9-Weeks of Sleep Enhancement

How to Improve Your Sleep Quality

Getting a good sleep is necessary for our health and well-being. For you to get a healthy sleep means that you are getting enough sleep and a decent quality sleep. Depending on your age, you require different amounts of sleep to sustain good health. Children, of course, require more sleep than adults. Adults 18-60 years old require 7 or more hours of sleeper night. Adults 61-64 years old require 7-9 hours sleep per night and adults 65 years old and older require 7-8 hours sleep per night. 

To improve your sleep quality, it is important to create an ideal sleep environment and to develop good sleep habits. This can be accomplished by developing a consistent sleep schedule; controlling exposure to light; optimizing your sleep environment; avoiding electronic devices before bedtime; avoiding large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime; and ensuring you get regular exercise

Developing a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Good sleep habits can improve your sleep. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day including weekends is a good habit to establish. There are things that we all do before bed. We go to the bathroom, wash our face, brush our teeth, some shower before bed and others shower when they get up first thing in the morning. But whatever your individual routine is, it is important to perform these tasks in the same order and the same way every night. This signals to your body that you are preparing for bed and that it will soon be able to relax fully and fall asleep for the night.

Controlling Exposure to Light

Having a way to change the lighting in your bedroom will help with your sleep. Most of us sleep better when it is dark out than we do when the room we sleep in is lit. There are several ways that you can do this. There are great lined curtains that blackout light in the room and so eliminate light from permeating into your bedroom and oasis of relaxation. Another way to darken your room that you sleep in is to put dimmers on your lighting in your bedroom. This will allow you to gradually reduce the lighting in your bedroom so as you relax before bed, you can dim the lights lower and lower until your room is completely dark. Another option is to purchase smart lights that you can put on a timer so that your lights turn off automatically at 10 pm every evening. Use whatever device or option that fits best with your lifestyle and bedtime routine.

Optimizing Your Sleep Environment

Make your bedroom your oasis of relaxation. Keep your bedroom quiet, comfortable and at a cool temperature, which helps your body to ready itself for sleep. Make sure you have a good mattress on your bed that fits your personal sleeping needs. For example, if you are someone who requires a firm mattress to get a good night’s sleep, then make sure that the mattress that you own meets your back and body requirements for a good sleep. Pillows are important, if you are a side sleeper, make sure that your pillows fit your side sleeping needs. There are pillows for side sleeping, back sleepers and even stomach sleepers. Keep your bedroom free from clutter as clutter increases stress and impacts your ability to relax. Ensure your bedroom is dust-free because dust and pollen can trigger your allergies if you have them and interfere with your sleep. Keep a fresh glass of water next to your bed, so that you can hydrate before bed and even hydrate during the night should you get up to use the washroom.

Avoid Electronics Before Bedtime

It’s important that you turn off all electronic devices at least thirty minutes before bedtime. This helps your body relax, unwind, and prepare to rest for the night. Back-lit electronic devices emit short-wavelength enriched light or blue light, which suppresses the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a natural hormone that is normally released into the body in the evening to help you feel tired and ready for sleep. This same blue light can also cause increased alertness and reduce slow-wave and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. These two sleep stages are necessary for cognitive functioning. Blue light device use can also make it harder to fall asleep and may feel more tired the next day because of getting poor sleep quality.

Avoid Large Meals, Caffeine and Alcohol Before Bedtime

Eat large meals earlier in the evening. If you eat a large meal right before bedtime, it can lead to discomfort and indigestion. A late large meal can cause your metabolism to run faster which could cause vivid dreams or nightmares, disrupting your sleep. Your body digesting your late meal can keep your body awake and prevent you from falling asleep easily. It is recommended that you don’t eat for two hours before bedtime.

Don’t drink caffeine late in the afternoon or evening because it will interfere with you getting a good night’s rest. Caffeine blocks adenosine, a sleep-inducing chemical that affects how fast you fall asleep, how many hours you sleep and your sleep quality. Caffeine also affects your slow-wave sleep, which impacts whether you feel refreshed after sleep. It is recommended that you avoid caffeine for at least 8 hours before sleep.

While alcohol can help some people fall asleep easier, it has a negative impact on your sleep. Alcohol can lead to frequent wakings and overall poor-quality sleep. When alcohol is long-term, it can cause chronic sleep problems and disorders like sleep apnea. It is recommended that you avoid alcohol for at least three hours before bedtime.

Get Regular Exercise

Regular exercise has many positive impacts on sleep. It takes less time to fall asleep if you are getting regular moderate to vigorous exercise. Your sleep quality improves because exercise allows your body to sleep for longer periods of time during the night. People who get regular physical activity are less likely to experience daytime sleepiness. For people who suffer from insomnia, long-term exercise (ranging from four to twenty-four weeks) allows those individuals to fall asleep faster, sleep longer and get better sleep quality. Exercise also reduces the need for the use of sleep medications in most cases.

Conclusion

Each person is an individual and what works for one may not work for another. However, here we have provided you with numerous options to help you improve your ability to fall asleep, duration and quality of sleep. If these options don’t work for you, you should consult your healthcare professional. Next week, we will cover relaxation techniques that you can use to help you relax and prepare for sleep. Should you have any sleep related questions, please feel free to email me at info@kairoscoachingbylakeitha.com .

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