7 Effective Steps To Follow For Better Sleep

Sleep problems are ubiquitous these days — and they have a
profoundly negative impact on the quality of life. The good news is there are
four simple changes you can make in your life to improve your sleep
dramatically.

If you do nothing else, the single most impactful change you
can make to your sleep is to take the phone out of the bedroom. If you live in
a studio, get the phone out of the bed area. This makes a difference for
several reasons. First, the light. Our circadian rhythm (or sleep-wake cycle)
is cued by light.

When we see blue spectrum light, it tells the brain, “Good
morning, the sun is rising, wake up!” This causes a hormonal cascade, including
the release of cortisol (our stress hormone), which makes us feel awake and
alert.

The final issue with the phone is that we associate it with
stress and reward.

Whether our nightcap of choice is Instagram, Netflix, work
email, news, Facebook, Reddit, or whatever else you find yourself drawn to
before bed, these activities put the brain in a state of stress or reward.
Either way, that’s the wrong juju right before bed.

I don’t make any friends talking about the relationship
between caffeine and sleep. I know we all love our coffee — the smell, the
taste, the warmth, the feel of the cup in our hands, the barista with the
perfect hipster mustache and the forearms.

If you struggle with sleep, keep your coffee ritual, but
switch to decaf and drop the caffeine from your life. Caffeine is a powerful
drug. It has a half-life of three to six hours for most people, which is a
nerdy way of saying that even if you drink just one cup of coffee at 9 a.m.,
there’s still some caffeine buzzing around your brain at midnight.

Some of us are especially sensitive to caffeine, and it can
be contributing to anxiety, urinary frequency, impatience, having a short
temper, and, of course, insomnia.

In the insomnia treatment orthodoxy, the importance of
bedtime goes overlooked all too often. I used to think all bedtimes were
created equal. I could sleep eight hours from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. or 2 a.m. to 10
a.m., and it was all good. That turns out to be wrong. The body functions best
when the entire circadian rhythm, including wake-up time and bedtime, is in
sync with the sunrise and sunset. Along with this you also need to keep your
bed and the surroundings clean. Keeping a clean house will ensure that your
mind is fresh and is out of any mess. If you find that the daily cleaning
chores are proving stressful to you then you need to hire professional waste
removal company such as rubbish
removal sydney.

For your sleep keep aside at least 7-8 hours. Seven hours is
the minimum sleep that is advised. In order to achieve this sleep, there are
people who do not get more than 8 hours of peaceful rest.

All you need to do is to create a proper sleep cycle, so go
to bed the same time each day to maintain the same. Do not change the schedule
be it your weeknights or weekends. Your body’s sleep-wake cycle is by being
consistent reinforcing your body. It is better to exit your bedroom if you are
having trouble falling asleep. Do something relaxing to soothe your muscles and
nerves.

Don’t go to bed hungry or stuffed. It is advised to avoid
the intake of heavy meals, especially before bedtime. As heavy meals just
before going to bed is hard to digest and can also keep you awake the whole
night.

You need to find a space that is perfect for your night’s
rest. This may often mean that the room must be cool, dark and noise proof.
When there is too much light exposure in a room then it makes it quite
difficult for a person to fall asleep. Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting
screens just before bedtime. When you are looking to create an environment that
will meet your purpose, you need to consider using some room darkening shades,
earplugs, a fan or other suitable device.

Before bath it is good to go ahead and perform some
relaxation techniques such as taking a hot bath, this will stimulate your
muscles providing a great night rest.

Before bedtime, it is essential that you are free from any
worries or concerns that are troubling you. Note down whatever is there in your
mind and keep it aside for the next day.

Here you can take help of stress management. All you need to
do is jump into the basics such as getting organized, setting proper priorities
and distributing your tasks well. To ease your anxiety you can also take help
of meditation.