like those mentioned below will help improve your sleep quality fast.
- Always reaching for pain medication
If you are experiencing pain, it is obvious you are having a hard time sleeping. However, many people do not recognize that they should address the pain instead of just sleeping it off. Avoid focusing on the sleep issue and focus on the pain issue. Since once you solve the pain issue, you can sleep better. Unfortunately, some pain pills can cause poor sleep quality even though they have a sedative effect. For this reason, invest in a new mattress from the best mattress companies in your area. And choose one that will support your body best and ease your pain, helping you sleep better.
- Reading in bed to fall asleep
Sometimes it may seem hard trying to nod off after you try to wind down with a book in bed. Doing activities like reading, watching TV while in bed makes your mind not realize it is time to sleep. When you do this, you associate the bed with wakefulness. For instance, if you use your phone to read, the light tricks your mind that it is daytime. Therefore, whether you read in bed or not, use a physical book to avoid the light effects. The same applies to using a laptop or tablet as the light shines on your face making you feel more awake and alert.
- Brushing your teeth right before bed
Everyone has been in a scenario they are dozing off on the couch, but as they brush their teeth to get ready for bed, they have a second wind. What could be the issue? It may be the energizing taste of peppermint that can rev you up. Plus, the bright bathroom lights will signal your brain to stay alert. As mentioned, it is not an excuse for not brushing your teeth, but if you struggle with this, brush your teeth earlier. Swap your peppermint toothpaste for a milder one and brush your teeth during the commercial break.
- Blasting the heat at night
Light is not the only thing to blame in signaling your body it’s time to sleep. Heat is also an issue as your body has a rhythm to body and brain temperature. At night, your body cools down naturally. Thus, keeping your bedroom temperatures high will only confuse your body, that it is not time to sleep. The recommended temperature from sleep experts is 650 F. It may not work for everyone, but overall, choose a cooler temperature over a warmer one if you are trying to sleep.
- Drinking coffee with your afternoon snack
You would never have a cup of coffee before bed, for you know its effects on sleep. But, caffeine stays in your system for many hours than you may think, even though you drink it earlier. Drinking it five hours before your bedtime can keep you awake at night. Unfortunately, people are different, and a cup of coffee with dessert may not bother some people but others due to a slow metabolic rate it does. Thus, it is best to avoid caffeine after lunch to sleep better at night.
- You enjoy a glass of wine after dinner
It may be a glass of red wine or a bottle of your favorite beer. Unfortunately, it will affect your sleep quality as much as it knocks you out fast. Plus, there is a big difference between sedation and sleep. When you take alcohol, it sedates you, and you do not sleep well. For it suppresses your deep sleep phase when your body should be restoring itself. Thus, you wake up feeling fatigued. If this happens to you, avoid any alcoholic drink at night.
