A good night's sleep not only makes you feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead, but it is also essential for your health! Sleep has restorative aspects as well as aids in memory formation and consolidation. Are you getting enough sleep? And are you getting the right kind of sleep? Here are 6 tips to help you practice better sleep hygiene tonight!
1) Avoid napping during the day as it can interfere with the normal sleep pattern.
2) Exercise! Exercise may increase your quality of sleep. Vigorous exercise should not be performed right before bed, however.
3. Limit the use of caffeine and alcohol four hours before bedtime. Alcohol may feel like it is making you relax and sleepy, but it will disrupt your quality of sleep.
4. Put away those cellphones! Turn off the TV and stop reading in bed. Artificial light and stimulation can disrupt sleep resulting in you associating your bed with wakefulness. Make your bed a place for sleeping and relaxing avoiding exposure to cellphones and other electronic devices.
5. Allow for adequate exposure to natural light. Natural light exposure will help your body avoid sleep inertia (difficulty waking up in the morning).
6. Establish a regular sleep schedule. Aim to achieve the same amount of sleep each night and go to sleep each night at approximately the same time.