How to Maintain Your Sleep Hygiene and Stay Healthy?

Are you an insomniac? Isn’t it arduous to be in bed for 7 hours and yet unable to wake up fresh? What could be the reason? Do you regularly find yourself awake at 2 a.m. in the night? If yes, then there is a need to follow your habits that hampering the sleep quality. Numerous reasons keep you awake, or maybe the faulty lifestyle you are following.
It is imperative to take proper sleep to ensure good health. A well-managed and timely bedtime routine can reduce multiple disease probabilities of falling sick. Feeling lethargic all day, lack of concentration, anxiety and reduced productivity are common symptoms that indicate an alarm to sleep hygiene!
What does Sleep Hygiene Mean?
Healthy habits and timely sleeping patterns combine to create overall sleep hygiene for you. How vital is sleep hygiene? Good naps give sturdy physical and mental health to people. It also lays an incredible emphasis on the overall life quality of the people. Top health experts suggest that a person needs 8 hours of sound sleep for a healthy and active day routine

7 Health Tips to Boost Up Your Sleep Hygiene!

Are you craving a GOOD NIGHT’s sleep? It requires paying attention to several factors that help in managing your bedtime routines. Take a dive to top habits and ways that could ensure a better snoozing time for you.

Let’s take a closer look at 10 ways to improve your sleep hygiene for better sleep.

Reduce Caffeine intake

Are you addicted to multiple cups of coffee? Is caffeine dose keeping you awake in late-night hours? It means you need to cut down on caffeine, which is a big reason for keeping you forcibly alert. You might be thinking, does sleep affects you even if you are drinking coffee in the morning times? Every person has a discrete tolerance to this ingredient. After consuming it for a longer time in excessive quantity, you are sure to experience its side effects as well.

Maintain consistent sleep schedules

Following a regular and consistent sleeping schedule is quite important. Even on weekends, you should stick to a stringent sleeping cycle so that your body adapts to it appropriately. It is like regulating the internal clock in your body that simplifies the consistency of sleeping on most people. There are multiple benefits associated with it. Regular dozing off sessions can help to curb daytime sleepiness and prevent the lazy feeling. You must also ensure a bedtime at night of 7-8 hours as it is necessary for the power-packed day!

Stick to a relaxing bedtime regime

Do you wish to unwind yourself from the daily chaos? Then, nights are the best time when you can relax yourself to the soothing night’s sleep that takes away all the stress and anxiety. But what’s the right way to do so? An ideal time to begin your routine for a cozy nap is almost 30-60 minutes before you go to bed. Calm your mind and body with anything that relaxes you, such a soothing dim light, chat with your family, or calm acoustic music. Other ways to settle for perfect sleep hygiene are:
• Warm shower for bodily relaxation as it drops down the body temperature and makes you feel drowsy.
• Hang on to some gentle stretching movements for muscle relaxation and releasing the tension in the body.
• Spare a few minutes and meditate to calm your mind and body.
• Spend half an hour listening to the soulful songs or instrumental that gives you internal peace.
• Read an interesting book and prefer staying detached from all electronic devices.
• Release yourself and cuddle or hug your partner as touch therapy works miraculously for a sound sleep.

Say No to Electronic Devices

Your smartphones could be the biggest culprits for a ruined sleep cycle. If you seriously wish to work towards sleep hygiene, prevent devices that emit any radiation and light. This type of light reduces the melatonin level in the body. Melatonin is a vital chemical that ensures a proper sleeping routine. Once it dips down, you find it trivial to fall asleep. Night’s time is to waive a bye to all distractions and stressful connections. Bedtime should be all about pampering yourself. Mobile notifications and calls are bound to disturb you, and you unknowingly fall prey to sleeping disabilities. Stay away from the buzzing and lights that pop up at midnight to bother you!

Regular exercise schedule

If not more, even 30 minutes of stretching, walking, or any other aerobic exercise can bolster sleep quality. Even your health can improve when you move out for a walking session outside the house. More physical activities regulate the sound sleeping cycles. In the present scenario, it seems trivial to move out of the homes. Try morning yoga or a simple stretching that relaxes your muscles and helps in sleeping.

Dark and quiet sleep environment works

A cool, dark, and silent room allow you to sleep off easily. An average bedroom temperature of 15.6°C and 19.4°C is perfect for a sound nap. If you have an issue like insomnia, try to ensure a dark bedroom ambiance to get into sleeping mode. Here are things to do for ensuring this:
• You must also keep a check on the quality of bed linens, mattresses, and pillows. The level of comfort you have also affected sleep hygiene.
• While you are traveling or prone to noisy neighbors, invest in a good pair of earplugs that ensure a disruption-free sleep for you.
• If there is a lot of light in your bedroom, consider buying good quality blackout curtains or an eye mask to sustain preferred darkness while taking a nap.

Head to bed when tired

Do you often keep lying on the bed? This would only keep you tossed and turned over the bed and prevent you from sleeping correctly. If you are already lying on the bed for more than 30 minutes and still unable to sleep, get up. You can engross yourself in some activity until you feel sluggish and wish to fall asleep. This enhances your sleeping patterns, and you are likely to get a deeper nap which is beneficial for the body. You can also try to do some meditation or mental relaxation activity for a beautiful session in bed!

The Final Verdict

So, did you get the necessary answers on your sleep hygiene? It is all about the healthy napping habits that get affected by multiple factors of your lifestyle. You need to carefully assess your behavior around bedtime and keep a check if you are waking up fresh or not. Is it still hard to fall asleep? Try all or a few of the above strategies, and hopefully, you could ensure better sleep hygiene.
Sticking to a routine, meditation, exercise, and a comfortable bedroom are a few things that can have a good impact on you. For further signs of insomnia or other sleeping pattern issues, you can consult a good doctor. With this, you can get a solution for the underlying condition and get relevant treatments at the earliest. Please comment below for any other helpful suggestions to manage sleep hygiene!