In this fast-paced world, there can be no denying the sheer influence that a full and complete night’s sleep can have on your quality of life. Sleeping seven to nine hours every night has been proven to yield a myriad of positive effects, from boosting cognitive performance to improving both your mental and physical health too.
In fact, the formation of healthy sleep habits is rapidly being seen as a key component in supporting our metabolism and maintaining our heart health. But the problem with this fast-paced world is that it boasts an increasing number of barriers that keep us from attaining optimal sleep. We’ll be unpacking and addressing these barriers in this article, so read on to find out how best to reclaim your circadian rhythm.
Minimize light disruption
Be sure to draw together your bedroom blinds or curtains, or at the very least put on your eye mask at the end of every day, to ensure that your body is able to naturally produce the melatonin it needs in order to attain a good night’s sleep.
Minimizing light disruption also means ensuring that your ‘wind-down process’ at the close of every day, should ideally not include any screens. There are two things that you’ll need to ensure your room can attain complete darkness: a good set of blockout curtains, and a clear bedside table.
Let us explain. Even if your thick bedroom curtains are able to block out street lights and the sounds of traffic, taking in the blue light that’s emitted by our phones and tablets can also inhibit your body’s ability to release melatonin into your bloodstream, which can often naturally lead to you feeling awake far longer than you’d like and thus, falling asleep a lot later in the night. A good way of keeping screens at bay in the bedroom is simply by setting your phone charger up on the other end of your room so that you’re less likely to get in bed and scroll the night away. The setup and styling of your bedroom will have a huge impact on your sleep, so it’s important to have a discerning eye when thinking about what to bring into your sleep sanctuary with you.
Splurge on your sheets
Another surefire way of encouraging your body to sleep is by turning your bed into a warm and comfortable haven by investing in some high-quality bedding. Spring for some luxurious bamboo sheets and pillowcases for optimum comfort. Have a closet filled with blankets for every mood and season. And invest in only the most quality pillows, and a memory foam mattress that’s fit for royalty. You want your bed to be all that you think about during your 3pm slump, and what you look forward to at the end of every workday. Not to mention that you spend a third of your life sleeping. You deserve to feel comfortable where it counts the most!
Establish morning and evening routines
Having at least a semi-regular routine can make a world of difference when it comes to training your body to sleep better. But if you’re not one to stick to schedules, even cultivating two basic routines in the morning and evening, can help greatly improve your body’s relationship with sleep. Some fantastic morning routines may include brewing up some herbal tea and doing some light stretching to get your mind and body feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Contrastingly, your evening routine should be a touch more relaxed, with the only inflexibility being adhering to a regular dinner time. This is to ensure that you never go to bed on an uncomfortably full stomach, which may potentially disrupt not only your sleep but also your body’s ability to wake up feeling refreshed. In essence, creating and sticking to morning and evening routines can help turn sleep into an effortless daily ritual.
Alongside these tips, it’s also recommended that you decrease your intake of caffeine and processed sugars as a means of staying awake through the day. The bursts of energy that these provide come at the cost of denying your body a chance of being able to regulate itself. Be sure to be patient with yourself during this process, and your circadian rhythm will be sure to grow more pronounced with every well-lived day!
