Having adequate rest is important for both your physical and emotional well-being. Aside from helping you to be strong and productive, quality sleep also helps you combat stress and depression, among many others.
If you are finding it hard to have consistent, ample sleep every night, then you might want to pay attention to these practical suggestions by Patrick Fuller, a sleep scientist and a neurology associate professor at Harvard Medical School.
As shared by TechInsider, here are Fuller’s tips for better sleep:
1. Set a fixed time for waking up – and commit to it even on weekends.
Photo credit: Pixabay
See if this sounds familiar- you wake up late on a Sunday morning and then you eventually have to force yourself to sleep that night since, you know, you’ve got work come Monday morning.
This, according to Fuller, is a bad habit you need to kick. He said:
“When people get up later and later, they have less sleep drive and they think, I can’t sleep I have insomnia. Well, no, actually your sleep drive isn’t that high.”
Committing to a schedule for waking up every morning can definitely contribute to a better rest. Of course, the same can also be said about sleeping at the same time every night.
2. Skip the afternoon caffeine.
While it has become a routine for many of us to grab a mug of coffee or a can of soda in the afternoon but Fuller strongly suggests against this. The neurologist said caffeine’s effects can take up about six hours to wear off and so that might be a hindrance during bedtime.
Sure, it’s okay to sip some coffee in the morning but not in the afternoon. Go look for an alternative beverage if you really need to enjoy some drink.
3. Exercise 20 to 30 minutes every morning.
“Maintaining some level of physical activity is really important,” said Fuller. That’s why spending time exercising during the day can be a big help. Your body will be stronger plus you’ll sleep better at night. Avoid strenuous exercise, however, before bedtime because that can activate your muscles and increase your body temperature.
4. Avoid drinking before sleeping.
Yes, alcohol isn’t recommended either.
Fuller said:
“People take booze all the time to go to sleep, and it works. But the problem is that the alcohol effects wear off and you’re stuck in the middle of the night awake, staring at the ceiling. You’re already in withdrawal.”
If you can’t help it, then at least try limiting your intake.
“It’s a bad, bad medicine to use for the purposes of sleep,” added Fuller. “If I do have a drink, I try to limit it to one drink. I’ll have that closer to dinner time.”
5. Set the mood.
If your goal is to sleep at, say, 10:00 p.m., you have to prepare yourself for it consistently.
For Fuller, he does the ritual of dimming the lights an hour before sleeping. He shared:
“My wife thinks I’m a little weird because I start dimming the lights. But I really feel like it sets the mood for my sleep.”
This may sound simple but low light level is a scientifically-proven way to increase the body’s melatonin production – a hormone that allows you to fall and stay asleep.
Another thing you can do is to avoid the screen – whether it be TV, computer, or your smartphone – an hour before bedtime.
With these 5 tips, you’ll surely be able to improve your sleeping patterns.