We all know we should get more sleep. Not only that, but we need high quality sleep that gives our body the time to recover from the day, transfer memories from short-term to long-term storage, and prepare for the energetic demands of the next day. Despite all of this knowledge, many of us don't know that what we do harms our sleep.
Here are some things you can do to ensure that your sleep is restful and healthy. In some cases, of course, sleep disorders can be due to a pre-existing illness. If you suspect that your sleep is being interrupted for medical reasons, be sure to talk to a doctor about your experience. The following tips will improve the situation, but nothing can replace a medical professional's diagnosis.
Using the bedroom for multiple purposes
This is a fun habit, and for most of us it started when we were young and broke renting a single room in a larger room. When we needed downtime, we would watch movies on our laptops in bed, hang out in the room with friends, do our schoolwork in our rooms – it turned out that a lot of our daily activities shouldn't be done in the bedroom, especially when it is are technological devices.
Things like televisions, computers, gaming systems, phones, and other devices that emit blue light can drastically affect sleep. This is because blue light affects our daily rhythm – the part of our body that determines when we need to sleep and eat. Blue light enters through our eyes (yes, even when they are closed) and tells our brain that it is daytime. Our bodies naturally sync with the rising and falling of the sun to maximize the amount of time we are awake with daylight. Fluorescent lamps and LED lamps also emit blue light. Reducing the amount of blue light present can mean the difference between waking up feeling energized and ready for the day or waking up exhausted. We argue with ourselves about whether it's too late to work ten minutes longer.
Allergens, asthma, or bad breathing habits
It turns out that people have been breathing wrongly for generations – yes, there is such a thing as wrong breathing. Many factors contribute to this. Some people have allergies that have not been diagnosed, which means they are always a bit overworked. When we sleep we are told to breathe through our noses (this provides 30% more oxygen to the blood, brain and cells) and filter the air to reduce the risk of inhaling toxins. We fill our homes with polluted air because of overuse of cleaning products and personal care products that contain toxins.
Practice proper breathing habits and reduce the number of things that clog you in your bedroom. This may mean looking for hypoallergenic pillows, blankets and sheets, or an organic, crushed latex pillow. It can also mean making the bedroom a pet-free area and getting to know better the chemicals and products you use in the bedroom. Houseplants can help with this too, as they purify the air and fill it with oxygen.
Bad sleep hygiene habits
Sleep hygiene refers to healthy sleeping habits. This means creating a solid sleep schedule so your body knows when to sleep. This often includes setting up a nightly routine that gives your mind and body clues that it is time to relax. A big part of sleep hygiene is monitoring the number of stimulants ingested and making sure you are not using caffeine, nicotine, or any other "energizing" substance in the hours before bed. Caffeine works in your system three to seven hours after consumption. This means that a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon can do a lot more damage than you expect.
Go to bed when you are not tired
This is particularly counter-intuitive, but lying awake in bed and falling asleep is a habit that your behavior can shape and encourage. If it's time for you to go to bed but you don't feel it, try a relaxing activity like reading (but not on a screen) until you feel tired. If you cannot fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and resume the relaxing activity. It is very easy to get used to a terrible cycle in which you get frustrated and then keep your anger awake.
Sleep is an incredibly complex part of the human experience and affects all areas of our waking life – our health, our mental state, our relationships, our work performance. Take the time to learn what you can do to improve sleep and be patient with your body as it learns the new routine.
