Sleep is important. Sleep lowers our stress levels and helps our bodies recharge. It helps clear our minds and makes us more productive, and it makes our bodies healthier and better able to fight off disease — great sleep can reduce your risk of everything from heart attacks to cancer. Bad sleep, on the other hand, can really mess you up. Sleep deprivation will have a negative effect on your moods, your mental health, your energy levels, and your physical health.
Getting good sleep is incredibly important to your day-to-day life and your long-term health alike. Is your sleep good enough? Here’s what you need to know about how to get the best sleep possible.
Sleep in silence (or with a white noise machine)
To get good sleep, you’ll need a little peace and quiet. Of course, for some people, that’s not possible. Some of us live in areas where sounds — ambient and otherwise — are a fact of life 24/7. Others may suffer from tinnitus — a constant sound that plays in our ears, which can be anything from ringing or buzz to a constant clicking.
Try to create the most calming silence or pseudo-silence that you can, though. Earplugs are a good option, and so are white noise machines. You can also try tinnitus remedies like Tinnitus911. And does tinnitus911 work? For some people, yes, and it’s well worth trying yourself.
Sleep in the dark
The other key part of your sleep space is the light — or lack thereof. You need a dark place to sleep in. Again, this is something that is easier for some people to create than it is for others. But you can always find solutions. You should consider blackout curtains for windows or a sleep mask for areas that just can’t seem to stay dark enough.
Millions of years of evolution have conditioned your body to sleep in the dark. Don’t fight nature. Make it dark when you want to sleep. You can even use your body’s reaction to light to your advantage by buying a wake-up light and using light therapy to wake yourself up in the morning instead of the harsh sound of an alarm clock.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine before bed
Alcohol, caffeine, and other drugs can affect our bodies and minds. That can make us more productive or help us loosen up at a party, but moderation is key.
There’s nothing wrong with the occasional nightcap, say the experts at a Woodbridge liquor store, but beware of making alcohol before bed a habit. You should not need the help of alcohol to fall asleep, and going to sleep intoxicated will make your sleep less restful and less effective at recharging your energy levels.
Go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day
The key to your sleep schedule is something called the circadian rhythm. We humans are not the only ones with circadian rhythms — it’s something that is found regularly in the animal kingdom. So what it is? It’s simply how our sleep schedule lines up with the day/night cycle of our home planet. We evolved to take advantage of that cycle in our sleep patterns. Makes sense, right?
Getting your sleep schedule right means respecting the natural rhythm. If you can, line up your sleeping time with the darkness of night. And be sure to keep the cycle rhythmic. Don’t confuse your body by waking up or going to sleep at different times every day. Instead, stay consistent. You’ll fall asleep faster and wake up more easily that way, and you’ll get more restful sleep while you’re asleep.
