Getting good-quality sleep on a regular basis is essential if we want to stay in excellent health… and, in fact, you will soon feel the effects of poor rest on your energy levels, concentration and mood if you don’t get between seven and eight hours a night consistently.
Over time, poor sleep can actually lead to a wide range of negative health outcomes, everything from irritability, anxiety and depression to greater vulnerability to infections, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and so on.
As such, it’s important to do all you can to ensure that you get good sleep as often as you can if you don’t want to put your health at risk. But how do you best go about doing so? Here are some top tips from the VK Homeware team.
1. Maintain a solid sleep routine
Getting into a good sleep routine is a must, so aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day and night, as well as winding down for a few hours in the evening before bedtime.
Relaxing activities can help you get ready for sleep and signal to your body that it’s time to rest, such as taking a hot bath, having a warm drink, getting away from screens, reading a book and so on.
2. Create a restful sleep environment
Your sleeping environment can have a big impact on how well you rest so if you’re struggling with insomnia or other sleep disturbances, take a look at your room to see if there are any improvements you could make.
Aim to keep the temperature between 16 and 18 degrees C, get rid of any clutter, keep the room clean and make sure that your curtains or blinds keep the dark out sufficiently so that you don’t wake up before it’s time. Reading up about sleep hygiene could prove particularly beneficial.
3. Don’t force sleep
If you’re struggling to drop off, don’t try to force yourself into a state of rest, as this is likely to have the opposite effect, keeping you awake for longer.
Instead, a change of scenery can help so consider getting up and doing something relaxing, such as reading a book or listening to some music. When you start to feel sleepy, get back in bed and hopefully you should fall fast asleep.
4. Exercise regularly
We all know that exercise is great for our health, but you may not be aware that keeping fit can actually help you enjoy better sleep!
Studies show that aerobic exercise can help increase the amount of slow wave sleep (also known as deep sleep) you get, as well as helping to stabilise your mood and centre your mind, which can also help you transition into a sleepy state.
5. Make your bed comfy
One of the best ways to get a good night’s sleep is to ensure that your bed is as comfortable as possible. This could mean buying a new mattress, using a mattress protector, using orthopaedic pillows, investing in a beautiful new Egyptian cotton duvet set or something else.
It all depends on what you think is getting in the way of your rest… so put your thinking cap on to see what changes you need to make.