01 Jul Improve Sleep Quantity and Quality

Sleep is a problem for many Americans that they just can’t seem to figure out. A combination of stress and busyness is what many people point to when they say that they “haven’t been sleeping well” or that they “wish they were getting more hours of sleep each night”.

 Although these do play a role, here are a few practical ways that you can improve your quality and quantity of sleep each night: 

1. Plug your phone in outside of the bedroom. This will force you to “unplug” before bed and could push you toward an activity that is less harmful to falling asleep such as reading. Also, using electronics before bed can reduce the body’s production of melatonin, an important sleep compound. 
2. If you can’t put the phone away before bed, consider downloading a blue light blocker app onto your phone. Blue light has been shown to be the primary culprit that keeps people awake and deprives them of sleep when they are on their phones or other electronic devices before bed. In addition, blue light has been demonstrated to induce damage to your retina which can have a lasting effect. 
3. Consider buying a wake-up light or a more natural means of waking up in the morning. Harsh alarm clock sounds are never anyone’s favorite, but there are alternatives that can improve how rested you feel in the morning. Wake-up light alarm clocks simulate the sunrise by gradually emitting stronger and stronger light intensity, along with sounds of your choice usually, until you are supposed to be awake. This method could potentially make mornings much more pleasant and make you feel like you gradually came out of your sleep cycle. 
4. Another intuitive method for improving the quantity of sleep you get would be just to prioritize getting to bed between 30 minutes to an hour before you actually want to be asleep. Things always arise right before bed that derails our sleep schedule so it is best to prepare for them in advance so that your amount of sleep each night doesn’t suffer as a result. 
5. Try not to drink caffeine in the afternoon. Caffeine is an essential part of many Americans’ day in various forms and that is fine if it is ingested at the proper time. Ingesting caffeine in the afternoon can keep you feeling restless and likely will keep you from falling asleep quickly and peacefully when you do want to go to bed that night. 

These are just a few tips of the many out there on improving your sleep quantity and quality in lasting ways. 

Whatever you do, make sure you remember the importance of sleep and keep your head on the pillow!

Source: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-electronics-affect-sleep