How to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep Without Medication
Guest post by
Dylan Foster
dylan@healthwellwise.com
How to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep Without Medication
Sometimes, no matter what you try, sleep evadesyou. While sleep medication can help, an article from Harvard Medical School separatesprescription sleep medications into three categories, and emphasized that eachof them comes with their own risks. Fortunately, there are other ways you candrift off, including setting the right temperature and using sleep-friendlyelectronics and tools.
1. Trackyour cycle with tech
The more you know about how well you sleep atnight, the better you can plan for a good bedtime routine. The best way totrack your sleep cycle is with an app. Sleepapps don’t interfere with your sleep—in fact, they’re designed towake you up during the lightest phase of your cycle, which is more natural thanwaking up to an alarm clock. Make sure your phone is capable of running a sleepapp during the night; otherwise, switching to a new phone can be worth theinvestment when it comes to tracking your sleep patterns efficiently. Choose aphone, such as the iPhone 11, that can run on battery power all night without theneed to recharge until the next day. Many new models are also designed to bepowerful, so you can run the sleep app smoothly.
2.Exercise aggressively
Research has highlighted a bidirectionalrelationship between sleep and exercise. Working out can promote better sleep,and good sleep can impact your workout. On days where you’ve slept poorly, tryto work out anyway. It’s a little hard at first, but it’ll make a difference. Yoga is a great form of exercise to promotebetter sleep.
3. Controlnighttime noise
Some people find that a little white noise when they’re in the process of fallingasleep can block out inconsistent or unusual background noise, which can leadto better rest. White noise machines can fit any budget, soyou don’t have to shell out too much to enjoy those benefits. You can alsoinvest in ear plugs to block out noise.
4. Loweryour house temperature at night
One study from the National Sleep Foundationrecommends 65 degrees as the best temperature for sleeping, although thiscan be adjusted based on individual circumstances. Test a few differenttemperatures to find out which one works best for you. Just make sure you’restill warm in bed. It’s the outside that needs to be chillier, not you.
5. Don’tbe afraid of the dark
Researchers are continuing to study exactly why adark/light cycle is so important in promotinghealthy bodily functioning and sleeping. Either way, the message is clear: Makeeverything darker. This can mean getting blackout curtains, investing in asleep mask, or even attaching sheets to your windows to block out the darkness.
6. Avoidnightcaps
While it can initially relax you, even a small ormoderate amount of alcohol usually has more negative effects thanpositive ones when it comes to resting. It can disrupt your body’s naturalcycles that help you rest, meaning you won’t sleep as deeply and your sleepwill get interrupted more easily.
7. Enjoy arelaxing evening activity
Stress can increase insomnia risk and disruptquality sleep, so finding ways to deal with it are important. Typically, youcan experience this by participating in relaxing activities in the evening.This can include reading a book, watching a movie, or putting together apuzzle. Find ways to avoid the things that stress you out. The internet canoften expose you to troubling news, so try to avoid surfing the web in the evenings.
8. Take abath
Timing a bathor shower so that it occurs about an hour and a half before going tosleep can help your body warm up comfortably, then begin the natural process ofcooling down that typically accompanies going to sleep. A warm bath or showercan help your body relax and feel better as you settle down.
9. Don’tfight it
When you can’t sleep, you can feel stressed outand upset. This, of course, will make it even harder for you to get to sleep.If you’re struggling with getting to sleep, get out of bed and start doingsomething else to get your mind off of your restlessness. Often, doinghousehold chores can help. It doesn’t engage your mindso much that you’ll feel awake, and getting a few things done will help relaxyou.
You might struggle with getting to sleep, but itdoes help to dedicate yourself to working hard for a good night’s rest. Try notto fight it when you can’t sleep, but do find ways to avoid what stresses youout and get a more relaxing experience. Sleep will eventually come.
